Nor Cal Olds Club, From Humble Beginnings to an Enduring Successful Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America (OCA)
Founded in 1975 and officially recognized as a chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America in 1979, the Northern California Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America (NorCal Olds Club) is devoted to Oldsmobile owners and enthusiasts and primarily serves the Northern California area.
In the beginning, (as told by Bob Griffith, Nor-Cal Club Historian & founding member): Like many regional chapters in the Oldsmobile Club of America, our chapter had a meager and humble beginning. After much encouragement from Southern California Chapter leaders Hank Parker & Woody Hyde, a Northern California exploratory meeting was held early in 1975. From that initial meeting, three fellow Oldsmobile enthusiasts (Dave Kennedy, Mike Rose and Bob Wise) wouldn’t let the idea of forming a Northern California Chapter die. We were all busy…Dave restoring a 1938 Olds, Mike had a 1970 442 and a motorcycle collection, Bob was restoring a 1935 Olds and myself, just out of high school, restoring a 1931 Olds. More meetings were held along with social outings, with our Olds-mobiles of course, and more Oldsmobile enthusiasts joining our efforts to form a chapter.
In 1978, twenty OCA members voted to form the Northern California Chapter of the Oldsmobile Club of America, and we submitted the necessary paper work for OCA approval. During the 1979 OCA national meet in Lansing, MI, we received that approval and our charter! Nor-Cal Olds Club became a reality! In addition to meetings and social outings, an outstanding semi-monthly newsletter (The Oldsletter) was developed along with car shows and a swap meet, to provide revenue. In 1986, we hosted the OCA National Meet in the San Francisco Bay Area. Twenty-five years later in 2011, we again hosted the National Meet (“Biggest Little Car Show in the West”) in Reno, Nevada. While our Oldsmobiles are the stars of any show, it’s our Nor-Cal Club members who volunteer and pitch in and make this club an enduring success.