It is said March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb!! Whatever, today was a gorgeous, bright, sun-filled day and we were happy folks as we arrived at The Candy Store to lust after gorgeous automobiles.
 
The Candy Store Clubhouse was constructed in 1928 as the Earl Anthony Packard Automobile Dealership.  This beautiful building, designed specifically to be an elegant backdrop for fabulous Packard automobiles, in what many feel was the heyday of the automobile, was restored and re-engineered for seismic stability in 1995.
 
The purpose of The Candy Store is to provide a place in which to foster camaraderie among fellow owners of historically significant automobiles, to promise the exchange of technical information, and to encourage the preservation of such automobiles.         
 

Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation

The Pledge was led by Jordana Peil.  Frances Boscacci invoked these aspirational thoughts:

Let us be a force of calm.
Let those who are trembling find us safe to lean upon.
May we be the voice of reason.
May we comfort the oppressed.
May we show our compassion to those who are most distressed.

Guests and Visiting Rotarians

Maki Koybayashi introduced his business partner J. Tadahiro Sakashita. Charles Voltz introduced his son Steve from Gloucester, Massachusetts. Marianne Kristofferson introduced her guest, Adam Bryant, of Proterra, Inc. with offices on Rollins Road.  They make electric buses. Guest Nick Rogers of Morgan Stanley introduced his special guest, his dad Tom Rogers. From Foster City Rotary, we welcomed Noemi Avram.  Our long-time friend Shawn DeLuna joined us as well.
 
Sheryl Young introduced her guest Harold from Half Moon Bay.   Jordana Pfeil introduced her husband and a second guest as well.
Visiting was also former Burlingame Rotary member Jim Stephenson.  Rotarian John Manning  from San Francisco #2 Club joined us.

Program

As well as the opportunity to breathe in the beauty of these  historical vehicles, we were honored to hear the stories of Timothy P. McGrane, Executive Director of the Blackhawk Museums in Danville.
 
A native of Kent, England,  Tim is a lifelong automobile enthusiast.  Tim’s early years were spent in the auctions and events areas, acquiring a legendary reputation for his integrity and an encyclopedic knowledge of automobiles.  Today he serves as a committee chair of the most prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance and a consultant of the Credit Suisse Classic Car Program.
 
The Blackhawk Automotive Museum opened in 1988 and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution http://sss.blackhawkmuseum.org.
Tim started collecting, hoarding cars.  It grew to his passion.  His mom preserved a photo of him, age 5,  in a pedal car.
Years later, in 1973, two gentlemen by the nanes of Don Williams and Ken Behring – legendary owners – purchased 4,800 acres in Blackhawk, and the Blackhawk Museum was born.  Tim was hired as a perfect fit, given his passion for automobiles in combination with his business experience.
In 1956, the Pebble Beach Concours at first showed new cars; In 1972 they moved to classic cars
In 1972, cars were paired with Golfing with the classic cars competition at Santana Row.
In 1981, entry-level price for a collector car was $600,000; today the range is $18-$38 million. The cost of insuring these cars can't be specified. Suffice to say they are handled and shipped with utmost care. Many transporters limit greatly the number of cars they will transport.
The Rolls Royce Silver Ghost was the prize possession; every collection had one. Someone with a flair for the obvious said:  ultra luxury is expensive.  SCORE!
 
Thanks to Tim McGrane for your visit today. Thanks to our Mike Heffernan for arranging the venue and the yum box lunches from Copenhagen!
 See you at Poplar Creek Wednesday, March 8
 
March 8 - Bob Roberts, President-elect of Mill Valley Rotary will discuss Peru 
   and the Rotary project in which we might participate.
March 15 - Board Meeting, 4:30P at City Hall.  Beware the Ides of March
March 16 - Joint Meeting with San Mateo Club.  Speaker Martin Harband,     
                      attorney.
 
  MARCH BIRTHDAYS
  10 Dave Behling, 17 Jay Plank, 24 Charle Voltz