Be It Ever So Humble

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 13 March 8, 2017 Volume 36, Issue 01 The Illini Mets, The Illinois Chapter of the Metropolitan Owners Club of North America Message from the President & Secretary/Treasurer Hello Everyone, Spring is just around the corner, so it s time to get our Mets ready for the summer season! Message from President & Secretary/ Treasurer Nash Pictures of January 2017 Holiday Gathering Daily Herald Article on Ken & Joanna s Met We cannot wait to take our 1956 Nash Met Yellow & White color named 'Clover' out of storage to go for a cruise again. Thank you everyone for coming out to the annual holiday gathering. We had a great time visiting and talking about our Nash Mets. Lewis and I met some new members and enjoyed a lovely meal at Claim Jumper. Anyone want to volunteer to for a position on the Met Board? If so, let Lewis or Renee De La Cruz know. We will be hosting our Annual Meeting and Elections on Sunday April 2, 2017 at Bakers Square restaurant in LaGrange, IL. Please remember Membership Dues are due for Lewis De La Cruz, President For any questions, contact Lewis or Renee for any questions at LKDLC@aol.com (Lewis DLC) or rm_neiman@hotmail.com (Renee DLC) Thanks! Thank you, Lewis DLC

2 Page 2 of 13 Nash Met Club Holiday Gathering January 15, 2017 Claim Jumper - Lombard, IL

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5 Page 5 of 13 Daily Herald News Article Ken and Joanne Wawrzyniak of Lombard posted: 12/12/ Nash Metropolitan small in stature, but big on style

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8 Page 8 of 13 Matt Avery Young Ken Wawrzyniak strolled out of the store and froze on the spot. The teen was certain he parked his 1961 Nash Metropolitan right out front, but now it was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, he heard laughing. He turned to see his friends hiding in the bushes. Ken shook his head and smiled, too. Sure enough, they had done it again; they had pushed his petite cruiser around the corner, a prank they pulled often. How could they not? The little coupe was lightweight and the joke, no matter how many times, never got old. Wawrzyniak remembers silly memories like this and many more about the car he purchased in 1960 when he was 18. At the time, he was living in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood. One spring day on his way home from his grandmother's funeral, he passed a used-car lot in Glenview. They had the coral and white Metro out front. He remembers it having no trouble standing out from the other vehicles. Even though he was clueless about what it was, the very next day he went back to buy it. The price? A mere $150. "I had never seen another one in the city," Wawrzyniak says. Ken and Joanne Wawrzyniak of Lombard enjoy their cute, cozy little ride. - Shortly into his ownership, the young man found out why. "It was so unreliable and getting parts was impossible," he says. Still, he coaxed three months of use out of it. Thankfully he didn't have far to drive at the time. Wawrzyniak worked at a printer in Bucktown, making his commute just several blocks long.

9 Page 9 of 13 Despite the car's tight interior quarters, it wasn't uncommon for Wawrzyniak to be seen hauling multiple friends during his off hours. "We'd get four or five guys inside and go drive around," Wawrzyniak recalls. Often, they'd be cruising to a well-known area diner, Skip's Fiesta drive-in in Melrose Park. "All the big muscle cars would be there and we'd come through and do a lap in the parking lot," Wawrzyniak says with a chuckle. Wawrzyniak went right to work on his 1960 Nash Metropolitan after he purchased it in the 1990s. - Courtesy of Wawrzyniak family As much fun as the little machine was to drive, it soon had to go. "Everything was going wrong with it," he says. Wawrzyniak found a dealer willing to take it as a trade-in and he quickly upgraded to a 1961 Chevy. Years later during the 1990s, a 1961 Nash Metro came across Wawrzyniak's radar, this one a convertible. It was located in Kenosha, Wisconsin, not far from where Nash Motors was headquartered. Its cheeky colors and cute size were too much to pass up. "Just like my first one, it stood out, too," Wawrzyniak says. He drove it home and set to work returning it to tiptop shape. The brakes were replaced, as was the clutch. A new coat of Sunburst Yellow and white paint was applied and the wee little engine was rebuilt. Wawrzyniak, who lives in Lombard, also installed a highway-friendly rear end, allowing for longer drives around the suburbs. "Everyone smiles when they see it," he says.

10 Page 10 of 13 NEWS YOU CAN USE Professional Nash Metropolitan Maintenance, Repair, Restoration & Customization by Illini Mets Member Businesses The Vair Shop Mike s Met Met Repair, Restoration, Parts Met Parts & Custom Accessories Larry Claypool Mike Potts (Past Vice President, Illini Mets) (Vice President, Illini Mets) S 80th Ave 2N754 Alma Ave Frankfort, IL Lombard, IL (815) (630) larry@vairshop.com POTTS2N754@comcast.net

11 Page 11 of 13 Illini Calendar of Events Annual & Elections Meeting Sunday, April 2, 3:00pm Baker Square, 942 South La Grange Road, La Grange, IL (708) ******************************************************************************** ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************** FOR SALE Any Nash for sale please let Lewis or Renee know to post in the next newsletter. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************* WANTED Seeking Volunteer(s) for Editor of Illini Newsletter please contact Lewis or Renee if you are interested in becoming the editor for our newsletters. ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************* ******** 2017 Dues Reminder ********** Don t forget to pay your 2017 membership dues! Mail them to Renee De La Cruz

12 Page 12 of 13 Schedule of Events 2017: Palos Christian Assembly S 88th Ave, Palos Hills, IL Cruise nights June-August 2017 Home Depot Countryside during the Summer 2017 MOCNA International Meet in Minneapolis, Minnesota July 12-16th Event Information Contact Steve Cotariu: P.O. Box 15192, Minneapolis, MN or via MOCNA2017@gmail.com Have more events? Please let Renee De La Cruz know about them and will post on next newsletter Nash Mets out on the Town

13 Page 13 of 13 Illini Mets Officers & Contacts President Lewis De La Cruz 23 Brewster Ave La Grange Park, IL Vice President Bob Greenlee 2029 Hillsdown Rd Davis, IL Secretary/Treasurer Renee De La Cruz 23 Brewster Ave La Grange Park, IL Newsletter TBD Message from the Editor Happy New Year! Have a Safe Spring Season! See you at the Annual Meeting and Elections on April 2, Please mail your membership dues for 2017 to Renee De La Cruz. We re on the Web! See us at: Webmaster Mark Hardy gnash@illinimets.org Any stories, news, ads or contributions, to: rm_neiman@hotmail.com ILLINI METS "Be it ever so humble..." COMPANY NAME STREET ADDRESS CITY, ST 12345