History

At Super Vette Saturday '99 Ron Floyd,CGCC President (right), presented an award of appreciation to Carl Etter, shown with his wife Tonie.  Carl is THE founding member of Classic Glass Corvette Club.

The following narrative tells the origins of the Classic Glass Corvette Club.

There are car clubs all over the world and for just about any brand ever made.  Some would call these clubs a hobby, a diversion, or something similar.  Those might also apply to Corvette owners too, but there's just a bit more to it than that.  Corvette owners have a passion, actually a love affair, with America's first and only true sportscar.  And those passions have brought many people together in an organized way to share and enjoy the Corvette.  There is at the same time both a tangible and an intangible quality to the Corvette experience, maybe even just a little mystical.

Classic Glass Corvette Club is no different today than when it was founded.  We come together with our mutual passions.  While it's the 'Vette that brings us in, with time, it's the people, the experiences, the shared enjoyment and memories of our club that keeps us together.  In our case, we have one individual to thank for planting the seed, getting the ball rolling, to bring us together.  We call it a club but it is really much more than that.

By January 1983, Carl Etter had already owned many Corvettes.  His first was a '54 in 1960.  His first new Corvette was in 1967.  All through his 30 year career with the Marietta schools, while achieving his Masters in Education, while teaching and then later as assistant principal, and later still while guiding multi-millions of dollars in purchasing and even grants for the school system, Carl was buying, selling and tinkering with Corvettes.  To say he is a bit passionate about this icon, is a gross understatement.  While Carl may have mellowed a bit, it's quite clear that the underlying passion is still there.  Just look in his garage any given day and you will see one or more of the 100 Corvettes Carl has owned over the years.

That same January, Carl took his passion for Corvettes a step further.  He got together with a good friend, "JL" House, at a local Denny's to discuss and begin the formation of what would become Classic Glass.  By February, Carl and JL had brought into the fold some other friends and Corvette enthusiasts, including Wayne East and Tom Hopkins.  Quickly, by March and April at additional Denny's meetings, 15 to 20 more individuals were invited to participate.  The organized structure was beginning to form, including exploration of a club constitution.

In May and June of 1983, many suggestions were made for a club name and a consensus was achieved around Classic Glass Corvette Club.  With some preliminaries either done or under continuing discussion, Classic Glass was essentially formed and on its way.  By July, membership was already hovering around the 30 mark.

Also in July, Classic Glass members came together for the first non-meeting social event at Mike Satterfield's home.

During August and September discussion continued on the framework for a club constitution and the club logo.  That original logo was designed by a Marietta High School student.  It remains with us today.  Through October to December, covered-dish dinner meetings were held at the Cheatham Hill Community Club and by December the first officers of Classic Glass were elected.  Wayne East had the honor of being the first official club president, supported by Blair Elliot as vice-president and JL Houze as secretary/treasurer.  As the club began its second year in January 1984, monthly meetings were now being held at the Marietta City Council Chambers.

In April of 1984 the meeting site again changed to the Cobb Bank community room for the next five or six months.  Also in April, Classic Glass held and hosted its first Corvette show at Hardy's Chevrolet, drawing at least 125 cars for judging, a swap meet, and more.  In May, the club made its first road trip to attend the Corvette Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee.

As 1984 drew to a close, meetings were now held at the Old Country Buffet.  In December, during the first annual Christmas Party held at Ray's on the River, Blair Elliott became the second president.

In 1988, after four successful years of Corvette shows at Hardy's, the club began its long affiliation with Day's Chevrolet in Acworth.  SuperVette Saturday has been held at Day's each year since then.  By 1990 John Smith had begun the club's newsletter.

Many many people have helped to make Classic Glass the success it continues to be after these many years.  No one knows for sure how many have been a part of this club's experience over time, except to say that it is sizable.  Despite the natural ebb and flow of membership, it remains clear that the passion for Corvettes grows with each new generation, making Classic Glass a natural setting for many more to come together in the future.

All members, past, present, and future have Carl Etter to thank for the seed of a wonderful idea that germinated and then blossomed into a unique and satisfying venue for our very passionate love affair with Corvettes!

Long time Classic Glass Corvette Club member Bill Gohr was awarded a Lifetime Membership for his 20 some years dedication to the Club. Please go here for details.