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It all began with a newspaper ad in March of 1974 - if anyone was interested in a new Corvette club that offered mutual aid, encouragement, consolation and companionship then an organizational meeting was being held in south Kansas City, please attend. Even though the Corvette Club of Kansas City (CCKC) and Mid-America Corvette Club existed at the time it was decided by the meeting participants that there was enough interest to form another club with a casual structure, centered around having fun with the cars and including the whole family.
The second meeting saw decisions to run the club with a board of three, adopted the name of Corvette Corps and levied dues of $5 per year. The third meeting was a turning point because the original three friends who put the ad in the paper did not show up. In fact, one of them was completely miffed that he was not elected president. Those people that did show up saw a lot of potential in a club built on sociability and Corvettes. They decided to continue. The first event in the club's history was planned - a get together at Lake Jacomo.
When Corvette Corps was formed all of the members drove their Corvettes as their everyday cars. There were no "original" owners, everyone had a used Corvette and no one cared about originality or restoration. All of that was about to change as Corvette enthusiasts led the way, including Corvette Corps. We witnessed the explosion of the repro parts business and restoration hobby (think Mid-America Corvettes and similar businesses). The club motto of "Corvette Corps is a nonprofit organization which is made up of men and women who are dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of America's only true sports car - the Corvette" was adopted.
A couple of years later we became affiliated with the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) which acted as a sanctioning body for driving events, such as autocrosses and funkhanas, and shows. Annual conventions became major destinations for many club members. As members of NCCC we supported the Spina Bifida Foundation, which aids children who suffer from this birth defect, with many fundraisers and picnics.
Events were scheduled every month and included sports activities, parties, road trips, car shows, tours and many others that can not easily be categorized. Events of note are: a volleyball challenge with CCKC (we lost 2 out of 3!), Halloween parties every year, attendance or participation at Bloomington Gold since 1975 (1974 was the first year for Bloomington), produced car shows at Ward Parkway (5 yrs.), Blue Ridge Mall , Metcalf South (2 yrs.), Country Club Plaza (5 yrs.) and World of Wheels (since 1976). Other fun events included the Malibu Grand Prix (we opened the track to the public), Corvette picture days, garage tours, intro of the '84 Corvette with test drives, and many parades. Of course, our most enjoyable events always included food!
KCCA has remained dynamic and thoroughly enjoyable thanks to its members. The club is founded on a mere automobile but its people bring it alive.
Time Line of Events of Note
- 1974 The Millers, Ken and Trish Lee, and Verl Becker meet and form Corvette Corps,
first newsletter in August
- 1975 Kahan Chevrolet becomes club sponsor (provided sponsorship for nine years),
events planned for every month, first Halloween party
- 1976 Up to 37 members, first World of Wheels show with 6 Corvettes at Municipal Auditorium in KC with the theme "Star Spangled Sports Car"
- 1977 There are 10 1967s and 9 multi-Corvette owners in the club now, World of Wheels display used 12' tall "magazine covers" in which a Corvette was featured
- 1978 Verl Becker buys first 1978 Pace Car (#43), ordered in Sept. '77, picked up in May '78
- 1979 First color newsletter
- 1980 Co-sponsored a NCCC three day event, the MO-KAN Border War, in St. Joe, MO with a concours, rally, pool party, swap meet, high and low speed autocross
- 1981 Club dues are now $12, the treasury had $252.50 in checking and $29.42 in savings
- 1982 Another first place award in World of Wheels for "Corvette Fever"
- 1983 Intro of '84 Corvette. A member's '64 coupe on display in showroom with the '84 at Kahan Chevrolet, picnic and test drive of newest Corvette
- 1984 Changed name to Kansas City Corvette Association (KCCA) to more closely identify with our members who lived in the whole metro area
Founding Members
Ed and Ramona Miller - Ed was an artist working for AT&T in Lee's Summit, MO. A very creative and inventive man, Ed was responsible for designing our club logo, newsletter covers and centerfolds and many award-winning World of Wheels displays. Ed and Ramona owned a '66 white Corvette convertible, at the time the club started, that they had purchased for $600. Ramona was responsible for guiding and putting up with the "absent minded" Ed. Many of our funniest and most often repeated stories are about Ed and his forgetfulness. He is fondly remembered.
Verl Becker - Verl brought a great sense of automotive enthusiasm, he loved all kinds of cars, and a great love of life to Corvette Corps/KCCA. He actually suggested the formula for the club, that of a non-competitive social club that was family oriented, at one of the earliest meetings. His first Corvette was a blue '61. Verl lost his shop, Verl Custom Tailor, in the devastating Plaza flood of 1977. Shortly after that he was reading about the '78 Pace Car that was to be available in a very limited edition. He thought a new Corvette would cheer him up so he went to Kahan Chevrolet, our sponsor, and placed the order with them before they even had any official word from Chevrolet! Many members turned out the day that Verl took delivery of his new black and silver Pace Car. His enthusiasm and joy in life was contagious. Verl was very good medicine.
Ken and Trish Lee - Both in their early 20's when they attended the first organizational meeting, Ken and Trish already had experience with Chevy and Corvette. They owned a red '67 at the time and had previously owned a '66 Nova. Ken, known as our resident Corvette expert, provided mechanical and technical expertise for many members. Always willing to share his knowledge and help out a fellow club member, Ken and Trish have lived by the spirit of the club to provide help and reassurance, and consolation when needed, to all Corvette owners. Both have held many offices within the club and believe that the success of the club is due to the enthusiasm, sense of fun, creativity and sociability of our members.
Terry and Marilyn Lee - Related to Ken and Trish only by friendship and Corvette, Terry and Marilyn joined the club a couple of months after it was founded. They were driving a fairly modified '65 coupe at the time. This car stayed with them for many years and went through several transformations as the club itself transformed and grew. They also held many offices throughout the years but probably most enjoyed being Rally Masters.
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