Bill Scholar’s first Porsche was a 1953 356 Coupe. Partly out of frustration at having no organization to turn to with questions about the car, he invited a small group or Porsche owners to his home on February 5, 1955. They made plans to get together from time to time throughout the remainder of that year to do what Porsche pushers do best- talk about, look at, work on, drive, etc.- their cars. They finally decided to form a club in September, 1955, and the first official meeting of the Porsche Club of America was held at Blackie’s Grill in Alexandria, Virginia. Bill Scholar was elected as its first President by the 12 individuals in attendance. The original 12 became 64, and also became the Potomac Region. As membership grew, new regions began forming all across the United States. The annual PCA meetings, “known as a Parade”, are hosted by a different region each year. The Oregon Region hosted Parades in 1980 and 1995 and 2006.
The Oregon Region Porsche Club of America (ORPCA) was born as a result of splitting off from what was then known as the Washington Region (now known as the Pacific Northwest Region). On July 24, 1960, the Oregon Region’s first meeting was held at the Lake Grove home of Mr. and Mrs. Dolph Trachi. There were 32 members. The first organized event was a Concours d’Elegance held on September 25, 1960. September also marked the first appearance of the Anzeiger, the Region’s newsletter.
The Oregon Region celebrated its 50th Anniversary in September 2010. Our 60th Anniversary was going to be celebrated in 2020, but this celebration was cancelled until 2021. Currently we have just under 1,000 members and co-members and a wide variety of 80+ events per year designed to appeal to a very diverse membership. One thing has remained constant, “enthusiasm for the marque and pride in the enthusiasts themselves”.
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Maintaining Momentum
Oregon Region is marching through the year at a steady pace. March turned out 11 events, which may be a record for this time of year. Even though it is still early, we have seen a couple of new events on our calendar including the new dining event, Road and Fork, and an out-of-town tech session in Tacoma. I was thrilled at the number of new faces attending the New Member Orientation. Be sure to check out stories about each of those later in this edition.
I realize now one of the key elements of having so many events on the calendar is maintaining momentum while not over- burdening our volunteers. The processes and procedures are ever- evolving, and while much of it is becoming routine, keeping all the balls in the air at once is challenging. The Drive Team and the Social Committee have been working overtime, and it shows. If you see any of the drive team or social committee members out and about, be sure give them a thumbs up and a smile – they deserve it!
This year ORPCA is celebrating 65 years and PCA is turning 70! The cars, the people, the clubs have a lot to celebrate. Back in 1955 and 1960, there were no 911s, no 914s, 944s, Boxsters, Caymans, Cayennes, Macans, Panameras or Taycans and very few variations on the models that did exist. There were a handful of regional clubs and not many members. Today there are 148 regions under the national umbrella with over 160,000 members participating in over 4,000 events every year.
In the area of Club history and how PCA and Porsche have evolved in 70 years, there are two great things every Porsche owner should check out if you haven’t already. One is the fantastic history of Porsche Club of America found on the PCA website: https://ww2.pca.org/pca- history (login to PCA.org, drop down the “Membership” tab to “PCA History” near the bottom.) This is a long read, but worth it. The other entertaining and education place to spend some time is PCA’s YouTube Channel: If you have not visited the PCA YouTube Channel, be forewarned, it is an addictive spot. https://www.youtube.com/@ PorscheClubofAmerica/featured
With nine more months of this exacting year ahead, I trust I will bump into many of you more than once and that alone makes it worthwhile. As you know, it’s not just the cars, it’s the people.
Let’s Drive! You can reach me at [email protected].
Let’s Drive!
