Attention, Something is Wrong and Needs Correction, by Pee Wee

[PeeWee]

Dear Wally Byam Caravan Club,

Something is wrong in Denmark, and it’s not the Prince.

What do you do when two inmoveable objects collide, especially when they might be egos? You step back. You take a look. You go back to values, purpose, direction, and intent.

Who knows what is going on, I certainly don’t. But I do know that the “palabra” is unhealthy and wrong.

Wally Byam and Helen Byam Schwamborn never meant their legacies for the WBCCI to be “friction” and “extreme rhetoric.”

Airstream Owners and early Caravanner’s founded the Club. They had two goals to honor Wally Byam, and enjoy their Airstreams. The early Club Members, and the club officials became the caretakers of a glorious Airstreaming future.

Where along the road did we get off track? Is it the ease of printing poignant words on the Internet? Is it power? Hey, I don’t know. But it seems so childish to bicker over a great institution. Cooperate and work to make it better. That’s all.

Helen Byam Schwamborn not only guided the Club, but she was active at all major rallies. She worked closely with the units. She worked even harder with the Board. She often needed to unruffle feathers. She did it. The Club was her baby. She began her tenure with Club in 1955, and she was available until her retirement in 1979.

The first President of the Wally Byam Caravan Club was Fred Riley. No one called him Fred; he was “Pop” to all of his friends. Pop had been a railroad engineer. He was from Arizona. He was a character. He was your first President.

He was a Club member first, and president secondly. There was no doubt that Pop knew why the Club was formed. Fred “Pop” Riley knew and understoodthis, that’s why there is a Club today, because Pop and many of the following Club presidents understood that it is the Club first. Today, all members should also know why there is a Club and that it for each of you.

Members need to be constructive in their thoughts and words. The officials that have the responsibility, as caretakers, and need to understand the differences between the letter of the law and the intent of the law. Intent allows you to sleep at night. The letter keeps you on edge.

Airstream has been around since 1931, the Club since 1955. The Club is the baby. A baby needs nurturing, tolerance, care and direction if it is to grow and continue being the premier RV club in the world.

The officials of the Club, and the Club and the members need to realize that we are all members of the Wally Byam Caravan Club. As members of the Club, your responsibilities are to support the goals, with which it was founded - to honor Wally Byam, and enjoy your Airstream. It is also your responsibility to support the Club by active participation, to be a rudder, and make welcome to new members.

I have said in the past the Club has one purpose, “to have fun.” Well? Then do it. Each member at all levels a “newbie”, an “oldie” or an official do your thing make the Club fun and the best Club it can be for yourselves and all of those to come.

Dale “Pee Wee” Schwamborn

[uwe]

Easier said than done, I suppose.
It seems to me that the WBCCI is so out of control, I don't even want to get near it. It just doesn't seem like much fun as a whole, while individual interaction seems fantastic.

[soldiermedic]

If only the club could have been entrusted to Pee Wee to ensure the club stayed in touch with its' roots.

Of course, maybe Pee Wee wouldn't want to subject himself to everything that is going on.

Steve

[Goin camping]

Dale,

I agree with your post and the message you are conveying. Your post is a timely reminder of why we joined the club in the first place.

I wonder if in the clubs history if long term members were suspended for criticing the IP or if other former IP's have advocated tossing members out because of disagreement with the IBT?

Clearly our club is at the brink of a major crossroads. Our club will be tossed onto the trashheap of history due to lack of relevance and ego or it will be reborn by those remembering it's original purpose. Adventure, friendship and the personal growth you get from travel.

Wally led caravans to exotic places and ignited the dream of affordable and stylish family travel wrapped in the aura of adventure. I suspect he did this mainly to sell trailers and I am as grateful as can be that he did.

As a child I saw long lines of Airstreams heading down the highway and that ignited a dream in me to go places and see things and sit around the campfire with friends. Every minute I'm in my Airstream is a minute I am free of everyday life and it's duties. It is a minute of adventure and freedom.

I decided some time back that I won't let myself be angry over what an officer may do. Because if i do it will take away my enjoyment of my club.

I am happy to be in the WBCCI and very happy to know the wonderfull friends I have met there and I'll be happy to be an agent for change in our club. An agent without anger or rancor.

Wally promised me adventure, friendship and the growth that travel and its travails brings. I am very happy to be collecting on that promise. What Wally promised. He delivered.

I also refuse to let our club whither and blow away. There have been too many that came before me that put their sweat, love and effort into keeping this club alive and we owe the same so the club is here for the kids who are seeing our caravans and having that dream ignited in their imaginations and hearts.

Milo

P.S. Dale you should post this on the WBBCI forum also.

[PeeWee]

Originally Posted by Goin camping

Dale,

I agree with your post and the message you are conveying. Your post is a timely reminder of why we joined the club in the first place.

I wonder if in the clubs history if long term members were suspended for criticing the IP or if other former IP's have advocated tossing members out because of disagreement with the IBT?

Clearly our club is at the brink of a major crossroads. Our club will be tossed onto the trashheap of history due to lack of relevance and ego or it will be reborn by those remembering it's original purpose. Adventure, friendship and the personal growth you get from travel.

Wally led caravans to exotic places and ignited the dream of affordable and stylish family travel wrapped in the aura of adventure. I suspect he did this mainly to sell trailers and I am as grateful as can be that he did.

As a child I saw long lines of Airstreams heading down the highway and that ignited a dream in me to go places and see things and sit around the campfire with friends. Every minute I'm in my Airstream is a minute I am free of everyday life and it's duties. It is a minute of adventure and freedom.

I decided some time back that I won't let myself be angry over what an officer may do. Because if i do it will take away my enjoyment of my club.

I am happy to be in the WBCCI and very happy to know the wonderfull friends I have met there and I'll be happy to be an agent for change in our club. An agent without anger or rancor.

Wally promised me adventure, friendship and the growth that travel and its travails brings. I am very happy to be collecting on that promise. What Wally promised. He delivered.

I also refuse to let our club whither and blow away. There have been too many that came before me that put their sweat, love and effort into keeping this club alive and we owe the same so the club is here for the kids who are seeing our caravans and having that dream ignited in their imaginations and hearts.

Milo

Milo,

You are so right.

Under seperate cover I wrote these words.

"I have seen the ghost of Christmas future pass by my eyes. I have answered this ghost with my Christmas past, and my Christmas present. (no pun intended)

The message is simple, It is to the point. And harmless.

Please read it. Share it. Send it on.

Let's put Byam, both Wally and Helen back into the WBCCI.

Of the people, by the people, and for the people. The early Airstream owners, Wally and Helen had the Club right on. It's all about people!

[wheel interested]

Just out of curiousity Dale, what particular thing motivated you to make this post today? Clearly something moved you. Might we have the benefit of knowing what that catalyst was?

[05ModPod]

Wheelinterested you Almost had me asking the same question....but then.....Why must we know why? Why can we all just not DO?

What motivates us to have fun? is it the wrongs or the inadquacies - I highly doubt it - so why feed on them? Move on....

Thank You Pee Wee....as our membership renewal just arrived - your voice of reason and simplicity of message at this early hour finds my mind clear of direction.

Perhaps it is time to let go of what is wrong and not working quite well...and for some of us it is time to get back to the initial reason we joined the club in the first place.

Yes I do think it is time for many including myself, to stop with the words and put the same energies to practice and take the important steps within the club, be it at the unit level, region level or the IBT level and get the club moving passed its "transitional" stage and forging forward into its new era. (preferably away from the "trash heap" - words well spoken goin Camping)

It really does not take that much effort simple... one step at a time, one member at a time. Not a member to be convinced by another but each member to take their own step toward being positive and find a small important to them niche within the club and work on it with sincerity and honesty.

It is just as simple to promote a WBCCI Rally within a jurisdiction here at the forums as it is a forum Rally there is no difference between the people wanting to have fun and initiate "gatherings".

Take an old sport addage - JUST DO IT!

[dufferin]

mmmmh... why this post...

[wheel interested]

I can't think of members that do more than Leo or Bob Thompson and they carved out quite a niche for themselves in WBCCI by just having fun and doing it, promoting New York rallies and the Region 1 rally and a membership drive, and a centralized unit guide and a member advocacy group founded to save Wally and keep him and the name in the club. While we are all settled down to have fun I wonder if Bob wouldn't have liked to have attended his rally and enjoyed the fruits of his labors and had his well deserved fun and if now Leo and Bob don't appreciate the words and the ideologies those words represent in regard to unity as we all should come to appreciate the issues in jeopardy. As Pee Wee said we need a club of the members for the members and by the members.

Glad to hear you are ready to take steps in the club GT. I applaud your sincerity and honesty and your will to just do it. Many members are doing just that. Together we can make a difference. Yes people helping people is magical.

[bryanl]

Interesting, we have a plea for civility followed by allegations of "out of control" and jumping to conclusions such as "suspended for criticing" [sic] and questioning of motivations.

Suspicion, cynicism, and jumping to conclusions without the full story are all paths towards 'not fun' and examples of the problem that Pee Wee was describing.

You step back. You take a look. You go back to values, purpose, direction, and intent.

Is what you do and what you think measured "back to values, purpose, direction, and intent" of the WBCCI? Does it mesh with the Code of Ethics of the organization?

How do you know that your perception of the "values, purpose, direction, and intent" of the WBCCI is in line with that of the organization as a whole? What do you do to learn more about these concepts - or do you just assume that you know them better than anyone else?

We all have things to learn and we may not all agree on which is more important but that doesn't mean we need to be caustic, cynical, or start believing in conspiracies as so often displayed in the discussions here.

[Dover]

I'd like to thank the members who took the time and effort to post the previous notes to the rest of us. As a result, I was reading some of the most positive reasons for me to re-new my WBCCI membership. Thank you.

[jimmini]

Once again good job Pee Wee.
I hope you sent it by USPS to the IBT since I hear some of them do not do the internet and I am sure that they do not look at the Air Forums.
Just wish all the people that are unhappy with their unit or of the WBCCI could try the 4CU.Then they could just have fun with good folks and not worry about the politics of the WBCCI.I tell you at the end of your life you would have good memories of the rallies and not give a thought to what the IBT or WBCCI had done or not done.