SierraNevadaAirstreams.org -|- Sierra Nevada Unit -|- SNU History

Enjoyment of the whispering winds, the zephyrs, the airstreams of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin areas of the United States in a recreational vehicle

40^th Anniversary of the Sierra Nevada Unit 1976 – 2016

Remembering Special People

Frank and Steve Burnham -|- Fred and Ann Hersey -|- Don and Mary Lou Damoth -|- Dale and Marge Grosch -|- The Leipper family -|- The SNU members

Frank and Steve (Stephanie) Burnham

Frank and Steve (Stephanie) Burnham were charter members of the SNU. They continued to support the Unit up until 2002. Frank wrote the original constitution for the SNU. He and Steve held the SNU together during some lean years. Most of the historical documents from the 1990’s are still part of the Unit archives thanks to the Burnham’s. Frank and Steve both served terms as President of the SNU and also held other offices. They each took turns writing the newsletter and mailing it to members. They were instrumental in planning many of the luncheons and other activities of the Unit. They hosted Christmas gatherings at their home. Frank and Steve were also active in other WBCCI events, often attending international rallies and volunteering for various duties and committees.

From the August 2001 Newsletter written by Don Damoth

I would like to dedicate this newsletter to two of our charter members whohave played a major role in the success of the Sierra Nevada Unit since it was started 25 years ago. Frank and Steve Burnham, Frank & Steve have served as unit president about 4 times each and Steve served as Secretary or Treasurer many times, The have written and published the Unit newsletter recently and many times in the past. Frank wrote the original Constitution for the Unit. Thanks from all of us for the wonderful times we have had together.

From the April 2002 Newsletter written by Don Damoth

Frank & Steve were born and raised in the New England area and later decided to change residence to a state with more favorable tax climate. They moved to Nevada about fifty years ago and lived in Lamoille in Elko County until they bought their house in Reno. When Frank was in the service, they traveled all over the place and have owned trailers since 1950. Their first Airstream was a 1973 and they joined the NorCal Unit at a rally at Lake Tahoe. When they learned of the Nevada Unit, they join it also. Most of the members were from Southern Nevada but the Unit had an annual rally in Tonopah. The membership from the North grew more rapidly than that of the South, and soon there were more members traveling250 miles from the North, than there were traveling 200 miles from the South. The time had come tosplit the unit and the Burnhams helped establish the new Sierra Nevada Unit. There had formerly been such a unit, but the only remaining member was Alma George.

The Burnhams have been active at all levels of the club, with Frank serving as Unit President in 1982, 1986, 1992, 1999, and 2000. Not to be completely eclipsed, Steve was Unit President in 1985, 1989 and 1994. Frank was also Regional Parliamentarian for many years. They were also on various international committees and attended 25 International rallies. In addition to living in Hawaii for 4 ½ years, without a trailer, they have spent up to six months a year on the road, and taken their trailer to 47 states and most provinces of Canada, and been taken part in various caravans, big and small.

Children and grandchildren having long since left the nest, their current family consists of Fran, Steve and Tanaya wire haired Dachshund, and Eric, a teenage Great Pyrenees. They are active in the Great Pyrenees Club both local and National and also dog rescue. Frank is a Past President of the Reno Kennel Club. They show their dogs in Confirmation.

Frank enlisted in the Army Corps of Engineers in 1933 in Panama, and retired from the Corps in 1960. Steve worked for the US Air Force at the former Stead Air Force Base north of Reno.

Dale and Marge Grosch

The November 2012 SNU newsletter mentions that Dale and Marge Grosch have decided the time has come to park their Airstream permanently. In an email from Marge, she said:

“We decided the time came for us to let go of the trailer after 37 years of fun and all the nice people we have met. It was a hard decision for us. We loved every moment of our travels, rallies, jobs and office. I am now 87 and Dale 82 years old and there are many things we are doing around home. We are enjoying our home and friends here. But our memories are very clear in our minds. We have enough pictures to enjoy. It was such a joy to have been in the SNU and enjoyed time with your parents and the other members.”

Dale and Marge had been members of the SNU since the early 1990's. They maintained their membership even after moving to Washington State in the early 2000's. They were active members in both the SNU and in WBCCI. Both served more than one term as President of the SNU. They also held other offices and worked on the newsletter writing articles, printing and distributing it to members. Dale and Marge hosted several SNU luncheons at their home in Carson City. They attended the 1996 SNU rally at Lahontan, the first rally the SNU had held in several years. They also attended SNU rallies at Washoe Lake. Dale and Marge volunteered at numerous WBCCI International rallies in a variety of capacities. With their “retirement” from Airstreaming, Marge and Dale were the last of the SNU members who joined prior to 1994.

The Leipper Family

The Leipper Family (Virginia and Dale #1183, Bryan, Diane #772 & Anita #1183) - After moving from California, Dale and Virginia Leipper joined the SNU. Coming from a strong Unit with a full rally schedule, Dale and Virginia were instrumental in encouraging the SNU to plan and hold more rallies and other outdoor activities. They organized and hosted the very successful 1996 SNU rally at Lahontan, the first rally the Unit had held in many years. After that, Dale & Virginia hosted several other rallies and also picnic lunches at their home in Lemmon Valley. In 2000, after a rally at Ft Churchill, Dale Leipper wrote a list of suggestions for the SNU. Although this appears to be a draft, it is interesting to note some of the items on the list. It seems the discussion at Ft Churchill focused on the SNU relationship with WBCCI and ways to encourage and build membership. Among the comments on the list are these:

• You can’t change WBCCI. It would be too difficult and it may not be necessary. WBCCI has many attractive features.
• We should make sure that all Airstream Owners who do not belong to WBCCI regularly receive information on the attractions of club membership.
• There is always someone who has had the same problems you may have and who knows what to do about it. They are glad to help.
• Lifetime Friendships

Although Dale Leipper was unable to attend rallies after 2001, Virginia continued participating in SNU rallies and activities until 2006. The rest of the Leipper family followed their example and the example of their Grandparents, Bryan & Jo Harrison (#772). Diane writes material for the newsletter and encourages other members to write and submit articles. She also manages membership functions, and maintains the SNU website. Bryan has provided the technical innovation and structure that has made the SNU a pioneer in the use of many features that are more common place today. These include the basic design of the SNU website, ability to pay dues online, interactive calendars, subscription list for newsletters, online surveys, and electronic dues transfers with WBCCI. Anita has been instrumental in seeking out potential rally sites including Ramhorn Springs and Rocky Point at Eagle Lake. She has also contributed articles for newsletters. Diane, Bryan & Anita have all held offices with the SNU.

Fred & Ann Hersey

Fred and Ann Hersey - Photo Gallery of SNU memories.

Fred and Ann bought their Airstream in 1998. Although memory is a little fuzzy, they probably heard about the SNU when Fred spotted another Airstreamer and stopped to talk with him. The first rally they remember participating in was at Washoe Lake in 1999.

Fred became President of the SNU at a time of transition. He brought new ideas and new energy to the Unit. Through his efforts the SNU began a new period in it’s history with a focus on the original ideas of an Airstream club and a new view towards the needs of the members. Before he became President, Fred did the newsletter. He designed the format for the header and the address block which was used until 2008 when the SNU transitioned to using the web and email for all newsletter distribution and dropping postal mail. Fred & Ann also used extra copies of the newsletter to give to Airstream owners they noticed in driving around the area. Fred and Ann both wrote a lot of the material for the newsletters in the early 2000’s. Ann served as secretary, treasurer and membership for the SNU. She also took on the primary duty of getting public service announcements about SNU rallies printed in the majority of local newspapers and weeklies. Ann’s efforts paid off in several new members, increased awareness of the SNU, an editorial column in the primary Carson City Newspaper and a feature article in the primary Reno newspaper. Fred and Ann hosted an SNU holiday luncheon at their home in December 2004

Although it was disguised as a gopher, it was Fred and Ann who brought the first pink flamingo to an SNU rally. That was at Davis Creek 2004. The relationship between gophers and pink flamingos is explained on the pink flamingo page of sierranevadaairstreams.org. For several years they provided lots of pink flamingos to the SNU, most of which they had found at garage sales. Some still decorate SNU rallies to this day.

Fred and Ann put together Airstream photo albums. They would take pictures of Airstreams they came across, both near their home and on their travels. Those photo albums are still in the SNU archives. Many of the pictures from those albums can be found in the Show_n_Tell section of the website.

Fred and Ann have retired from Airstreaming but not from exploring. In particular, they have pursued their passion for finding petroglyph sites. They have put together some excellent notebooks with photos and information from their visits to various sites. Maybe one of these days we can get Fred and Ann to come to a rally and share their notebooks with us.

The SNU is celebrating it’s 40^th Anniversary this year in large part due to the efforts and contributions of Fred and Ann. Fred and Ann say they have great memories of the Airstream group and that the “SNU family has always been such fun. From taking our 4 legged pets to sharing the morning coffee.” Ann says that it would have been so easy to give up during the tough times but she is happy to see that we didn't and that the SNU is still growing. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment of being Airstreamers and helping to create the kinds of rallies that make the SNU special deserve a very special Thank You!

Don & Mary Lou Damoth

Although the records aren’t clear, it appears that Don and Mary Lou Damoth joined the SNU sometime in the late 1990’s. They traveled extensively so it wasn’t until around 2000 that we began to see them at SNU activities. The Damoth’s relationship with Airstream goes back a long way. It seems they have owned Airstreams since the 1960’s. Their three kids grew up traveling in Airstreams, sleeping is special bunk beds installed in the trailer. After their kids had grown up, the Damoth’s traveling companion was their cat Belle. Belle along with Don and Mary Lou attended many SNU rallies in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Don and Mary Lou were one of the three remaining active SNU members in 2002 when we had to make some critical decisions as to the future of the Unit. With their support and participation, the SNU decided to keep going and within a few short years was well on the way to becoming a viable, solid Unit. Don and Mary Lou were the members who checked out Twin Lakes. The SNU subsequently held several very successful rallies there. They also organized picnics at Spooner Lake. The Damoth’s hosted a December pot luck luncheon in 2003 and a very special Christmas luncheon in 2007. Both were held at their home. For the 2007 event, Mary Lou made ornaments for everyone from sand dollars they had collected on a trip to Florida. Starting in late 2002 Don, with Mary Lou’s assistance, produced the SNU newsletter. They continued doing the newsletter through 2007. Don wrote most of the articles and a lot of the photos were his. Don was doing the newsletter during it’s transition from postal mail to online. In the beginning, he often did the newsletter, printed it, and mailed it while on the road. It was Don who created the logo for the SNU’s 30^th Anniversary year. Don served as president in 2006. Don was and avid bicycle rider and he enjoyed visiting hot springs. Both of these activities were often part of his rally agenda. Don and Mary Lou were strong supporters of the SNU and great people to be with at rallies and other gatherings. Their contributions greatly enhanced the activities and functions of the SNU which benefited all of us. They are part of what makes the SNU special.

The SNU Members

As Jerry said, several years ago. “It's the Airstreams that bring us together but it's the people who keep us together”. That statement, inspired by the SNU is a key to the success of the Unit. Not only does the SNU have a great group of members, it has a strong group who have been members for eight years or more. Each and every one of them shows their support by their continuing membership and participation in the Unit. Most of these people have contributed to the SNU in a variety of ways. Some of these contributions include; exploring new rally sites, hosting rallies, serving as officers on the board, contributing articles for the newsletter, getting public service announcements in local media, designing the layout for the newsletter, assisting with community service projects, creating an SNU decal for our rigs, making our own Airstream cookie cutter, creating the diorama, creating the special acrylic box to protect the diorama, representing the SNU at other Airstream events, and promoting the SNU with other Airstream owners they happen to meet. Most of all SNU members contribute by being an example of what Airstreaming and the SNU family is all about as described in the documents that inspire Unit – the Wally Byam Creed and Wally Byam’s Four Freedoms.

People who have been SNU members for eight or more years are listed here along with dates they joined. Bryan & Diane Leipper (1995) * Jack & Lyndi Schroeder, RoyLaine (& Wes) Warn (2004) * Rick & Jeanne Laborde, Anita Leipper, Brian & Jenifer Root, Jerry & Dyann Thornburg (2005) * Randy & Vicki Grossmann (2006) * Gary & Anita Haskett, Roger & Janet Jeppson, Don & Gail Williams (2007) * John & Ginny Ganthner, Mark & Cary Seasholtz, David & Rachel Strode (2008) * Richard & Doris Wheeler, Gene & Carmen Baleme (2009)

It is these members who provide the foundation that has helped make the SNU a solid and successful Unit that others want to join. It is these members, whose participation, ideas and inspirations have provided the SNU with so many great rallies, unique experiences, special projects, and great memories and stories. It is these people who have helped make it possible for the SNU to celebrate its 40^th Anniversary in 2016. It is these people who are looking forward to the future of the SNU and encouraging all SNU members to help shape that future. Thank you for your participation, your contributions, and your continued support of the Sierra Nevada Unit.

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