By Betty Duncan, F253901
January 2016
The Friendship chapter can trace its beginnings to a question, one that a number of people were asking in the early 2000s: Why not hold a rally for the West Region of the Southeast Area?
The Southeast Area of FMCA consists of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama. At the time, the latter two states made up its West Region.
With the question swirling, Chuck Rock, vice president of the Southeast Area’s West Region, sent letters in 2004 to all chapters in Mississippi and Alabama and asked them to participate in a rally. The first one was June 3-5, 2004, at the Forrest County Multi Purpose Center, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The rally was quite successful and was attended by people as far away as Florida and Georgia.
Spurred by Chuck’s enthusiasm, a second rally was held June 2-4, 2005, at the Greater Gulf State Fairgrounds (now The Grounds) in Mobile, Alabama. At that time, it was decided that a working chapter was needed to host this annual rally, which led to the founding of the Friendship chapter on June 4, 2005.
Since then, the rallies have continued to be successful. Chuck Rock remained active until he passed away December 4, 2011. Chuck’s wife, Maria, died 15 days later. A memorial tribute to the Rocks was held at the 2013 Friendship Rally, which took place at C&C Camping in Lincoln, Alabama, just outside the grounds of the Talladega Superspeedway. The rally theme was “Pit Stop at Talladega.”
Chapter members met September 21-23, 2015, at Anchor’s Aweigh Campground in Foley, Alabama, to plan the next rally and to elect new officers. Jim Duncan, FMCA national vice president, Southeast Area, presented the chapter’s outgoing president, Larry Hornsby, with a 10-year anniversary certificate. In addition to Jim Duncan and his wife, Betty, charter members in attendance were Carl and Gladys Johnson, and Conrad and Ronda Kleinpeter.