March 12 was an unusually cold, windy day, but the temperature and ambiance in Lee Jacobsen’s garage was comfortable and festive as JAGM members got together for the annual presentation of awards and the return of our charity auction. Lee had the building set up perfectly for the event, with tables and chairs for the lunch and auction, a set of rolling carts to display all the donated auction items, and of course the great display of cars (40? 50?... I should have counted!).
We started out with Lee leading a quick tour around the garage, sharing stories about many of the cars he has collected over the years, primarily a mix of British cars (MG, Triumph, Lotus and Jaguar) and Packards, which looked very large amongst the Brits.
We moved into the awards presentations, starting with the JAGM “Most Active” trophy. This was won by Bob and Pat Matejek, edging out Chuck and Louise Diamond by just a few points. This trophy had been perched above our computer since March of 2020, when Ellie and I won it (JAGM didn’t award the trophy last year because of all the COVID disruptions). We’ll miss it!
Bob then announced two 2021 JCNA Newsletter Awards for articles in “The Indicator.” First, in the category of Jaguar Heritage, the set of three Matt Nold tribute articles in the April issue took first place. The three authors were Gary Cunningham, Bob Matejek and Wayne Schultz. Congratulations to all!
The second JCNA award was in the Travel category, where Phil Crutchfield won first place for his article on the JAGM Summer Drive, which appeared in the August issue. You can’t go wrong starting with a quote from Robert Burns. Congratulations, Phil! Proof again that this club is blessed with a wealth of great writers and organizers.
Then the charity auction began, once again benefitting “Homes For Our Troops”, an organization that provides houses for disabled veterans (see the sidebar below for more). We had not held this auction since December of 2019, and the selection of donations was most impressive. It took about two hours for our volunteer auctioneer, Gary Cunningham, to work through the great quantity of books, car models, artwork, car parts, Jaguar clothing, posters and banners, a handcrafted Jaguar stepstool and of course the final item, a 1960’s Ford Thunderbird wheel cover that has been auctioned off each year. That wheel cover is then returned for the next year’s auction, 2022 JAGM Awards Banquet/Charity Auction Jaguar Affiliates Group of Michigan page 5 JAGM Awards Banquet/Charity Auction (cont’d) and as Gary Cunningham pointed out, this one item has generated several thousand dollars for charity over the years. Thanks to Wayne Schultz for his generous bid this year!
The 2022 Charity Auction raised almost $1500 for Homes For Our Troops. This is one of the traditions that makes JAGM such a special group. Thanks to everyone who attended, donated items, and bid and purchased them. And a huge thanks to Lee for hosting this event in his wonderful facility! It was great to have so much space and such fun and unique surroundings.
Gary Hillebrand