By Charlie Adcock, F311374
National President
January 2016
Hello, My fellow FMCA Family.
First, I want to thank FMCA national senior vice president Jon Walker for giving me a month off by writing the December “President’s Message.” My biggest regret is that I was not there to see him fall out of the kayak three times. I know his grandsons really enjoyed watching him get dunked! I appreciate and applaud him for a great article and am thinking maybe he can help me out by writing some more (hint, hint).
Let me catch you up on the Adcock family travels and adventures. Gloria and I left home on October 2, on our way to the South Central Area’s Six-State Rally, which was held in Conroe, Texas, this year. On the way there, we stopped at the Four State Fair facility in Texarkana, Arkansas, to do a preliminary rally site visit for the South Central Area, as they may be looking to hold a rally there in 2017. From there, we traveled on to Conroe the next day so that Gloria could get set up for the current rally; she is the family registration captain. The Six-State Rally officially got started on October 7, and we departed on October 11. What a wonderful time was had by all. We had great entertainment; great food; lots of great vendors; and, most importantly, lots of super volunteers. The officers and cadre outdid themselves.
Our next scheduled stop was in Asheville, North Carolina, to attend the Great Eastern Area Rally, also known as G.E.A.R. The rally was 1,016 miles away from Conroe, and we had two days to get there. So, the Adcocks roared out of Conroe on October 11, with Jon Walker; national secretary Gaye Young and her husband, Jerry; and national vice president, International Area, David Kessler and his wife, Patsy, trailing behind us and trying to keep up.
We were going to split up the trip, but when we reached Meridian, Mississippi, which was halfway, it was only 3:00 in the afternoon, with lots of daylight left, so we pressed on toward Birmingham, Alabama. Well, as luck would have it, no campsites were available in that area, because of a huge charity event, so we had to keep moving. We finally reached Pell City, Alabama, where we found a campground that could accommodate us. It was dark by then, and we had driven 700 miles, a very long day. We all got safely tucked in for the night, and the next morning, we headed to Asheville (300-plus miles).
The trip was uneventful until we stopped to fuel up about 40 miles from the destination. My next bonehead move! Upon our arrival at the rally site, the parking crew asked me what was dripping out of my motorhome. Well, it seems I somehow forgot to put the motorhome’s fuel cap back on, and the slipstream had siphoned out about 30 gallons of diesel. Fuel was everywhere, and my pickup truck and golf cart looked like I had been driving through a diesel rain. I guess I could plead fatigue as a result of the long driving days, but I don’t think anyone is buying that! I got the mess cleaned up and borrowed a fuel cap from Jerry Young. Minor catastrophe aside, we arrived at G.E.A.R. on October 12, just in time for Jon Walker to pick Sondra up at the airport so she could join us.
John Reynolds, national vice president, Eastern Area, and his wife, Jayne, along with their area officers and many volunteers, put on a great “Twilight in the Blue Ridge Mountains” rally at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center. We enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We had a great time taking part in the rally festivities and also loved being in this beautiful part of the country as the colorful fall display began. In addition to rally events, a new chapter was formed during G.E.A.R. — the Eastern Area Mah Jongg chapter, for folks who enjoy the popular tile game of the same name.
After a fun, fun time visiting with all the G.E.A.R. attendees, we left Asheville on October 18 and headed for the FMCA campground in Cincinnati to attend the fall FMCA committee and Executive Board meetings. We finished all business by October 23, so Gloria and I headed home. I had my fill of long driving days, so Gloria and I took two days to cover the 600-plus miles back to our home in Arkansas. We did beat the rain and bad weather home, though.
Having to write this column two months in advance is tough. By the time you read this, the new year will be upon us. Gloria and I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a Merry Christmas. These two holidays have a special meaning for me, as they nearly always involve family celebrations. And you know how I feel about family, not only close, personal family but also our extended families — especially our FMCA family. I hope you all were able to back away from all the festivities, shopping, traffic, parties, travel details, etc. and just enjoy your times together, the sharing and visiting, and to think about how blessed we are and the true meaning of these holidays.
I was reminded this month that while we are saying our good-byes to all our FMCA friends when leaving a rally, we should take time and give everyone a little extra hug. The story I’m about to tell ends well, but you never know what may happen before we see our friends again.
On October 23, I received a call from my friend Lou Kennedy, F44281, telling me that she had taken her husband, Fred, to an emergency care center in Rockport, Texas. They were attending a Roughnecks chapter rally in Port Aransas, Texas, when Fred developed a growth about the size of a grapefruit on his stomach and was in a lot of pain. The doctors recommended that he be moved to the hospital at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas, for surgery. Lou called Seven Corners (FMCAssist, the Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program), and Wes sprang into action. The first obstacle was foul weather — no flying. Wes arranged for an ambulance to travel the 187 miles to pick up Fred and Lou and take him to the hospital. Lou said the ambulance driver was a real pro, as he could hardly see the highway most of the time.
They arrived at the hospital about 5:00 a.m. The surgeon was waiting, and they rushed Fred into surgery. Fred had a hernia that had ruptured and formed a sac that was filled with fluid and blocking his bowels, which was causing all the pain. After three hours of surgery, Fred was fixed up, except he then got gout in his knee and had to suffer through that. Fred is doing great and should be back going to rallies soon. Wes also arranged to have the motorhome and car transported to a San Antonio campground so Fred would not have to worry about it.
I have to tell this funny story on Fred. It turns out there was another gentleman named Kennedy in the hospital at the same time. He had been in a motorcycle accident. The chaplain came by to visit Fred, thinking he was the other Kennedy. You may know that Fred can’t hear it thunder even with his hearing aids. The chaplain came in and said to Fred, “You look pretty good having just had a motorcycle wreck.” Lou had already learned about the other Kennedy, so she corrected the chaplain and said, “Oh, no. You have the wrong Kennedy. Fred only had a hernia.” The chaplain said, “Well, I guess I better go find the right patient.” Before he left, though, he asked Fred if he might have prayer with him. Fred, who thought the chaplain had asked whether he could do anything for him, replied, “Oh, no. I’m okay.” If you know Lou, you can imagine that she wanted to crawl under the bed (so she could laugh). She explained to the chaplain that Fred had misunderstood him.
Just another note about FMCAssist benefits. I received a message from Nelson Stubbs, F107765, telling me about his son-in-law, who suffered a massive heart attack while on vacation visiting family in Alexandria, Louisiana. After four weeks in the hospital, he was flown back to a Peoria, Illinois, hospital. It was 1,687 statute miles, and the cost was $89,720. This prompted Nelson to think about how grateful he is that we FMCA members have the FMCAssist Medical Emergency and Travel Assistance Program in the event that something like this should happen to us. Nelson said, “FMCAssist is a bargain!” And to think it is included in your $40-per-year FMCA dues. That is a huge deal.
I need to report on one of the items on my bucket list, which I continue to work on. I decided it was time to go skydiving if I was going to check this off my list before I reached 70 years old, on December 10. So, as evidenced in the picture, I completed that item on November 7. I would gladly do it again. What a blast! Retired Colonel Tom Eller, F189521, suggested that we start a skydiving chapter. I think not!
Well, I’ve rambled enough, so I’ll wish each of you a happy and prosperous New Year.
Remember, “It’s all about having fun!” FMC