1934 – 2022
Ralph was one of our early members, joining the Lehigh Valley Camaro Club in 1990 or ’91, after meeting us at a show in Macungie. His first big All-Camaro show was the Street Nationals East in the Poconos in 1990 and he quickly became a fan of the large events and was one of first to jump in for a road trip….Indy, Detroit, Bowling Green, Niagara Falls, Gatlinburg, Pittsburgh, and many more.
When his new house was finished, he invited the club down for a picnic…and we all learned the Macarena in his back yard. – What a Site! We ended up having fun doing the dance at the Street Nationals, to roars of laughter. The following year, we performed “Leader of the Pack” by the Shangri-Las. Ralph played the motorcyclist – dressed in jeans, a tee shirt with cigarettes rolled up in his sleeve, hair slicked back, and riding a children’s tricycle – a true hoodlum. The rest of the club lip-synced the old song in the background. More laughter, to be sure. When we started the Camaro Nationals in ’99, Ralph was quick to volunteer to help, and was active thru many of the early years.
Ralph made many friends across the country, and often they had a blank look or a question on their faces when they learned his age. He always grinned when talking about his “Maggie” – not a girl friend, but the Magnussen Super Charger on his SS Camaro. Our club last saw him early in December at our annual Christmas Party. He smiled and told everyone how much he loved the club and how his participation improved his life, saying he had no regrets.
Ralph succeeded in his wish to go out strong, right to the end, and slid into his parking space sideways at 60 miles an hour.