We TRIED to Help CORSA Fix the Serious Issues with The Corvair Center Forum – Read Our Letter and Their Response HERE

[jimbrandberg]

Ken Hand was very helpful when I started a business 12 years ago.
The other guy I referred to is running for Central Division Director.
Jim Brandberg

[MtnVairMike]

I have been keeping my mouth shut lately but now feel that it's time for a change here in the west. I had a situation a few months ago that involved my efforts to share the good stuff my chapter has been fortunate to enjoy. I heard from Dave Watson , responding to a comment I had made about how our chapter ( Vintage Corsa) has grown from about 7 members just a few years ago, to having over 60 members now. Dave was interested in learning how our chapter runs among other things, so I invited him to attend one of our meetings & see for himself.
Well, my timing was accidentely close ( and prior to)to the time ( 2 or 3 weeks)that Dave announced that he was running for the western director position. My effort had NOTHING to do with any promoting any director position.
Mr Vargas saw my invitation on the forum and immediatly called our President & dragged him over the coals for allowing Dave to come to our meeting & promote himself. Greg was wrong.( The promotional time hadn't yet begun) Instead of getting in touch with me. It was all my efforts to share good stuff with Dave. Our President called me to tell me that Greg called him and to UN-invite Dave to our meeting. Was Greg not man enough to direct his misguided ego to me ? And who has the authority to tell any member who they can or can not invite to our meeting. Kind of dictatorship like , if you ask me.
I try to promote our chapter as best as I can & have been instrumental in bring several new faces to our group. That's all I did !
As a closing thought, I must say that Greg has done a lot for all the western chapters and has been appreciated for those efforts. Thanks for being involved in mostly good ways Greg. You have been well thought of, but lately something has changed & it hasn't been done well.
Now that the votes are coming in, I believe that Dave Watson just might be the fellow to fill the position of western Director of Corsa.

Thanks for the clarification and backstory.
Just read the side-by-side changes to the bylaws being voted on.(highlights are my additions)

Current bylaw
Section 3: Commercial Endorsements
The name Corvair Society of America Inc. or acronym CORSA, its
chapters, or its members will not promote a commercial enterprise in a
manner implying CORSA’s sponsorship or endorsement. However, CORSA
may form affiliations with commercial enterprises to increase member
benefits, promote membership recruitment, or increase revenue with the
express written permission of the CORSA Board of Directors

proposed bylaw
Section 2.4: Commercial Endorsements.
The Society shall not endorse, promote, or sponsor a non-affiliated
commercial enterprise except as approved by the Board of Directors for the
purpose of increasing member benefits, supporting membership
recruitment, or improving Society revenue. Unauthorized use of the name
“Corvair Society of America”, the acronym “CORSA”, the CORSA emblem,
and any other CORSA trademark is prohibited.


So sounds like recruiting new members is now against the bylaws without prior approval? WTH?

[American Mel]

Thanks for the clarification and backstory.
Just read the side-by-side changes to the bylaws being voted on.(highlights are my additions)

Current bylaw
Section 3: Commercial Endorsements
The name Corvair Society of America Inc. or acronym CORSA, its
chapters, or its members will not promote a commercial enterprise in a
manner implying CORSA’s sponsorship or endorsement. However, CORSA
may form affiliations with commercial enterprises to increase member
benefits, promote membership recruitment, or increase revenue with the
express written permission of the CORSA Board of Directors

proposed bylaw
Section 2.4: Commercial Endorsements.
The Society shall not endorse, promote, or sponsor a non-affiliated
commercial enterprise except as approved by the Board of Directors for the
purpose of increasing member benefits, supporting membership
recruitment, or improving Society revenue. Unauthorized use of the name
“Corvair Society of America”, the acronym “CORSA”, the CORSA emblem,
and any other CORSA trademark is prohibited.


So sounds like recruiting new members is now against the bylaws without prior approval? WTH?

If you want to get technical about it, you just violated the rules by making that post.
You just used, the name “Corvair Society of America”, and the acronym “CORSA” without explicit permission.
Whups!
So did I.
Oh my!
Are the CORSA Police going to kick us out of the club now ? ? ?
These people are out of control ! ! !

[caraholic4life]

I would think that G.M. actually owns the rights to the Name and emblem design rather than this "Organization".

Furthermore, I wonder if the BoD ever actually obtained authorization from General Motors to use the referenced names and emblems that were used on the top of the line 1965 & 1966 Corvair's?

Does the BoD think that by implementing this, that it should Exclude GM from further use of the referenced name and/or emblem?

I call B.S.!

[Allan Lacki]

To MtnVairMike & AmericanMel: The sentence that says, "Unauthorized use of the name “Corvair Society of America”, the acronym “CORSA”, the CORSA emblem, and any other CORSA trademark is prohibit" is clearly in the context of Section 2.4: Commercial Endorsements. So, it's applicability is clearly limited to that.

To Caraholic4life: As far as "authorization from General Motors to use the referenced names and emblems", that was obtained in writing by way of a a letter dated August 17, 1970 addressed to Mr. Richard M. Langworth, CORSA Secretary, by R.L. Siegrist, Assistant General Sales Manager, Chevrolet Motor Division. No BS

[azdave]

So sounds like recruiting new members is now against the bylaws without prior approval? WTH?

How do you figure that? All I read into that proposed bylaw change is that CORSA does not want any of its assets to be used to promote or endorse a non-affiliated, commercial organization unless pre-approved by the board.

That is pretty much the same thing my company agrees to each time we sign with a new client. For instance, we are not allowed to promote on our website that Intel or Boeing are our customers unless those customers expressly approve of it. No big deal in my opinion.

Nothing in there say we can't tell people about CORSA and try to recruit new members. What it tells me is that CORSA will not allow such commercial endorsement without board approval. That's good. It provides more defined protection from a rogue officer or board member at CORSA from using the CORSA assets in a way that could damage the organization.

[Frank DuVal]

I agree with AZ Dave's reading. And I do remember reading about CORSA getting permission from GM to use the name and typeface as it appears on the CORSA model of Corvair, as Allan says. I have a lot of The old CORSA Quarterly's and some of the newsletters that predates those.

[MtnVairMike]

Thanks for the clarification. Still don't like how Dave was uninvited remoted by a director. I need more explaining how that was proper and encouraging of future new members.

[Frank DuVal]

I agree! To be uninvited to a normal monthly Corvair club meeting by a BoD member (Vargas) is just WRONG!

[MtnVairMike]

I agree! To be uninvited to a normal monthly Corvair club meeting by a BoD member (Vargas) is just WRONG!

Then maybe, just maybe, the elections will uninvite him....

[Lane66Monza]

Unless he was the sitting president of the club, he had no right to interfere with the individual club meetings and invitees.

He needs to go. He is trying to ruin clubs, like he ruined the CCF.

[66vairguy]

Unless he was the sitting president of the club, he had no right to interfere with the individual club meetings and invitees.

He needs to go. He is trying to ruin clubs, like he ruined the CCF.

Some of the local Corvair guys met up for cars and coffee and someone started the discussion on the infighting in CORSA posted online. I just listened, but it is apparent all the nasty comments are not going over well as many said they doubt they will ever join CORSA.

As one person said, the definition of a club is "a heavy usually tapering staff especially of wood wielded as a weapon".

I'm in a local club, but I just keep in touch with the "polite" folks, avoid meetings, and help with Corvair things when I can.

[Lane66Monza]

Corsa wants clubs to encourage their members to join corsa. Who can honestly say that since the elections last year that corsa is an understanding organization that looks out for it members. I am not saying a BOD or two but the whole Corsa as a group. There has been more dissatisfaction with members of Corsa and the way they present themselves in the past year, that I understand is why people are hesistant about joining clubs if Corsa membership is pushed.

I paid my membership in April last year, and I gave myself this last membership to see where Corsa goes and now that I am halfway through it. It is not looking good. They said they would fix the elections, too soon to tell on that right now. But destroying CCF after they took over is not a good sign for my continued membership. I lurked on CCF since 2009 and joined in 2014. In 10 years I posted 10904 posts. I believed I contributed to the CCF. I can say for a fact that Corsa did not contribute positively to the CCF by changing the forum, adminstration and driving off as many members as they have to date.

I pray the elections remove these self-important egotistical members in corsa.

[joelsplace]

I've been a member forever but if they don't get rid of Vargas I'm out when it expires.

[Wittsend]

I wonder if using C0RSA (that's a narrower zero, not a wider "O") would be an infringement??? Just asking because it came to mind. Not looking to step in this fight.

[jimbrandberg]

Someone somewhere said the CORSA BOD needs more than few new faces to overcome the "that's how we've always done it" state of mind. I've done what I can with my vote in Central Division and I'm quite interested in how this is all going to pan out.
If I would have donated money to help revamp the forum, donated my time to help with the conversion, had my opinion ignored without discussion and then been dismissed as moderator without explanation I would be pissed.
I am not an activist and it takes a fair amount to rile me from my placid inactivity.
Jim Brandberg