A Brief History of the
California Chrysler Products Club
Written by Norm Frey for the Silver Dome Gazette, March 2007
Our club is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this month; it has been in existence since March 17, 1967. On this day seven dedicated Chrysler product collectors got together and formed the first active Chrysler Products Club. They decided to attach themselves to the Chrysler Product Restorers Club, as it was the only club devoted to all Chrysler product cars. One man, Stephen Setto, with no activities and no elected officers, ran the Chrysler Products Restorers Club. Our first name was “The Westcoast Region of the CPRC”.
The region grew and had many events with cars and in late 1968 we received a letter from Stephen Setto requesting us as a group, now 32 members, to take over and run the Chrysler Product Restorers Club, as he couldn’t handle it any longer.
Stephen Setto had started the C.P.R.C. in 1962 and ran it single-handed until about July 1968, which was the last issue of the “Wing News” to be printed.
The Westcoast Region decided to take on the national club. After many letters to Mr. Setto, which went unanswered, he sent a copy of his mailing list. This was the only connection between the Chrysler Product Restorers Club and the new club, which was named “The Walter P. Chrysler Club”, or “The WPC Club”, a name suggested by the late Doug O’Connell. The reason the old name wasn’t continued was the fact that Mr. Setto wouldn’t answer any letters and we didn’t know if the old club was in financial trouble or what?
The Westcoast Region set up a national organization, electing officers for a Board of Directors from their group. The club as then incorporated in the State of California.
The first W.P.C. Club Board of Directors was as follows – Howard SeSart, Bruce Osborn, Jim Crittenden, Ed Williams and Norm Frey.
Bruce Osborne offered to back the club financially until it got on stable ground. The financial assistance was only needed for printing the first issue of the WPC NEWS and postage to mail them. The new club was an instant success as we received 250 members that first month and it was self-supporting from then on.
That first club (or group) that organized the W.P.C. Club is still very active today and is known as the California Chrysler Products Club with over 400 members.
About the time we were forming the W.P.C. Club we found out there was another group in Pennsylvania starting a similar club, so we contacted them and they agreed to be part of the W.P.C. Club and be known as the Eastern Region while out original group was known as the Western Region. Later the Western Region name was changed to the San Francisco Bay Region after a new region was formed in southern California to be known as the Southern California Region.
In 1979 there was a dispute between the San Francisco Bay Region officers and the national officers who were located in Southern California at that time, and in November of that year the San Francisco Bay Region was expelled from the W.P. C. Club.
When the club headquarters was transferred to southern California we had about 3,500 members and an extensive club library of about 200 technical books, which was also transferred.
The name of our club has changed many times as follows:
Nov. 1962 – The Original Chrysler Product Restorers Club
Mar. 17, 1967 – Westcoast Region of C.P.R.C.
Mar. 7, 1968 – Walter P. Chrysler Club (WPC Club)
Dec. 5, 1969 – Western Region of the WPC Club
May 17, 1971– San Francisco Bay Region of the WPC Club
Aug. 19, 1980 – The Original Chrysler Product Restorers Club
July 21, 19981 – Northern California Chrysler Products Club
July 21, 1987 – California Chrysler Products Club
Charter members of our club were:
Bill Adams, Mark Bacchi, Richard Banter, Jerry Becker, Tad Burness, Richard Carson, Howard DeSart, Bruce Dishman, Roland Funk, Gene Holweger, Wilbert Horne, Charles Hunter, Pete Jacobsen, Vince Lopolito, Clarence Murphy, Doug O’Connell, Bruce Osborne, Nick Parodi, Bob Pollard, William Prout, Barry Randell, Tony Robello, Paul Taylor, Ken Thompson, Ed Williams, James Williams.
Our club is celebrating its 40th Anniversary this month; it has been in existence since March 17, 1967. On this day seven dedicated Chrysler product collectors got together and formed the first active Chrysler Products Club. They decided to attach themselves to the Chrysler Product Restorers Club, as it was the only club devoted to all Chrysler product cars. One man, Stephen Setto, with no activities and no elected officers, ran the Chrysler Products Restorers Club. Our first name was “The Westcoast Region of the CPRC”.
The region grew and had many events with cars and in late 1968 we received a letter from Stephen Setto requesting us as a group, now 32 members, to take over and run the Chrysler Product Restorers Club, as he couldn’t handle it any longer.
Stephen Setto had started the C.P.R.C. in 1962 and ran it single-handed until about July 1968, which was the last issue of the “Wing News” to be printed.
The Westcoast Region decided to take on the national club. After many letters to Mr. Setto, which went unanswered, he sent a copy of his mailing list. This was the only connection between the Chrysler Product Restorers Club and the new club, which was named “The Walter P. Chrysler Club”, or “The WPC Club”, a name suggested by the late Doug O’Connell. The reason the old name wasn’t continued was the fact that Mr. Setto wouldn’t answer any letters and we didn’t know if the old club was in financial trouble or what?
The Westcoast Region set up a national organization, electing officers for a Board of Directors from their group. The club as then incorporated in the State of California.
The first W.P.C. Club Board of Directors was as follows – Howard SeSart, Bruce Osborn, Jim Crittenden, Ed Williams and Norm Frey.
Bruce Osborne offered to back the club financially until it got on stable ground. The financial assistance was only needed for printing the first issue of the WPC NEWS and postage to mail them. The new club was an instant success as we received 250 members that first month and it was self-supporting from then on.
That first club (or group) that organized the W.P.C. Club is still very active today and is known as the California Chrysler Products Club with over 400 members.
About the time we were forming the W.P.C. Club we found out there was another group in Pennsylvania starting a similar club, so we contacted them and they agreed to be part of the W.P.C. Club and be known as the Eastern Region while out original group was known as the Western Region. Later the Western Region name was changed to the San Francisco Bay Region after a new region was formed in southern California to be known as the Southern California Region.
In 1979 there was a dispute between the San Francisco Bay Region officers and the national officers who were located in Southern California at that time, and in November of that year the San Francisco Bay Region was expelled from the W.P. C. Club.
When the club headquarters was transferred to southern California we had about 3,500 members and an extensive club library of about 200 technical books, which was also transferred.
The name of our club has changed many times as follows:
Nov. 1962 – The Original Chrysler Product Restorers Club
Mar. 17, 1967 – Westcoast Region of C.P.R.C.
Mar. 7, 1968 – Walter P. Chrysler Club (WPC Club)
Dec. 5, 1969 – Western Region of the WPC Club
May 17, 1971– San Francisco Bay Region of the WPC Club
Aug. 19, 1980 – The Original Chrysler Product Restorers Club
July 21, 19981 – Northern California Chrysler Products Club
July 21, 1987 – California Chrysler Products Club
Charter members of our club were:
Bill Adams, Mark Bacchi, Richard Banter, Jerry Becker, Tad Burness, Richard Carson, Howard DeSart, Bruce Dishman, Roland Funk, Gene Holweger, Wilbert Horne, Charles Hunter, Pete Jacobsen, Vince Lopolito, Clarence Murphy, Doug O’Connell, Bruce Osborne, Nick Parodi, Bob Pollard, William Prout, Barry Randell, Tony Robello, Paul Taylor, Ken Thompson, Ed Williams, James Williams.
