26th Annual Awards Banquet
The club held its 26th annual Hall of Fame awards dinner on March 19, 2017 at Branches catering in West Long Branch, NJ.
This year’s award recipients were as follows: Drivers – Fred Dmuchowski and Tom Mauser; Car Owner John Lyons; Racing Historian and Journalist Steve Barrick; and Race Car Lettering Artist Dennis Smith. Receiving the Bobby Thomas Dedication Award was Warren Alston, who is a long-time flagger, track official and safety advocate. Johnny Bate received the Pioneer Award.
Once again, Earl Krause handled the Master of Ceremonies job very nicely. Earl is an announcer at Wall Stadium, Assistant Editor and Columnist for Area Auto Racing News, and a long-time member and former Trustee of GSVSCC. Earl received a surprise presentation this year – a microphone mounted on a plaque! We appreciate Earl’s dedication to the club over these many years. At least Earl will have a spare mic if he should ever need one!
Club member Bob Menschner of Racing with Jesus Ministries offered the invocation. Bob is the Chaplain at Wall Stadium where he begins his 50th year on the track staff in 2017. After the invocation, Club President Ray Shea welcomed the guests and spoke briefly.
Club car owners were recognized for their participation in club events during 2016. Connie Joyner had the most appearances with his #7J Gremlin for the 5th consecutive year. Also honored were Al Voorhees and Butch Malsbury, owners of the #82 Gremlin and Jim Hawkes, owner of the #61 coupe.
The awards continued throughout the afternoon. John Lyons passed away in August of 2016, but his family members and friends shared fond memories of him with the guests. The other award recipients were in attendance. Many stories were told and laughter filled the room frequently.
Michelle Moormann is a special lady. Michelle joined the GSVSCC last year and enjoyed driving Bob Barker’s S-1 sedan on the track during club events at Wall Stadium. She finished 7th in points at Wall Stadium’s Limited Late Model division last year. Michelle joined the U.S. Army last Fall, and began basic training in December. She plans to pursue a career in military intelligence. During the banquet, Bob called Michelle (now in Texas) on his phone so Michelle could say “hello” to everyone. Although Michelle couldn’t see it, she was given a standing ovation for her service to our country. We hope to see Michelle at the track next season when she has leave.
Club member Eleanor Hagerman “retired” this year after serving the club for the past 20 years as Banquet Coordinator. In recognition of her service, Eleanor was presented with a bouquet of roses and a gift card from the club. She continues to serve on the Banquet Committee with Coordinator Pam Krause and Sue Brice.
It was another pleasant gathering to honor heroes of the sport, whether well-known or behind-the-scenes folks. We look forward to getting together again next year!
Thanks to Earl Krause for his contributions to this piece and to Jim Smith for the photos.
This year’s award recipients were as follows: Drivers – Fred Dmuchowski and Tom Mauser; Car Owner John Lyons; Racing Historian and Journalist Steve Barrick; and Race Car Lettering Artist Dennis Smith. Receiving the Bobby Thomas Dedication Award was Warren Alston, who is a long-time flagger, track official and safety advocate. Johnny Bate received the Pioneer Award.
Once again, Earl Krause handled the Master of Ceremonies job very nicely. Earl is an announcer at Wall Stadium, Assistant Editor and Columnist for Area Auto Racing News, and a long-time member and former Trustee of GSVSCC. Earl received a surprise presentation this year – a microphone mounted on a plaque! We appreciate Earl’s dedication to the club over these many years. At least Earl will have a spare mic if he should ever need one!
Club member Bob Menschner of Racing with Jesus Ministries offered the invocation. Bob is the Chaplain at Wall Stadium where he begins his 50th year on the track staff in 2017. After the invocation, Club President Ray Shea welcomed the guests and spoke briefly.
Club car owners were recognized for their participation in club events during 2016. Connie Joyner had the most appearances with his #7J Gremlin for the 5th consecutive year. Also honored were Al Voorhees and Butch Malsbury, owners of the #82 Gremlin and Jim Hawkes, owner of the #61 coupe.
The awards continued throughout the afternoon. John Lyons passed away in August of 2016, but his family members and friends shared fond memories of him with the guests. The other award recipients were in attendance. Many stories were told and laughter filled the room frequently.
Michelle Moormann is a special lady. Michelle joined the GSVSCC last year and enjoyed driving Bob Barker’s S-1 sedan on the track during club events at Wall Stadium. She finished 7th in points at Wall Stadium’s Limited Late Model division last year. Michelle joined the U.S. Army last Fall, and began basic training in December. She plans to pursue a career in military intelligence. During the banquet, Bob called Michelle (now in Texas) on his phone so Michelle could say “hello” to everyone. Although Michelle couldn’t see it, she was given a standing ovation for her service to our country. We hope to see Michelle at the track next season when she has leave.
Club member Eleanor Hagerman “retired” this year after serving the club for the past 20 years as Banquet Coordinator. In recognition of her service, Eleanor was presented with a bouquet of roses and a gift card from the club. She continues to serve on the Banquet Committee with Coordinator Pam Krause and Sue Brice.
It was another pleasant gathering to honor heroes of the sport, whether well-known or behind-the-scenes folks. We look forward to getting together again next year!
Thanks to Earl Krause for his contributions to this piece and to Jim Smith for the photos.