A bond that began at an FMCA gathering blossomed into a lasting relationship.
By John Johnston, Associate Editor
September 2018
Something special happened at FMCA’s 1982 summer convention, which took place July 20 to 22 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.
The Glenn Miller Orchestra performed, but that’s not what we mean. A then-record 2,200 families attended; that’s not it, either.
The Kaminskis and the Gubruds were among those families. Fred and Arlene Kaminski drove from Green Bay, Wisconsin, with their 16-year-old son, Steve. Leonard “Gubby” and Isabel Gubrud came from Elkhorn, Wisconsin, with their 15-year-old daughter, Sheri.
Both families were active members of FMCA’s Badger chapter. But somehow, Steve and Sheri’s only encounter before the ’82 summer convention was brief and uneventful.
In 1983, six years before they married, Steve and Sheri Kaminski were photographed in front of his parents’ motorhome.
The South Bend gathering was different. “That’s where we really got to know each other,” Sheri said. “We joke that basically we have an arranged marriage, because our moms made us meet.”
Sheri came to the convention with a younger niece; Steve was accompanied by a cousin. Convention organizers made sure that the Teen-Age Travelers, or TATs, as they were called, had plenty to do. Activities included movies, disco dancing, a sports festival, and a visit to Warren Dunes State Park.
Nobody who saw Steve and Sheri together would have concluded that they were destined to spend the rest of their lives together. Heck, neither of them had yet been on a date. But something special happened at that convention.
“The impression we had of each other after South Bend was that we definitely liked each other and wanted to keep seeing each other,” Sheri said.
That was easier said than done. It was nearly a three-hour drive from Steve’s home in Green Bay to Sheri’s home in Elkhorn. So, for two years, they dated by taking turns hopping on a bus. They sometimes saw each other at Badger chapter gatherings. They also connected at the 1983 FMCA summer convention in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Back then, cell phones and texting were, of course, unheard of. “We did a lot of letter writing,” Sheri said. Added Steve: “I’ve still got her letters.”
They continued dating when Steve went to college. His decision to attend the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater put him only about 20 minutes away from Sheri. Shortly after his graduation, in October 1988, he proposed. They married a year later.
“We basically invited the whole Badger chapter to our wedding,” Sheri said. “They came with their motorhomes, and my dad arranged that they could park at the (Walworth County) fairgrounds.”
It made perfect sense that the couple would become RVers. Sheri’s late father, who built a motorhome from a 1960 Pontiac ambulance, was in charge of communications at a number of FMCA conventions. Her family included several pairs of aunts, uncles, and cousins who owned motorhomes. As a child, “I loved traveling,” she said.
The Kaminskis’ Badger chapter badges reflect that they are second-generation FMCA members.
The Kaminskis’ Badger chapter badges reflect that they are second-generation FMCA members.
Steve also fondly recalls RVing with his parents across the state of Wisconsin for Badger rallies and seeing much of the country on the way to and from FMCA conventions. “When I mention that to people today, they say, ‘Wow, that would have been a great way to grow up.’ And it was.”
His family typically devoted a week or more to each convention, because his father oversaw the trams for many years and his mother was active with craft activities. By the time Steve and Sheri married, Steve’s father, Fred, was FMCA national vice president, Midwest Area.
Like many young couples, Steve and Sheri began RVing on their own in a pop-up camper. In time, they bought a fifth-wheel. They are now on their third one, a 35-foot Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite by Forest River.
“With the dogs we have with us, the fifth-wheel works out really well,” Steve said. Ah, yes, the dogs. The Kaminskis now travel with three beagles — Cooper, Sadie, and Jaeger. “So, we’re the highlight of the campground, or the loud spot in the campground,” Sheri joked.
Over the years, Sheri and Steve sometimes attended Badger chapter get-togethers with her parents, who are no longer living, or with Steve’s parents, who are still active RVers. But as fifth-wheel owners, Sheri and Steve always were guests, because they could not join FMCA.
Likewise, when FMCA’s 2015 summer convention took place in Madison, Wisconsin — only about 65 miles from the Kaminskis’ home — the couple stopped by, but just to visit.
Then about a year ago, Steve’s father mentioned that FMCA members were voting on whether to allow owners of towable RVs to join the organization. The final tally in favor of expanding membership dovetailed perfectly with the Kaminskis’ belief that the organization’s focus should be on people more than on equipment.
And then something special happened, again. In April 2018, Steve and Sheri became full-fledged members of FMCA. They took the membership number of Sheri’s parents, F14631D, with the “D” signifying daughter. Perhaps that can’t compare to what happened at FMCA’s 1982 summer convention, when two teens took the first steps of what would be a lifelong journey together. But it was special, nonetheless.
Suggestions Welcome
If you know FMCA members whose stories beg to be told — and yes, you can nominate yourself — let us know and we’ll consider featuring them. Tell us a little about them and send their email address and/or phone number to Associate Editor John Johnston, jjohnston@fmca.com.