May - MogNW

MORGAN OWNERS GROUP NORTHWEST MAY & JUNE 2013 / Vol. 33, No. 3 

A Morgan proves irresistible 

to Edwardian beauties ...

2013 MOGNW EXECUTIVE BOARD 

President Kit Raetsen president@mognw.com 

Treasurer Cati Waterman treasurer@mognw.com 

Secretary Claire Hauge secretary@mognw.com 

Editor/Webmaster Steve Hutchens editor@mognw.com 

Historian Steve Hutchens historian@mognw.com 

Regalia Garth Morgan regalia@mognw.com 

Island Pod Rep Jane Cowan islandpod@mognw.com 

Midlands Pod Rep Mike Amos midlandspod@mognw.com 

Northern Pod Rep Ric MacDonald northernpod@mognw.com 

Southern Pod Rep Wayne Harris southernpod@mognw.com 

The Publication: NWMogazine 

NWMOGAZINE is the newsletter of the MORGAN OWNERS 

GROUP NORTHWEST, a non-profit organization serving Morgan 

automobile enthusiasts in the Northwestern United States and 

Western Canada. Copyright © 2013 by MORGAN OWNERS 

GROUP NORTHWEST. Permission is hereby given to reproduce portions 

of this newsletter (except material copyrighted by others) for nonprofit, 

non-commercial use. Please give MOGNW credit, acknowledging 

the issue and author, source, or photographer if stated. 

Meetings and Events 

Events and social meetings are held in each of our four Pods: Island 

(Victoria), Midlands (Seattle), Northern (Vancouver, BC), and 

Southern (Portland). Times & locations are listed on the MOGNW 

Calendar (mognw.com/calendar.html). Please submit calendar items 

to the Editor. Contact your nearest Pod Rep for event information. 

Dues 

Full year: US$24/CDN$24 per calendar year if paid by 12/31 

(US$30/CDN$30 after 12/31). Partial year for new members: 

US$2/CDN$2 per month for each month remaining in the calendar 

year, including the current month. 

Regalia 

Club merchandise can be purchased by emailing our Regalia officer at 

regalia@mognw.com or see the MOGNW roster for other contacts. 

Submitting Material for Publication 

Address: Please send content to the Editor (editor@mognw.com or 

see the MOGNW roster for an address). 

Deadlines: The 1st of odd numbered months. 

Digital Submissions: Content can be sent in or attached to email, 

or mailed on CD. Text files should be in .doc, .txt, or .rtf formats. 

Photos and illustrations should be in .tif, .jpg, .gif, or .bmp formats. 

Note: Please try to avoid sending .pdf files or .doc files with embedded 

photos as these formats require additional steps for insertion in the 

NWMogazine and may result in lower quality photos. 

Paper Submissions: Photos, typed or hand-written text, and illustrations 

can be mailed to the Editor. 

Reservations: The Editor reserves the right to edit material for 

style, content, relevance, collegiality, spelling, grammar, length, 

and appropriateness for the NWMogazine. Material that is not time 

sensitive may be saved for publication at a later date. 

Spelling: Please use Canadian, U.S., or U.K. spelling consistently 

and as appropriate. A reference for all three can be found at 

. 

Advertising 

Limited non-commercial advertising is free to MOGNW members. 

Commercial advertising, priced below, is available. Please pay 

MOGNW in advance in US$ and provide suitable digital or scanable 

copy. We publish six issues per year, odd numbered months. 

Size of Ad ................... 1-3 Months..... 6 Months..........1 Year 

Business Card .................... $5...............$12.50 .............. $25 

Quarter Page ......................$10 ................ $25................. $50 

Half Page ............................$20 ................ $50................ $100 

Full Page.............................$40 ............... $100............... $200 

Cover photo credit: The Plus 4 of Malcolm Sparrow and LaVerne Barnes 

MEMBER NOTE: Submit your outstanding photos for cover consideration (note the cover layout). 

NW-Mogazine Volume 33, Number 3 May & June 2013 

2

West of Northwest 

Morgan season has arrived! 

Morgan season has arrived and once again the Vancouver 

ABFM at VanDusen Botanical Gardens kicks off another great season 

of Morganeering. As in the past, the Northern Pod did an outstanding 

job of providing a great lunch at the gardens and a post- 

VanDusen BBQ at the Sea Cadet base on Annacis Island. 

Coming up next will be the Southern Pod's Devil's Punch Bowl 

Run, a three day event that Joanne and I try to get to every year as 

it is one of the highlights of our MOG season. 

Right on Heinz's heels is the Island Pod's Father’s Day Weekend 

being organized by Jane Cowan. This is a two day event with a 

pig roast Saturday evening and the British car show in Beacon Hill 

Park on Sunday. 

These are three major events and all are happening in a four 

week span. What a great way to start us off! The fun continues in 

July with the Western Washington ABFM at Bellevue College and 

Michael Amos has all the information on this one (see page 4). 

August should prove to be a great month as well. We've got the 

Southern Oregon Run August 9-11, the High Desert Run August 

16-18, and, of course, the Portland ABFM on August 31. Check the 

calendar section on the MOGNW web site for more details and 

contact information. 

Your fantastic pod reps (with a little help from their friends) make 

all these activities possible. They really appreciate your letting them 

know if you are attending and 

also notifying them if your 

plans change. So, keep 

those Morgans dusted off 

and support these great 

events. 

Speaking of great events 

yet to come, there are two 

you need to mark your calendars 

for. The Reddington's 

third Rocky Mountain Rally 

will be held 2014 and it will 

be a grand tour. You can 

read about the 2004 Rocky 

Mountain Rally Revival Run 

in the October 2004 Mogazine 

at mognw.com. 

Our President 

A major milestone is also approaching as 2015 marks the 40th 

anniversary of MOGNW. This will definitely be worthy of a party 

and we will soon be soliciting suggestions. Watch for more information 

as it becomes available in your Mogazine. Read about the 

great celebration we had for our 30th anniversary in the September 

2005 Mogazine at mognw.com. 

Remember what Bilbo used to say: It’s a dangerous business, 

Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t 

keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off 

to. – JRR Tolkien 

E DITOR’ S MINUTE 

By Steve Hutchens 

Editor & Webmaster 

I held this issue of the Mogazine for 

twelve days to include the extensive report 

on the Vancouver ABFM which is a bit over 

six pages with lots of pictures. Enjoy! 

MOGNW GRILLE BADGES 

As the Historian I am updating the information 

on MOGNW grille badges that we’ve 

You may not 

be able to 

read this but 

it says 

“1992” 

had over the last 38 years. At VanDusen I 

took photos of all the MOGNW badges I 

found. 

Of special interest at the moment is our 

first badge, affectionately referred to as the 

“Boat Anchor” because of its weight. There 

were several castings of this badge. Longtime 

member Dave Wellington has one from 

the original casting (with no date on the 

back) and one from a later casting (with 1997 

on the back). I have a Boat Anchor with 1992 

on the back, a date not included in my information 

on production details. 

My information says there were six different 

types. Most were brass but one may 

have been pewter and another aluminum. If 

you have a Boat Anchor badge, please look 

at the back and let me know what it says. If it 

is cast of aluminum or pewter, please take a 

picture of it and send it to me. 

ARTICLE SELECTION 

Some readers may wonder how articles 

are selected for the Mogazine. That’s a good 

question and this issue may give some examples. 

We have several members who write 

good technical articles. Pat Leask gave me a 

nice article dealing with wood repair for this 

issue. Cuthbert Twillie (aka Gary Bell) has 

given us access to a substantial volume of 

articles so I looked for one dealing with wood 

repair. It didn’t take long to find an article on 

reinforcing the door pillar to avoid sagging 

doors. In this case, it was especially appropriate 

as the doors of my ‘62 Plus 4 are both 

sagging and in 

need of attention. 

Similarly, in the 

January/February 

issue, Bill Button 

wrote about using 

penetrating oils to 

remove rusted 

bolts. I found a 

related article by 

Cuthbert about 

using chemicals to remove rust. Topics don’t 

always mesh like this but I try to find correlating 

topics. 

Then there is the issue of the order of 

articles in the Mogazine and here I try to be 

fairly consistent. The first two pages are set, 

then the President and I get page 3. The 

calendar and upcoming events start on page 

4. Reports on events come next, listed in 

chronological order. Time sensitive articles 

usually follow reports and then we get to the 

articles from regular contributors and others. 

Ads are interspersed as they best fit with 

articles. I target 20-24 pages and if I need a 

few filler pages I have an inventory of nice 

reprints that members have sent me. Finally 

we get to the Autojumble, membership form, 

and financial report. 


3

FATHER’S DAY ON THE ISLAND 

June 15 & 16 

Jane Cowan (islandpod@mognw.com) 

Saturday: Reddingtons are planning a south Island run from Sidney 

to Duncan, then we gather at Kit and Jo’s about 4:00 for a pig 

roast. Island Pod members are providing the food. Guest members 

$5/person, guest non-members $12/person. BYOB. 

Sunday: Gather at Beacon Hill Park no later than 9:00 for the 

British car show and our traditional picnic feast of the leftovers 

from Saturday’s pig roast. 

WESTERN WASHINGTON ABFM - JULY 27 

THE EVENT: The Western Washington All British Field Meet is celebrating it’s 25th anniversary 

on July 27. There will be four Morgan classes: 4/4, Plus 4. Plus 8, and Other (everything else). 

If we don’t field at least three cars in a class we may have fewer next year. 

FRIDAY NIGHT PARTY (7/26): The Cocktail Party at Club Auto in Kirkland is only by preregistration. 

The cost is only $10 and includes a scrumptious buffet. No tickets will be sold at 

the door. 

FEATURED MARQUES: The ABFM is saluting “Drivers and Survivors” as well as 50 years of 

Triumph and Sprite. 

THE VENUE: Things will be somewhat different this year. Bellevue College is expanding and will 

be taking away a good portion of the parking area that we normally use for vehicle display. 

Things have been rearranged from past years and we should be OK, just a little more 

crowded. We will have to be more careful in coming and going and parking. We are looking 

forward to news of next year’s ABFM as it will be on grass in a spectacular location. 

REGISTRATION: You should have received registration forms in the mail. If you did not or need 

a new one, go to www.abfm.com for a form and further information. 

DONATION: Once again we are collecting food for Food Lifeline. Bring food and/or donate to a 

great cause. 

DEPARTURE: With a more crowded area, we request no cars leave until after the awards are 

given out at 4:00. 

POST-ABFM PARTY: The Midlands Pod will host a post-event party nearby, the exact location 

TBA on our website. All are invited! We will grill our usual burgers and brats and have assorted 

goodies. There is no cost as it will be funded by the Midlands Pod budget. 

QUESTIONS: If you have any questions, please call or email Michael Amos, Midlands Pod Rep, 

206-619-4293 or michael.e.amos@gmail.com. Watch the mognw.com calendar for updates! 

WELCOME OUR 

NEW MEMBER! 

Robert Fox 

PO Box 10 

Cowichan Bay, BC 

V0R 1N0 

Phone: 

250-748-8982 

Cell: 250-361-5056 

Email: robertfox@shaw.ca 

1970 4/4 High Cowl 4-Seater 

Dark Blue; Vin B2193 

Comment: Owned since 1972. Engine 

swap to 135hp 1700cc Kent engine with 

dual side draught Webers. 

UPCOMING MOGNW ACTIVITIES (see mognw.com/calendar.html for the latest) 

Please send calendar items to the Editor to help keep our online calendar current! 

Date Event Time & Location Contact 

June 6-9 

June 9-18 

Devils Punchbowl Run 

Father’s Day Picnic Run 

Something new for another great week in your 

Morgan! 

See article on page 5 of the March/April 

Mogazine for complete information. 



Heinz Stromquist 

heinzal@pacifier.com or 

503-793-9768 

Heinz Stromquist 

heinzal@pacifier.com or 

503-793-9768 

June 

15 & 16 

Island Pod Father's Day 2013 

Saturday afternoon: tour of the south Island; 

Saturday evening: pig roast at Kit and 

Joanne's home; Sunday morning: car show 

and picnic in Beacon Hill Park 

Kit Raetsen and Joanne Cockshutt 

kitjo@shaw.ca 

Saturday, 

July 27 

August 

9, 10, 11 

August 

16, 17, 18 

Western Washington ABFM at Bellevue College 

See information above and online. 

Michael Amos 

midlandspod@mognw.com 

Ride the Rogue Run 



David Hammond 

dbh@hamengr.com 

High Desert Run 



Doug Barofsky 

dbarofsky@me.com 

August 

24 & 25 

Northern Pod Run to the LeMay Museum 

and Museum of Flight at Boeing Field 

Ideal event for Midlands and Northern Pods. 

All members invited. Email Ric for details. 

Ric MacDonald 

northernpod@mognw.com 

Saturday, 

August 31 

September 

4 to 17 

Portland ABFM at 

Portland International Raceway 

Details will be in the next Mogazine and 

posted on mognw.com when available 

Wayne Harris 

southernpod@mognw.com 

Morgans to Montana 

See page 10 of the Nov/Dec 2012 


Lee Harman 

425-422-5406 or rlh@wavecable.com 

ALWAYS CHECK THE CALENDAR PAGE ON MOGNW.COM FOR THE LATEST EVENT INFORMATION! 


4

Northern Pod St. Patrick's & 

Early Easter Run 

Pam Mahony 

The Northern Pod’s March event was the St. Patrick's & Early 

Easter Run on March 24. There were chocolate shamrocks and 

Easter eggs for everyone! 

We gathered at 10:30 at Tim Horton's, 16141 24 Ave (Grandview 

Corners) in Surrey and enjoyed the traditional socializing. Some lucky 

people "rolled up the rim" of their paper cups at Tim Horton’s and won 

a free coffee or latte for next visit! 

Then we were off on the sunny but chilly run as Chris Allen and 

Pam Mahony led everyone over hill and dale along the fringes of Surrey 

and Langley country roads, including Highpoint Homes and 

Equestrian Centre. It was a very scenic route with some new roads. 

Shortly after 12:00 we gathered for lunch at the West Coast Grill at 

the Hazelmere Golf Course, 

18150 8th Ave, Surrey. Several 

people choose the Sunday 

Brunch and others ordered from 

the menu. 

For dessert, we enjoyed 

Purdy's Easter Eggs and Sees 

Chocolate Shamrocks. 

Coincidentally, 55 members of 

the Jag/MG club were at Hazelmere 

for brunch. What a great 

looking parking lot! 

PARTICIPANTS 

Chris Allen & Pam Mahony 

Steve & Susan Blake 

Les & June Burkholder 

Colin & Laurel Gurnsey 

Steve Hutchens & Celia Obrecht 

Judy & Bob McDiarmid 

Ken & Pat Miles 

Rosemarie Powley 

Doug & Gil Seager 

Ron & Yvonne Theroux 

GET READY FOR MORGANS TO MONTANA 

Lee Harman, Wagonmaster 

Now’s the time to begin the preparations! A terrific adventure will 

unfold September 13-17: Morgans to Montana! Winter’s over and Spring 

has sprung. Bundle up and drive, drive, drive your priceless mount to 

find its faults. Look for its weaknesses. Then do the tweaks and/or major 

maintenance necessary to have your timeless Morgan ready! Didn’t fire 

right up after a winter’s hibernation? Find out why and make the necessary 

corrections NOW, in lieu of a roadside somewhere in Big Sky 

Country! 

The event remains open to all members of MOGNW! You’ll need 

to review the route and overnights, seeing to accommodations as necessary. 

All are welcome. The trip promises to be quite memorable and 

exciting. Please contact the Wagonmaster if you need any information. 

We moved to 

5787 203A St. 


5

Northern Pod Run to the 

Stave Lake Power House 

Sunday, April 28 

By Chris Allen & Pam Mahony 

There was some distance to travel to the meeting place so some 

people needed their stop at Tim Horton's or McDonalds. However, 

we all arrived on time at the Mission Pub & Restaurant. 

Everyone went for the Sunday Brunch Buffet, most likely due to 

the fact that the food was ready to eat with no waiting to order. 

Unless, of course, you went for the special custom made omelets. 

If we had collected the quarters for the Al Allinson Last Dinner 

Award (to reward the last person served), June would have won 

thanks to her omelet! The staff and Morganeers surprised Bob 

McDiarmid with the Happy Birthday song. 

Colin Gurnsey was the leader for the "run" to the Power House. 

Up and down hill and dale along with some hairpin curves. After 

arriving at the parking lot photos were taken by Win, followed by 

Colin who took us on a brilliant guided tour of the Power House. 

Colin knows his subject matter: every nuance, every penny of 

the five million dollars spent on creating the exhibit. He knows 

where B.C. Hydro money went. And when that money was gone, 

he scrounged, borrowed and traded to get the effect he was after. 

Well done, Colin! The Power House is interesting, educational 

and a pleasure for all ages. Thanks, Colin, for a most enjoyable 

day. 

PARTICIPANTS 

Chris Allen & Pam Mahony 

Les & June Burkholder 

Colin & Laurel Gurnsey 

Bob & Judy McDiarmid 

Ken Miles 

Win Muehling 

Rosemarie Powley 

Ron & Yvonne Theroux 

Colin explains the details 

Laurel and Pam check out the colsole 

1912 Detroit Electric 

AN AMBITIOUS VISION 

The late 19th century was the golden age of electricity in North 

America. Electric streetlights, streetcars and lighting in homes were 

gaining popularity. In Vancouver, industries were desperate for 

more power. The small, local steam plants could not keep up with 

demand. 

When the Stave Falls project was first envisioned in 1895, it was 

very ambitious. Hydroelectric technology was still new. Niagara 

Falls, the first large-scale hydroelectric plant in North America, had 

been built six years previously - but was still struggling to work out 

how to transmit the electricity to “distant” Buffalo, 20 miles away. 

Yet Stave Falls was to supply power to Vancouver 30 miles away! It 

took years of hard work before the vision was finally realized in 

1911. 

Before Stave Falls was completed, the newly-formed B. C. Electric 

Railway Co. built a hydroelectric plant in 1898 on the Coldstream 

River, close to Victoria. Early in the next century they developed the 

Buntzen Lake system near Vancouver, producing 64,000 horsepower. 

But it was still not enough electricity for power-hungry industrial 

customers. 

By 1926, Stave Falls was the largest source of power in the B.C. 

Electric system. It generated 87,500 horse-power. In 1927, Alouette 

Lake was diverted to Stave Lake by tunnel and the first automated 

generating station in the Commonwealth was built on Stave Lake, 

adding another 13,400 horse-power. 

Note: we don’t measure electricity in horse-power any more. 1 electrical 

horse-power = 746 watts, or 0.746 kilowatts. 


6 

BC Hydro display

2013 Vancouver ABFM 

“The Greatest Show on British Wheels” 

VanDusen Gardens Show 

Ric MacDonald, 

Northern Pod Rep 

The unofficial opening of the 

show season began with the 28th 

annual Vancouver ABFM at Van- 

Dusen Botanical Gardens. This is 

a most beautiful setting for the 

display of British cars and motorcycles. 

Self- touted as the 

"Greatest Show of British Wheels 

on Wheels," it has grown from a 

very modest beginning of 100 

cars, give or take, in 1985, to a 

space-limited 650 today. 

This year there were once 

again 650 entries but due to several 

rainy days in the week preceding 

the event and a gloomylooking 

overcast sky on the 

morning of the show, I don't think 

all entries showed up. Pity, as 

there were only light occasional 

showers until about noon with the 

sun actually poking through later 

in the afternoon. Although the 

show cannot get any bigger due 

to space limitations, it seems to 

get better at least from the perspective 

of the quality of entries 

on display. 

The motorcycle entries have 

certainly improved in quality with 

some truly spectacular entries. Of 

special note were the Vincents, 

the featured marque this year. 

The motorcycles are well worth a 

look if you have the time next 

year. 

Speaking of time, the day 

seems to go by ever faster, what 

with voting on the classes, looking 

at the other cars and socializing. 

I for one just don't seem to 

be able to see everything and 

talk to everyone I would like to, 

renew acquaintances and make 

new ones. 

This year we had 31 Morgans 

on the field, which seems about a 

normal turnout except in a special 

year. The breakdown: 12 

4/4s, 9 Plus 4s, 8 Plus 8s, 1 

Drophead Coupe, and 1 3- 

Wheeler Trike. 

I was very happy to see a 

number of guests from out of 

town, notably from the Southern 

and Island Pods. Ken Kutner was 

down from Powell River with his 

1958 4/4 for the first time. Incidentally 

the car won a third place 

plaque in class but as Ken was 

new to this he didn't know he had 

to go up to be presented with the 

prize for the car (you missed the 

chance at glory, Ken, but I hope 

you contact Joan Stewart for the 

plaque - and good luck again 

next year). 

I was most happy to see our 

guests take home some of the 

hardware as it makes their journey 

more enjoyable. 

After the show, some 50 of us 

joined together at the Sea Cadets 

Hutchens Photo 

Mike Powley's Morgan 4/4 evoked his spirit from its position at the 

front of the prize-giving area. David and Marianne Powley awarded 

“The Motor Mouth Award,” a new ABFM prize honouring Mike, to be 

presented to the person best representing a true British car enthusiast. 


7 

base in Delta for our bar-b-q. We 

are very fortunate to have this 

roomy and tranquil setting for our 

dinner. Much thanks once again 

to Ron and Yvonne Theroux who 

make this privilege possible. I am 

happy to say we will be able to 

use this facility again next year. 

The weather co-operated for 

us as the sun was out and we 

were able to go over our favorite 

memories of the day before enjoying 

the excellent steak dinner, 

as cooked by Les Burkholder and 

Ron Theroux. 

At this point I would like to 

send thanks from those who attended 

lunch and dinner to those 

who made it possible. We know 

who you are, so at the risk of 

leaving someone out I am not 

going to mention specific names, 

but a GREAT THANKS and a 

TOOT of the HORN to all who 

made our enjoyable day happen. 

A more than Honorable mention 

also goes to those who 

helped with the clean-up. At the 

end of a long but good day, we 

were able to make our way home 

into, quite literally a setting sun 

with the hoods down. 

Thanks to all who brought their 

cars as it's all about enjoying 

Morgans and each other. 

Those being recognized with 

awards included: 

Overall People’s Choice 

Cutest Little Car: Brian Pollock 

(1934 3-Wheeler Super Sport) 

Class 24: 4/4 

1. Ken Miles (actually Pat's car!) 

2. Dave Sheftel (a first time entry 

from the Island Pod) 

3. Ken Kutner (a first time entry 

from Powell River) 

Class 25: Plus 4 

1. Ken Butler (a first time entry 

from the Island Pod) 

2. Larry Enrick 

3. LaVerne Barnes 

Class 26: Plus 8 

1. Chris Allen 

2. Malcolm Sparrow 

3. Lloyd Reddington (from the 

Island Pod) 

Class 51: DHC 

1. Les and June Burkholder (the 

sole Drophead Coupe so they 

were a shoo-in for 1st, 2nd and 

3rd!) 

MacDonald Photo

ABFM Photos 

Muehling Photo 



Hutchens Photo 



MacDonald Photo 



8

Party Photos 










9

The Morgans of the 

2013 Vancouver ABFM 

Steve Hutchens 

(Photos presented in chronological order.) 

Pollock: 1934 Super Sport 

Cutest Little Car 

Gurnsey: 1953 Plus 4 

Kutner: 1958 4/4 

3rd 4/4 Class 

Morgan: 1960 4/4 

Hutchens: 1962 Plus 4 

Burkholder: 1964 Drophead 

1st DHC Class 

Emrick: 1964 Plus 4 

2nd Plus 4 Class MacDonald: 1965 4/4 


10

Chapman: 1965 Plus 4 

Doroghy: 1966 Plus 4 

Muehling: 1966 Plus 4 

McDiarmid: 1966 Plus 4 

Williams: 1967 4/4 

Theroux: 1968 4/4 

Burkholder: 1969 4/4 

Miles: 1969 4/4 

1st 4/4 Class 

Povey: 1970 4/4 

Sharp: 1970 4/4 


11

Reddington: 1970 Plus 8 

3rd Plus 8 Class 

Bailey: 1971 Plus 8 

Powley: 1972 4/4 

Allen: 1972 Plus 8 

1st Plus 8 Class 

Wellington: 1982 4/4 

Butler: 1986 Plus 4 

1st Plus 4 Class 

Algar: 1987 Plus 8 Stromquist: 1987 Plus 8 

Sheftel: 1988 4/4 

2nd 4/4 Class 

Fawcett: 1991 Plus 8 


12

Barnes: 1993 Plus 4 

3rd Plus 4 Class 

I’ve always thought about taking photos of all of the Morgans at an 

ABFM but never before actually did it. Digital makes it so easy. I took 

photos of each car then a close-up of the information sheet to keep 

track of whose Morgan it was. This being my first effort at that this, I 

didn’t have a firm idea about how much space I needed to leave 

around cars in the photos or of how I was going to present the photos 

in the Mogazine. Most turned out fairly well; only a few couldn’t 

be cropped at the size I decided on leaving the whole car. The next 

challenge was how to arrange them on the page and I decided on 

age as the factor, oldest cars first. The names are as they were on 

the information sheet, using the first name if there were two. 

Sparrow: 1993 Plus 8 

2nd Plus 8 Class 

Seligman: 2005 Roadster 

2013 Vancouver to Whistler Run 

(and for all but me, back!) Ric MacDonald 

The 21st Vancouver to Whistler Run took place on Sunday, the day 

after the VanDusen Show. Originally conceived by Colin Fitzgerald in 

1993 to see how many of the show cars actually run, this has grown 

from a modest 40 or so to the over 100 now taking part. 

Until a few years ago this event was held the third Saturday in September 

but with a couple of rainy and cold runs which led to dwindling 

entries, the event was moved to the day after the Vancouver ABFM. 

The hope was that with better weather in May that more of the cars 

from the Show would make the drive (I'm not so sure of this!). 

We also have had some rain since doing this in May. As the Show 

is a long and tiring day, I took an impromptu vote to see who would 

come if the Run was held again in September. There was more interest 

in doing this, but as there are large crowds in Whistler on this long 

weekend, I do not think the organizers, Patrick Stewart and company, 

will change this. I must congratulate Patrick for his efforts in putting this 

on as he seems to do everything from putting out the information to 

parking the cars in Whistler! He is more than ably assisted by his wife 

Joan, who in addition to helping with the organization also emcees the 

prize giving in Whistler. 

In the parking lot at the Park Royal Shopping Center in North Vancouver, 

enjoying the complimentary muffins and coffee, I came across 

Dave Collis. Dave is a long time member but one whom we only see 

on this run these days. He was along on the very first Whistler Run, 

one of the seven Mogs back then. His knowledge of Morgans dates to 

when he worked with GB Sterne who imported the cars (mine is one of 

those!). Dave’s rather dry humor is missed so I hope he will be out 

more. 

A while later in came Malcolm Sparrow with Terry Sadler in the 

passenger seat of his Plus 8 and Val was there to say good-bye for 

now. The +8 and my 4/4 set off under cloudy and cool weather which 

was good for the cars. 

As Terry's 1964 Plus 4 seemed much roomier than my 1965 4/4 

when I had sat in his, I suggested he sit in mine to compare. What 

better way to compare than to put him in the driver's seat from the fuel 

stop in Squamish to Whistler! At this point, as I had never driven Malcolm's 

Plus 8, or any Plus 8 for that matter, Malcolm decided that this 

was the time for my initiation to the world of the Plus 8, so I was put 

into his car. What a different world. Seems a bit like a 'real car' but still 

a Mog. I noticed hot air blowing onto my feet, and not heat from the 

motor or transmission, must have a heater that actually works! Must 

say this new experience made my weekend. Thanks! Malcolm. 

Arriving in Whistler, we were parked in the Olympic Plaza by Patrick 

who was making the usual derogatory remarks about Morgan drivers 

and their lack of willingness to follow directions and parking prowess! 

There were hordes of people in the village for the long weekend so 

there was lots of interest in the cars. 

After a relaxing lunch it was back to the Plaza for the awarding 

of prizes for the closest to a mythical time for the run (which was hit 

right on!) and the most correct answers to the questionnaire as well as 

various draws. Steve Blake, who was up with Susan in their Jag XK- 

140 Fixed Head won a prize for something, but I must admit by this 

point I wasn't paying a lot of attention to anything so can't tell you what 

he won or for what. 

Anyway it is an enjoyable drive to end the weekend. If there is any 

interest I will organize something for next year. 

When telling Ron Theroux on Saturday evening that I would be 

staying to do the Whistler Run on Sunday, he pointed out that I was 

going to pay $25 to drive home! I hadn't quite thought of it that way, 

but it is fun and as I have done it every year, I suppose I shall continue 

to pay to go home. 


13

Richard Duane Dennis Remembered 

Newburgh, Indiana 

Richard Duane Dennis, 81, passed away April 

18, 2013, after a sudden and brief illness. He 

was born December 12, 1931, in Princeton, Iowa. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, 

Paul and Florence (Hunt) Dennis, and his loving 

wife of 13 years, Karen (Hall) Dennis. He is survived 

by his brother, Paul Dennis, and his wife 

Carol; his five children, Debbie Welder (Russell), 

Rob Dennis (Cathy), Pat Dennis (Dora), Liz Dennis 

(Amy), Paula Lorenzen (Dan); his five grandchildren, 

Jennica Pritchard (Daniel), Justin APR. 18, 2013 

DEC. 12, 1931 - 

Welder, Jerame Dennis (Amanda), Sean Hoag, 

and Cameron Hoag; his five great-grandchildren, Gabe Welder and 

Jacob, Alayna, Evan and Austin Pritchard; and his cat, Mr. Moo. 

Richard grew up in Princeton, Iowa. He married Emmy Lou Dennis 

in 1953 and they had five children together. He served in the U.S. Air 

Force as a military police officer. While still in high school, he started 

his career with Alcoa in Davenport, Iowa. His career took him to many 

locations, including South Wales, China, and Russia. Richard enjoyed 

gourmet cooking, snow-skiing, and fly fishing. Richard was a master 

woodcrafter, pilot, turkey hunter, and gut-bucket musician. 

One of the great loves of his life was his 1962 Morgan Super Sport. 

Dennis and Karen were long-time members of Morgan 

Owners Group Northwest while they lived in Boise, Idaho. 

We would like to acknowledge Allison and all his friends from "The 

Log House" in Russellville, Kentucky. He also leaves behind many 

wonderful friends in Boise, Idaho, including those at the Idaho British 

Car Club and the Bogus Basin Ski Club. 

The family would like to express their gratitude to his sister-in-law, 

Sharon Nelson, and step daughter, Becky Withers, for all their love 

and friendship over the years. 

A private memorial service is being held at a later date. Titzer Family 

Funeral Homes, Newburgh, Ind. is assisting with arrangements. 

Sympathy wishes may be made at www.titzerfuneralhomes.com. 

Any memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer's Association 

(www.alz.org). 

Dick and Karen on the 2004 Canada trip with the Morgan Club 

in a gondola at one of the parks in Alberta. 

From the smallest repair to a 

Full Restoration 

The Morgan Clinic is here 

to help you enjoy 

your Morgan to the fullest! 

The Morgan Clinic 

4317 Columbine Ct NE 

Salem, Oregon 97305 

503-390-0085 or 818-388-2478 

Email: themorganclinic@yahoo.com 

CMC Enterprises (1990) Inc 

Reg Beer Coachbuilders Inc 

www.regbeercoachbuilder.ca 

CMC Enterprises has been supplying North America 

with parts and sales of vintage vehicles since 1990. 

Reg Beer Coachbuilders have been offering the 

best in full service restorations, general repairs, tuning 

and modifications. Martin and Stephen Beer have been 

the sole Morgan dealers in Canada since 1990. We 

have the largest stock of Morgan parts in Canada. Our 

inventory consists of new and old parts, some extremely 

hard to find or no longer in production. Parts 

can be fabricated in-house by our skilled craftsmen. 

Morgans have been our specialty for over 40 years and 

we have numerous best-in-show awards to prove it. 

We work closely with clients, ensuring that work is 

completed to their specifications at realistic costs. 

Martin Beer & Stephen Beer 

12944 Albion Vaughan Road 

Bolton, ON L7E 4C6 

cmcmog@idirect.ca 

(905) 857-3210 


14

WHERE DO WE LIVE? 

by Steve Hutchens, Historian 

Have you ever wondered how MOGNW members are distributed throughout our Pacific Northwest territory? Recently I found that I could 

import an address database into Microsoft Streets and Trips and identify each member with a dot on a map. I ran the concept by Bob Hauge 

and in a few minutes had a membership directory in Excel. A few minutes later the map below emerged based on the information Bob sent. 

We tend to be concentrated in metropolitan areas, but there are quite a few spread out as well. It looks like we should have members in 

western Montana. Does anyone know any Morgan owners there? 

British Columbia: 62 members 

Alberta: 4 members 

Washington: 43 members 

Oregon: 32 members 

Idaho: 3 members 


15

gardens to be confronted by all the rhododendrons, begonias and 

hydrangeas complimenting the Plus 4’s and Plus 8’s. Oh the colours, 

the shapes the smells! And I am just talking about the cars 

now. The All British Field Meet at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens is 

a celebration of the best that nature and engineering have to offer. 

Flower Power 

by Dave Doroghy 

I went to the Van Dusen Gardens one night this last Christmas 

season to look at all the nice lights they had on display. Although it 

was cold and crowded, all in all it was a fairly pleasant and festive 

evening. As I strolled around the flickering display I thought to myself 

that the botanical park really shines and only realizes its full 

and perfect potential during the All British Field Meet. As far as I’m 

concerned, Van Dusen Gardens was custom designed for a giant 

car show. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not that I don’t like flowers. 

They’re OK, and I even visited the gardens in the early 80’s once 

before the car show debuted to look at the flowers. However it’s 

only when you place 550 old British cars in the middle of all that 

colourful foliage and sprawling grass that Van Dusen Gardens 

really finds its raison d’etre. 

I have been to car shows all around the world from shows on the 

lawn of Leeds Castle in England to shows in a Wal-Mart Parking lot 

in Memphis, Tennessee. And make no mistake about it – the surroundings 

and environment where a show is staged is the number 

one factor in the shows success. 

Granted you need 

great cars too, but it’s the 

combination of great cars in 

a super natural setting that 

sets great car shows apart 

from amazingly spectacular 

ones. It’s like the cars are 

the masterpiece paintings on 

a canvas and the setting 

where the car show is held is 

the matching frame. 

Van Dusen Gardens has it all and is just so perfect for a car show. 

The undulating grounds with their gentle slopes and small hills accentuate 

the cars. The tranquil lakes and dramatic rock-works provide 

an interesting backdrop. Trees provide shade, contrast and 

reference points. Oh and did I mention the flowers? Van Dusen’s 

collection includes more than 7,300 plant families and 225,000 

individual plants from around the world. 

The Gardens size of 55 acres is ideal too. If it were any smaller 

you couldn’t fit all the cars in there, and if it was any bigger it 

wouldn’t feel as cozy and intimate. 

Heck, I fell in love with Morgans for the first time at the All British 

Field Meet. I still can remember that day so vividly. Was it the faint 

distant scent of the flowers, the light spring breeze, the subdued 

shadow of a fir tree, or the subtlety curved British racing green 

fenders that so deeply stirred my emotions? Who cares - the show 

is an orgy of the senses. The ABFM at Van Dusen stirs the heart 

unlike any other event in the city. One of the reasons I bought my 

Morgan was so I could display it at the show. 

A rose is a rose is a rose. And a Morgan is a Morgan is a Morgan. 

Let’s get together again next Victoria Day long-weekend at Van 

Dusen Gardens and marvel at their co-existence. 

All of my Dorg’s Morg stories can be accessed at www.dorg.ca. 

Everyone knows that first 

impressions are the most 

important and lasting ones. 

That’s why the car show 

organizers decided to display 

all the Morgans at the 

beginning of the pathway as 

you first enter the gardens. It 

must be nothing short of 

overwhelming to a first time 

car show attendee on a 

bright sunny Spring morning 

as he or she walks into the 


16

Putting a Morgan Back on the Road 

Pat Leask 

The saga of Pat’s 1967 Morgan Plus 4 

Body Issues 

All (except the very fortunate) Morgans of this age will have 

body issues. This particular car, when I got it, I'd say was very good 

and solid. 

I received the Heritage certificate, which, of course, told me what 

most of them do: what came with the car stock when it left the factory. 

However, there was more to it than what the certificate said, 

according to Penny, who I bought the car from. I wrote back about 

the information I had, asking if it could be clarified. Here is what I 

received from the very helpful certificate people: 

“Remove corroded & rusty panels from body, renew rotted body 

frame wood parts incld. sill boards, door rockers, heel board, bottom 

sections elbow rail & hinge pillars, fit new bonnet, set new panels, 

repair & replace wings, retrim, fit new side screens, attend to 

wiring, check brakes, fit new calipers, brake discs, pads & hoses 

etc. Fit new chrome luggage carrier, new front & rear bumpers, 

inner steering column etc., prepare, undercoat & paint. Mileage 

17,775.” 

I had to replace just a little bit of wood, do a little tweaking to get 

the doors to fit better, and fix some dreadful woodwork on the tub, 

as this page will show. The panels of the tub that the factory replaced 

are aluminium (interesting; why aluminium?). Thankfully, 

though, I do not have alot to write about in this area. 

Read on to follow some of the body issues I've experienced with 

this car. 

Driver Rocker 

So, why does my driver'sside 

door not close flush with 

the 'B' post? And why is the 

bottom of the driver's-side rear 

quarter panel (forward of the 

wheel) a bit wonky? I had to 

take the windshield cowl off 

anyways, so I though, "may as 

well" take the rear quarter 

panel off to see what's up. 

I quickly found out that the 

outside of the rocker is about 

3/8" proud of where the rocker 

and the 'B' post meet; Yikes, 

that explains a lot! To top it off, 

the top of the rocker was very badly cut. Not only was it not flat to 

the floor boards (a drop of up to 3/8" from the outside to the inside), 

but it was also not even close to parallel to the bottom of the door. 

The first problem, the outside of the rocker standing proud of the 

'B' post, was fixed easily enough with a hand plane and sander. 

Now my door fits relatively flush to the 'B' post. 

The second problem required a couple of beers and some time 

looking at it. In the end, what I did was take off whatever wood I 

had to in order to make the top of the rocker flat. I then got some 

ash and cut it to mate with the rocker (thicker than was needed, to 

allow me to cut it down later) and tacked it in place. I then mounted 

the door and scribed a line on the filler piece of wood. I subtracted 

about 3/8" to allow for the 

leather, finishing strips, etc., 

and cut it out on the band saw. I 

refitted it, tested the door, made 

any changes required, and then 

glued it in place and sanded it 

with feathering out the front and 

back of the filler piece. It turned 

out fairly well. 

The kicker to all this… in the 

late '70s, the Morgan factory 

themselves replaced most of 

the wood on the driver's side. I 

sure hope this was again done 

by someone other than the factory, 

as it was a really badlydone 

job. 

Driver Inner Fender 

The lack of wood rot in my 

tub is enough to make any Morgan 

owner giddy with joy when 

embarking on a full restoration. 

So, what do I do when only 5% 

of the driver's-side rear inner 

fender is rotten? Replace the 

whole thing for a matter of 5-6 

inches of rot? I really had only 

three choices: do nothing 

(considering the amount of rot, 

a possibility with today's wonder 

glues/fillers), replace the entire 

fender (overkill), or simply replace 

the rotten part (which is 

not good). As you can see I 

went for the latter… 

My first attempt was to 

steam some 1/4" thick ash and 

bend/clamp it more than was 

needed (to allow for springback). 

I left it for a full day so it 

was well and truly steamed. I 

bent and clamped it for several 

days, and when unclamped it 

was so far from what I needed 

that into the fire place it went! 

My other option was to do 

what you see in the photos. I 

took some thick stock and cut 

one piece to mate with the two 

inner two layers, then glued and 

sanded. Then I cut the forwardmost 

piece and did the same to 

sandwich the middle one. I think 

it turned out really well. 

(photos continued at top 

of the following page) 

Pat at the Island Pod 

Christmas Party 

Note the new wood on top of arrows. 


17

Cuthbert’s Epistles to the Mognoscenti: Door Pillar Reinforcement 

Morgan Oasis Garage 

Hoodsport, Washington 

Cuthbert J. Twillie, Proprietor 

Friends, 

Years ago Jim Dietz asked the lovely 

Flowerbelle to make a tonneau cover and a 

boot for his four place Morgan. I drove the 

car over here to the shop so she could have 

it on hand for the work. While the upholstery 

was being done there were a few things that 

needed doing and I did them. One thing I 

didn't do was repair the door hinge fastenings. 

Jim hadn't said anything, but they were 

as sloppy as any I've seen. Of course Jim 

was aware of that situation, and when the car 

was returned he asked if the hinges could be 

seen to. 

Ken McClinton was the source of a great 

deal of knowledge he'd picked up in his decades 

of Mogging. Bob Hauge can figure 

problems out on the phone, and he is one of 

the best, if not the best Wrench in the club. 

Bob has decades of Morganeering also. 

These are the guys I go to for solutions to a 

Morgan's nagging problems. 

The permanent solution to sagging doors 

is to place a steel bar on the front side of the 

hinge pillar. This piece is tapped for No.8 X 

32 stainless steel machine screws. I'm not 

here to scold the factory. A hundred years 

and still building the most fun on wheels is 

good enough for me. But the door hinges 

should be fastened by more than wood 

screws. You cannot expect woodscrews to 

last as long as we're asking our Mogs to go 

down the road. It's the wood screws that give 

us that dreadful door sag. 

The steel bar is 1/4" X 1" X 7” and it is 

fastened to the hinge pillar with two 8x32 

machine screws between the two hinges. In 

fact it's very much like the drawing that accompanies 

this article. Drilling and tapping 

twenty-four holes isn't the most fascinating 

task, however the goal of proper hanging 

doors is worth the effort. 

After the two holes are made between the 

hinges, the steel bar is clamped in place so 

the bar can be marked for drilling. You need 

to be slow and methodical here as the hinges 

must go back in the same exact places they 

used to be. When the bar has been securely 

fastened, it can then be marked through the 

hinges screw holes. These holes have, of 


18 

course, been drilled through the hinge pillar. 

Now the steel bar is drilled and tapped to 

8x32. In this fashion the hinges are held in 

the steel bar. The hinge pillar is sandwiched 

between the hinges and the bar. A much 

stronger hold that won’t sag when the door is 

used. This will also allow the doors to be 

removed without disturbing the cockpit paneling. 

If you're doors are sagging a bit, dive right 

in, and look around at your next club meeting. 

If those guys can do it your Granny can. 

Copies of “A Yank at 

Malvern” with over 250 

pages of Cuthbert’s 

articles are available 

from David Crandall, 

503-894-8669

BUTTON'S TRIP TO NORTHERN EUROPE 

PART 5: BOSTON TO SEATTLE 

by Bill Button 

Autumn Mog 2012 

After our Northern Europe adventure, my Plus 4 4-Seater was 

shipped to New Jersey and then trucked to Ron Garner's home near 

Boston. The cost of shipping back to Tacoma was about the same 

as a bit more touring in New England and driving back to the West 

Coast so tour we did. 

Ron Garner picked Loretta and me up at Logan Airport and drove 

us to their home near Hull, Massachusetts. This a spit of land southeast 

of Boston Harbor 

with a magnificent 

view looking 

into the harbor at 

Boston. It was a 

complete surprise 

that the Garners 

were also hosting 

Barbara and Gerry 

Willburn. For those 

who do not know 

Gerry, he was the 

president of the Morgan Plus Four Club of Southern California for 

many years and has owned Morgans and traveled extensively both 

in the U.S. and in Europe. It was to be a very interesting time for 

Loretta and me. 

We cleaned up 

the Morgan and 

headed for Newport, 

Rhode Island, and 

Autumn Mog. I will 

let the pictures tell 

the story although it 

was the mega mansions 

of Newport that 

were the focus of 

Loretta and my attention. 

Ron and Kathy 

invited us back to 

Boston for a walking 

tour so we caught a 

passenger ferry to 

downtown Boston. 

Our game plan 

then was to visit 

Martha's Vineyard 

and drive out to the 

Ron’s 

Delivery 

Trike 

Concourse at Newport 

Concourse at Newport 

end of Cape Cod, then double back through Boston to Bar Harbor, 

Maine. 

About half way out on Cape Cod we had a flat tire. A British mechanic 

stopped and directed us to a garage where the tire was repaired 

while we drove out to Provincetown for the night. Interestingly, 

the Brit garage owner pointed out that Chris Towner's Morgan 

storage was across the parking lot. He said he would talk to Chris to 

see if he could get us access. As it turned out, this garage included 

a Morgan racer and a 

racing Trike that once 

belonged to Kay 

Jones. 

Now we were on 

out way home with a 

stop at the Owl Museum, 

Kennebunkport 

(the Bush home) and 

Bar Harbor. Our goal 

was to try and hit the 

fall colors of Maine, 

New Hampshire and 

Vermont. Well, we 

missed. By the time 

we headed west to 

Burlington, Vermont, 

the bright fall colors 

were to the south of 

us. We saw better fall 

colors in Eastern 

Washington and 

Idaho. 

Our plan now was 

Kay’s former Trike 

Owl 

Museum 

to stay on Highway 2 from Maine to Washington. From Burlington 

we drove north to Canada and headed for the ferry that would take 

us across Lake Huron to Sault Ste Marie, Ontario. We hit Highway 2 

again and headed west. 

From Duluth on west the days were long and it was very tough 

driving as the winds were gale force. As there was a oil strike in 

Western North Dakota, even a Motel 6 would be $150 if one could 

find an empty room. On the north side of Highway 2 are a series of 

Indian reservations that go for hundreds of miles. Not fun! It was 

boring, tough driving with long days to Whitefish, Montana, where 

we found a nice Best Western and a nice dinner. Our next leg would 

be to the Sun Mountain Lodge, near Winthrop. We switched to Hiway 

20 for our last night on this trip. The Sun Mountain Lodge was 

worth every penny. We were tired and hungry. 

The last picture (top of page) tells the story. Loretta took it 

through the windshield as we crossed Washington Pass. We didn’t 

quite miss the snow. There was a big RV in front of us and fortunately 

we didn’t loose traction … but it was quite a thrill! 


19


20

ME AND MY MORGAN 

From Canada Track & Traffic, March, 1962 

Submitted to the NW-Mogazine by Chris Allen 

ONE HOT STICKY afternoon here in Toronto, 

I was kicking the tires on my second 

hand Karman Ghia and wondering, if I took a 

hacksaw to it, perhaps I could make it a convertible. 

Summer does that to me. Maybe I 

should wear a hat. Anyway there I was squinting 

at my car . . . you see, if you squint your 

eyes and cock your head like so, you can just 

about imagine it's a Ferrari Berlinetta. I admit 

you've really got to squint, but $14,000 is quite 

an incentive. Need-less to say you can't go 

through life maintaining this posture - not and 

keep your friends. Besides, when you actually 

step on the gas, you'd have to be a Zen Buddhist 

to maintain the illusion. 

In this daydreamy frame of mind (people do, 

you know) up to the drugstore and bought the 

latest car magazines. Once, when I had a 1949 

TC. I drove to the drugstore for a magazine and 

became so engrossed in it that I walked home. 

Honest. Didn't remember it till after supper. But 

I digress. As I stood there with the magazines 

clutched in my hot little hands - it was summer 

after all - how could I know that it contained the 

key to transform me from a dreamer into a Man 

of Action? But there it was on page 34, an article 

by a discerning gentleman called Alan 

Beck, about the last of the Classics. The Morgan. 

It hit me like a birdcage (Maserati variety). 

How could I have forgotten the Morgan? That 

the nearest dealer was 250 miles away might 

have had some bearing on it, of course. 

Here was a car, a brand new car, that didn't 

cost a fortune and didn't need to be restored, 

and that looked like my late beloved T.C. without 

squint-ing. Fondly I imagined those devoted 

craftsmen pain-stakingly putting together the 

old-fashioned ash fram-ing, perhaps even affectionately 

carving their initials on the doorposts. 

Possibly the fact that my maternal uncles 

and grandfather were all carpenters might have 

had some Mendelian bearing on my enthusiasm. 

I skimmed quickly over the author's jocular 

ref-erences to the need for wipers on the inside 

of the windshield and to the Allard-like ride, and 

concen-trated on "that settle down and purr 

quality at top speeds". That really got an old cat 

lover like me. Vividly imagining the exhaust 

crackle as I down-shifted to third at 60 and 

masterfully drifted the Morgan through a fast 

righthander, I left the drug-store in a happy 

daze of anticipation which lasted until my front 

door. Abruptly I recalled my dear wife's delusion 

that the Ghia was "good for two or three 

years yet". The poor dear has no mechanical 

ability whatsoever. She can't seem to understand 

that a man just knows when a 

car is about to fall apart and needs 

replacing. She also has peculiar 

ideas about open sports cars in zero 

weather. 

Perhaps it would be kinder to 

draw a tonneau cover over the ensuing 

few weeks. Married readers can 

draw on their own experience and in 

all fairness, it might be better not to 

prejudice the single ones. When the 

smoke of battle had subsided and 

the forces of conservatism put to 

rout, I took off on a recon-naissance 

flight to Windsor. Curley and Vic, 

partners in Ontario's only Morgan 

dealership welcomed me cordially. 

I've no idea how good they are as 

salesmen, because from my first look at that 

black beauty of a wire-wheeled, drophead 

coupe, I was hooked, lined and sinkered. At 

this point Curley separates the men from the 

boys. He casually mentions the nine month wait 

-ing period. 

Nine months later I arrived back in Windsor 

for my baby. I mean car. Curley checked me 

out on the care and feeding thereof, namely, 

which nuts would need tightening in how many 

miles, and the proper greasing of the 50-yearold 

front suspension. 50-year-old design that is. 

Proudly clutching the cherry wood steering 

wheel (optional extra) I drove off. I drove off 

into a new career as a Morgan information 

centre, P.R. man and Defender of the Faith, 

and goofed the first time out. Not two miles 

outside Windsor a poor misguided Sprite owner 

actually waved at me with-out waiting for me to 

wave first, and I returned the salute! My only 

excuse is the dulling of my instinct for the correct 

pecking order, by too many years of subjugation 

to Der Beetle. 

Still slightly shaken and more than a little 

frus-trated from driving 250 miles at break-in 

max. of 2500 rpm, I arrived home to be immediately 

sur-rounded by hundreds of curious 

neighbours. Well, 20 anyway. 

“It looks like a small Rolls Royce". 

I glow. 

"Look at the funny car, mom". 

I glower. 

"How fast will she go mister?" 

"Oh, about 100" (carefully casual). 

"Won't the spare wheel get wet?" 

Words fail me. 

My new career had begun in earnest, and 

from being a newcomer to the neighbourhood, 

suddenly I'm on waving terms with everyone. 

Even the mailman likes me. The last people 

had a rather mean tempered mastiff parked in 

the driveway. The ensuing months of Morganeering 

taxed my P.R. abilities to the limit. 

Outside Stratford, Ontario, a service station 

Story by 

John Garden McNicol; 

Illustration by Maurice Snelgrove 


21 

attendant asked me, "What kind of motor's in 

it?" 

"A T.R.3," I replied. 

"What year is it?" 

"It's brand new." 

'I mean the car, not the motor". 

Oh well. At the golf course a stranger remarked 

pleasantly as he passed, 

'It's a fine car the M.G" 

"Yes," I agreed pleasantly through white lips, 

"They are". 

Just last week at an intersection, a dear old 

soul came over to ask, "Is that a Jaguar?" 

"No, ma'am, it's a Morgan." 

"A Borga?" 

"No, Morgan," very patiently. 

"Oh it's sweet, we used to have a Riley". 

'You don't say," I started warmly, "I used to 

… .“ "Now we have a BUICK." 

I ground the gears getting into first. 

The other day the radar boys from the local 

constabulary were kind enough to point out to 

me that I was exceeding the speed limit. A 

broadly smiling gendarme waved me over. 

"You won't believe this," he beamed, "but 

you're the first Morgan I've ever caught." 

For one fleeting incredulous moment I 

thought he was going to overlook the ticket. 

Sanity, however, prevailed. 

As a conversation piece, you will have gathered, 

the Morgan is worth its weight in Track & 

Traffic's. To date these conversations have 

made me late for three business appointments, 

one golf game, and one date with my wife. It 

says volumes for the Morgan's powers of seduction 

that she accepted my explanation sympathetically. 

Nevertheless my affection for the 

Morgan is continuing to deepen, reinforced by 

the appreciative remarks of many who seem to 

see in it a gallant reminder that progress isn't 

necessarily al-ways improvement. It's an old 

cliche that "They don't build them like they used 

to." 

Fortunately Mr. Morgan still does.


22

Morgan, Icon of the World 

By Harry Miltner 

Once upon a time, not so many months ago we found ourselves 

on the shores of the Castro Brothers, Cuba to be exact. If 

one must go, unlike the Canadians that have open visa, Yankee 

travelers must go in a group, sponsored by a cultural trip planned 

around the dance, art and music. Grand Circle, our favorite travel 

group, put together just such a visit and we were first in line. 

After acquiring the necessary visa, we boarded the plane in 

Miami, Florida. Several hours later we landed in southeastern 

Cuba, Santiago de Cuba to be exact. Santiago was an interesting 

city, though very poor, with buildings needing repair from hurricane 

Sandy. There were many people without work. 

The arts calendar was just as advertised, a wonderful exposure 

to Cuban singers, artists and dance groups. After four days, we 

boarded a bus to travel along the western border of Guantanamo, 

then northeast on the La Farola highway, over the Baracoa 

Mountains to the small city of Baraóoa. The Baracoa were first 

made famous on December 3, 1492, by the explorer Chris Columbus 

and it was his first stop on his visit to the Americas: 

"Climbed a mountain and saw a plain sown with calabaza and so 

many other native vegetables that it was a joy to behold. In the 

center of the plain was a large village." 

The village had grown but we, too, found the Baracoa a joy to 

behold. We again visits to the artists and lots of time off to explore 

this wonderful small city on our own. 

On the fourth day, we were taken on a long bus ride to a rural 

indigenous community to hear Afro-Cuban music, dance and try 

their ten course lunch, served in hollowed out gourds. Well, we 

had a grand time dancing with the Nengon-Kuriba natives, the 

lunch was outstanding. 

When it was time to depart, I got the grand idea to actually 

stay awhile and see how they lived, their homes and where they 

worked. Our Cuban leader felt, too, that it would be educational 

to visit their houses, so we proceeded up the long path to a rather 

well cared for small shanty. 

The owner invited us into the main living quarters and on the 

far wall was a calendar. Even with my aging eyesight, from 

across the room appeared some sort of foreign car on the front of 

the calendar. I had to get closer and low and behold, it was a 

Morgan sports car printed on a Spanish car parts company calendar. 

The month of April, 2013, enabled Morgan to be shown to 

the world. 

Here we were miles from nowhere, and Morgan was with us 

again. 

MOGNW Autojumble 

Editor’s Note: There was only one new ad; none of last issue’s ads were renewed. 

AUTOJUMBLE RULES (PLEASE NOTE: SOME ARE NEW) 

1) Ads are FREE to MOGNW members and non-member individuals 

seeking to sell, buy, or find Morgans and Morgan-related stuff; 

2) No commercial advertisers; 3) Ads run for one issue; 

4) RENEWALS ARE NOT AUTOMATIC … YOU MUST NOTIFY THE EDITOR 

MORGANS FOR SALE 

►1965 Morgan 4/4 2 seater RHD . Marvelous driving and performing car 

with aluminum body Car has uprated 1600 Crossflow with twin Webers . 

Paint is at least 40 years old so the car has a great patina. Three year old 

Everflex top and ½ tonneau . New door panels and door top caps. Two year 

old leather seats. Full maintenance and mechanical history available to 

serious parties. Price: $24,000. Brian Tomlinson at thomlinson2@shaw.ca. 


23

2013 MOGNW MEMBERSHIP FORM 

Date ________________ 

Name(s) ________________________________________________________________________________ 

Address _________________________ City ________________________ State/Province _________ 

ZIP/Postal Code _______________ Email: _________________________________________________ 

Phones: Home ______________________ Cell _____________________ Work ____________________ 

Morgans Currently Owned: 

Year _____ Model ___________ 

Body Style _________________ 

Colour _____________________ 

Engine Size ________________ 

Chassis ____________________ 

Year _____ Model ___________ 

Body Style _________________ 

Colour _____________________ 

Engine Size ________________ 

Chassis ____________________ 

Year _____ Model ___________ 

Body Style _________________ 

Colour _____________________ 

Engine Size ________________ 

Chassis ____________________ 

Do any of your Morgans have historical significance, special equipment, or interesting 

specifications? ________________________________________________________________________ 

________________________________________________________________________________________ 

________________________________________________________________________________________ 

2013 Renewal Dues for 2012 Members (currencies are at par in 2013): 

Dues renewal for 2012 members is $24 thru December 31, 2012 or $30 January 1, 2013 

or after. Please include your name and any information that has changed 

since you last submitted this form. All other fields may be blank. 

2013 Dues for New Members (currencies are at par in 2013: 

$2 per month for each month remaining in the calendar year including the current 

month (examples: $22 in February; $6 in October). 

Remittance Enclosed: US$ __________ CDN$ __________ 

Canadian Members: Please make your cheque payable to MOGNW and mail your check along 

with this form to Pat Miles, MOGNW Assistant Treasurer, 15410 Kildare Drive, 

Surrey, BC V3S 6B9 | Questions: assistanttreasurer@mognw.com or 604-576-8036. 

U.S. Members: Please make your check payable to MOGNW and mail your check along with 

this form to Cati Waterman, MOGNW Treasurer, 3810 SW 94th Ave, Portland, OR 

97225-2507 | Questions: treasurer@mognw.com or 503-292-5315. 

TREASURER’S REPORT AS OF APRIL 30, 2013 

CATI WATERMAN, MOGNW TREASURER 

OVER or 

CATEGORY DESCRIPTION ACTUAL BUDGET (UNDER) 

combined bal fwd 12/31/2012 $7,766 

INCOME 

Advertising 2013 .............................$400 ............... $350..................$50 

Dues, 2013...................................$3,678 ............ $3,600..................$78 

Dues, 2014........................................$96 ................... $0..................$96 

2013 Biennial Meeting .................$2,624 ............ $2,000................$624 

Regalia Sales..................................$323 ........... $1,000 ............ ($677) 

Foreign Exchange Factor ...................$0 .................. $0 ...................$0 

TOTAL INCOME.........................$7,121 ............ $6,950 ...............$171 

EXPENSE 

Island Pod...........................................$0 ............$683* ............ ($683) 

Northern Pod.......................................$0 ............$933* ............ ($933) 

Midlands Pod ......................................$0 ............$748* ............ ($748) 

Southern Pod......................................$0 .............$835*............. ($835) 

Awards ................................................$0 .............. $400 ............ ($400) 

2013 Biennial Meeting .................$5,040 ............ $2,400.............$2,640 

Club Insurance................................$350 ............... $400 .............. ($50) 

Island Pod Rep Ferry..........................$0 .............. $350 ............ ($350) 

NWMogazine Newsletter ....................$0 .............. $100 ............ ($100) 

Oregon License.................................$50 ................ $50 ...................$0 

President’s Discretionary ....................$0 .............. $500 ............ ($500) 

Regalia Purchases..............................$0 .............. $500 ............ ($500) 

Website...............................................$0 .................. $0 ...................$0 

Miscellaneous .....................................$1 ....................... ....................$1 

Foreign Exchange Factor................$127 .................. $0................$127 

TOTAL EXPENSE.....................$5,569 ........... $7,899 ......... ($2,331) 

YEAR-TO-DATE (NET) ...............$1,552 ............($949).............$2,502 

BANK BALANCE 4/30/13...........$7,869 

* Pod budget allocations are based on a formula approved 

unanimously by the MOGNW Executive Board: 

Part 1: $1,600 is split equally among the Pods [$1600 / 4 = $400] 

Part 2: $1,600 is split among the Pods based on their percentage 

of the MOGNW membership on 12/31 of the preceding year

May - MogNW

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