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Club History

MARC Founded Top

In 1952, Bill Hall founded the first Model A Ford club in Massachusetts. The club was called the Model A Restorers Club (MARC). It published a one-page newsletter. The first MARC national meet was held at Dearborn, Michigan in 1955. This meet inspired other Model A enthusiasts, who established club charters and regions across the United States. A second MARC national meet was held in 1957. Charles and Dorothy Ivey, current Wichita A's members, drove their 1931 Victoria to Dearborn in order to participate in this meet. Eventually, the MARC headquarters moved to Dearborn where two Ford employees and their wives became the club leaders. These four people ran the club and printed the club magazine for the next twenty-five years.

MAFCA Founded Top

The founder of MARC, Bill Hall, and the club officers moved to California in 1957 where they founded another club called the Model A Ford Club of America (MAFCA). MAFCA headquarters remain in California to this day. In 1964, five families drove from Wichita, Kansas to the third National MAFCA meet in Louisville, Kentucky. The tour cars included an A400, a roadster, a tudor, a coupe, and a station wagon (on a trailer).

First Wichita Model A Tour Top

By 1964, enthusiasm for Model A restoration in the Wichita area was growing rapidly. John Spratt, Rex Broker, Jim Starkey, Charles Ivey, Corky Edminister, J.C. Rogers, Bill Walls, and other local residents decided to establish a local chapter.  In August, they organized the Vagabond Tour, a Model A trip to the "Sanderosa" retreat, owned by the Spratt family, near the Ninnescah River. The organizers contacted all known Model A owners in the Wichita area and invited them to join the tour. On September 12, 1964 eighty seven people drove their vintage vehicles to the Spratt family retreat and feasted on barbecued food and watermelon.

Wichita Capitol A-Birds Founded Top

The Vagabond Tour participants overwhelmingly supported the idea of forming a local chapter, so the tour organizers submitted an application to MAFCA. The Wichita Capitol A-Birds club charter was issued on October 10, 1964. Club officers were: Corky Edminister, President; Roy Barton, Vice President; J. C. Rogers, Secretary, Roger Graham, Treasurer; John Spratt, Editor; and Charles Ivey, Activities. The first year about fifty members joined the club. Mr. Edminister resigned as President shortly after taking office. The remainder of his term was filled by Mr. Graham.

The club prospered and sponsored its first swap meet in 1966 at the 4-H Fair Grounds. They had an second swap meet in 1967, which failed to draw a crowd, so the club decided to abandon the idea. It was almost a decade before they hosted another swap meet. In the mean time, the members began to travel to the national events. In 1966, club members drove sixteen Model As to the 4th National MAFCA meet in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1967, eight families attended the MARC National Meet in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Twenty-two families drove to the 5th National MAFCA Meet at Dallas, Texas in 1968 where they brought home eight trophies.

First Model A Jubilee Held Top

In 1968, the club held their first Jubilee in Wichita, Kansas with fifty-five registrations. The Jubilee, named by Jim Gooch, was held annually for the next six years, with the largest participation occurring in 1972 when 117 people registered for the Jubilee. Eventually, club members tired of hosting such a large event and the Jubilee ended in 1975.   

Sunflower A's Chapter Founded Top

The Jubilee was not the only thing that caused problems in the chapter. By 1973, dissension was growing among the membership. Finally, Floyd Smith established a new chapter, the Sunflower A's, through MARC. The Sunflower A's was considered to be the "technical" club while the Wichita Capitol A-Birds was considered to be the "social" chapter. In reality, at least 50% of the members belonged to both clubs.   

First Sunflower A's Swap Meet Top

In 1975, the Sunflower A's club held their first swap meet in an abandoned retail store in southeast Wichita. Thirty-five vendors attended the meet. The next year, the club moved the swap meet to the 4-H building in west Wichita where they could sell concessions. It was a success and the prospering club continued to host swap meets for the next few years.  The next step was to move the swap meet to the Kansas Coliseum, a bold move due to the overhead costs and restrictions against selling concessions. Although only a fraction of the Pavilion at the Coliseum was used for the swap meet, the club was able to hold the event without going bankrupt. Within a few years, they began to fill the Pavilion with vendors and by 1985 sold all the spaces.  

Golden Jubilee Hosted Top

In 1978, both clubs, the Wichita Capitol A-Birds and the Sunflower A's, sponsored a Golden Jubilee. It was held in the Broadview Hotel in downtown Wichita and attended by Ed Francis, a veteran officer of MARC and employee at Ford Motor Company headquarters. Dale Graham, chaired the event and coordinated the efforts of both clubs. The Jubilee was a huge success.  

Two Clubs Merge Top

In 1983, both clubs co-sponsored another Jubilee. By this time, it was becoming evident to members in both clubs that Wichita could not adequately support two Model A chapters. Members, who belonged to both clubs, were forced to choose between activities which meant that none of the events prospered. Even the swap meet was suffering because the Sunflower club could not find enough members to work.  In late 1983, Don Grabendike organized a meeting with both clubs where he proposed a merger. The members immediately accepted the idea, but it took almost a year for them to work out the details (club name, MAFCA and MARC affiliations, etc.). Finally, in the fall of 1984, the members voted unanimously to accept the terms of the merger and to established the Wichita A's Model A Ford Club. 

Club Web Site Launched Top

Since its formation in 1984, Wichita A's Model A Ford Club has become a vibrant, enthusiastic, and prosperous organization. Club members established a touring program that continues to be one of the most popular activities in the chapter. The swap meet has grown to be one of the largest and finest events in the area. The members continue to enjoy friendly social events and exciting cross-county tours where they can share their skills and knowledge with other Model A enthusiasts. To help further that knowledge into the new millennium, we launched this web site on October 11, 2000.  

Copyright 2000-2007 By Wichita A's Model A Ford Club.
All Rights Reserved.
webmaster@wichitaas.com
Updated: 27 Feb 2007