MAY/JUNE 2013, VOLUME 38 / NO. 5

Bruce WoodsonFace First

I still don’t remember what happened. The Central Virginia Chapter of NAMGAR had participated in Motor Trend’s annual Auto Show in Richmond with a great display of vintage automobiles. But, as the show concluded, a heavy, wet snow began to fall. So I offered the use of my trailer to transport some of the show cars home. I sort of remember walking out from the convention center, where the truck and trailer were parked on the busy street, but after that, I just don’t know. Here’s Carol’s account of what happened…

“Bruce had gone out to open the trailer, so we could load cars and go home. It was a sleety, snowy mess outside. Mike Alexander and I were in the first car to be loaded. As we pulled up to the rear of the trailer, we saw Bruce lying on the ground in the snow. I thought he was lowering the support legs since we had two cars to load. It was not until Bruce tried to get up, that Mike and I saw he was in bad shape.

“Mike immediately jumped out of the car to help him up. Another friend, Don, saw us trying to keep Bruce upright, and stopped to help. They got Bruce into the back seat of the truck. I was in the truck trying to assess what was wrong, and what had happened. Almost immediately, an ambulance arrived. (To this day, we have no idea who called them.) They put Bruce in the ambulance to check vitals, etc. It was decided that he needed to be checked out at the hospital. We were taken to the VCU trauma center. Bruce could not remember anything that happened after lunch that day. We really have no idea what happened to cause the fall. At the hospital, Bruce kept asking who he hurt. He thought he had been in a car accident. Looking back, I have to wonder if maybe a car actually knocked him down. The roads were very, very slick.

“After x-rays, a cat scan, and visits from several specialists, it was determined that Bruce had a severe concussion and three fractured bones on the left side of his face; his orbital ridge, cheekbone, and jaw. Surgery was scheduled for Monday. The surgery went very well. The only difficulty being the density of his bones! The surgeon said he had to work VERY hard to get all those bones back in place! (Evidently, having a hard head can be beneficial!) Bruce will be setting off airport security monitors from here on out, as he has metal plates and screws holding the fractured bones in their proper places”.

Some two weeks later (at the time of this writing) I am home and recovering. I should make a full recovery, and I consider myself lucky. And not just to be well again, but to have learned the closeness of the MG family. The amount of e-mails, phone messages, cards, and gifts from everyone was both inspiring and humbling. Thank you all for being so special to Carol and me. You are amazing!

There will be no doctor’s orders to stop me from attending GT-38, though. As I mentioned in my last column, this promises to be an amazing Get-Together. The host committee has really pulled together a great program for us, with lots of interesting on-your-own options to do as well. I think I might even try my hand at the resort’s zip-line trail. I’ve always wanted to do that, and Dick Lunney has secured a great deal for us. And hey, if I should fall, I think I’ll still be under warranty anyway!

I’d also like to announce something very special that will debut at the GT…. Tech Sessions from MGA! – Volume II. It’s hard to believe it was 2004 when the first volume was published, and now we are ready to unveil the second in the series. Mike Ash’s approach to repair on vehicles continues to enlighten, entertain, and assist us, and this latest compilation is a great way to bring them all together. Thanks for all you’ve done for us, Mike! And if you’re not at the GT, the book will be available through NAMGAR regalia beginning on July 1st.

Chapter Contacts, please note that the NAMGAR Board has made it possible to expand the complimentary Club insurance coverage to include complimentary Directors & Officers coverage as well. If you are a Chapter Contact and will be in attendance at the GT, we’ll learn together the importance of this coverage during the Chapter Contacts Meeting. And there’s nothing new to sign up for. If your club has already been on the paid plan, the policy will automatically switch to the new program on the usual renewal date.

And then, there’s talk of a Fall NAMGAR Regional in Virginia. Yes, even I can’t escape Carol Shamonsky tracking me down to host an event. But, I can see how it makes sense to have a Fall Regional in Virginia this year….and the Central Virginia Chapter is already hosting a well respected Weekend European Car Show and Wine Festival. We could stay at a very lovely hotel, schedule several driving events through rural Virginia, with antique shopping and ice cream parlors. I can present a tech session at my shop while a luncheon for the ladies takes place at the nearby botanical gardens. And then Classics on the Green already has driving events, wine tastings, live musical entertainment, and yes, a British and European car show with three hundred cars in it! This would all be on the weekend of September 12-15, 2013. I can get the details out on the NAMGAR website and in the next edition of MGA! So, what the heck, let’s do it! What’s the worst that could happen…. I fall on my face?

Safety Fast!