By Ron Vinatieri, F404944
August 2015
Thirty-six families gathered on February 20, 1965, at the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds in Pomona, California, and signed an FMCA chapter application. The charter for the California chapter was approved a few months later, making it the fourth FMCA chapter and the first west of the Mississippi River.
Those chapter founders could not have known, of course, that California chapter members would gather at the same location 50 years later. The occasion in March 2015 was FMCA’s 91st Family Reunion and Motorhome Showcase. California chapter members brought approximately 45 motorhomes and served as volunteers for the event at the fairgrounds, now known as Fairplex.
During the Family Reunion, FMCA national president Charlie Adcock and Western Area national vice president Dick Gibbs presented the California chapter’s 50-year anniversary certificate to chapter president Ron Vinatieri. The chapter also received a check for $350 from FMCA.
Two months later, the chapter marked this great achievement with a 50th anniversary celebration at Golden Village Palms RV Resort in Hemet, California. The rally, held from May 14-17, 2015, drew 120 California chapter members and guests and 58 motorhomes.
Special guests included past chapter presidents Sheila Donigan and Ira Cohen, as well as Dick Gibbs and his wife, Char. Two founding member families remain on the roster, Jim and Ginny Holifield, F387, of Sacramento, and Bruce and Mary Johnston, F356, of Desert Hot Springs. Unfortunately, they were not able to attend the festivities in Hemet.
The chapter’s roots date to 1960, when several owners of 1940s-era Flxible buses who lived in California’s Pomona Valley region began sharing ideas for converting their vehicles into mobile camping homes. That led to 10 families forming a travel club called the Royal Coachmen.
Many of the club’s members joined Family Motor Coach Association in 1964, a year after FMCA was founded. FMCA’s magazine provided the kind of information about coach conversions and camping that club members wanted. Then came the gathering in Pomona in February 1965, and the new FMCA chapter began taking shape.
Today, the California chapter has 176 member families. One of its largest annual events, the popular Oktoberfest Rally, began in 1976. It has featured a biergarten, live polka bands, and dancing. It’s one of seven rallies that the chapter organizes each year. In addition, 60 to 70 chapter members volunteer each year at FMCA’s Western Area Rally in Indio, California.
For more information about the California chapter, visit www.ccfmca.org or contact chapter president Ron Vinatieri, (909) 985-8043; ascout53@msn.com.