Foreword
Twenty-five years ago, a group of campground owners and operators gathered in Springfield, Mass., to share experiences, dreams and hopes for the future. Recognizing the importance of a strong partnership, these industry pioneers formed the National Campground Owners Association. Over the years NCOA faced many challenges, but the spirit that was present during that first meeting never wavered.
Today, through NCOA, the campground and RV park industry stands strong and poised for continued growth. Although there are further tests ahead, by focusing on the dreams of what we can become, no challenge is too large to overcome.
Congratulations NCOA members on 25 years of success!
The Thirteenth Annual Convention of the National Campground Owners Association was held November 5-8, 1979, at Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Two thousand copies of “The First Dozen Years…” by NCOA Historian Denis Snyder were released and four thousand copies of “The Lobbyist” were made available through Legislative Chairman Rut Connor.
David Hodgin was elected president, and he shares some reminiscences about his two-year term.
“While I was vice president, my concept of drastically-reduced dues when collected and paid by the state association for all their members was debated hotly and finally approved by the board. From there through my tenure as president, the organization grew from approximately 300 members to slightly over 3,000.
NCOA made a campaign out of traveling to the various state associations to sell the concept. I spoke at conventions in Wisconsin, Utah, Washington, New York, and New Jersey. Campground leaders were visited in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Ohio. Some other directors also made such trips. We were selling national association membership and the Certified Park Operator (CPO) program.
I first introduced the concept of the CPO program. After the board debated the issue, preliminary work was approved. I appointed Steve Hames of Safari Red Arrow Campground in Arlington, Texas, as the first chairman of what we called the Education Committee. Other members of that committee were Ollie Mizerak, Doris Kennett and Barbara Wilgus. Considerable work was done by this group. The second chairman of the committee, Jim Oestreich, ably took over the helm in 1980 and furthered the program.
Another major change was the formation of an Executive Committee which consisted of myself, Al Henninger, Doris Kennett, Derald Dafforn and Lee Bosworth. This group traveled extensively. In accordance with the board’s instructions, NCOA headquarters was moved from rural Illinois to Washington D.C., where we contracted with a firm headed by Hobie Wolf to be our executive headquarters staff. Dave Lockstercamp, Bob Hemming, Robitoy Rogers and Ann Odendal were all part of that first office.
This group managed other offices but were chosen partly because NCOA would be the major client for them. With their help, we established the NCOA News in magazine format. The relationship with that executive firm proved unsatisfactory. After interviewing numerous potential management firms, we selected Hawkins and Associates who were approved by the Board at the end of my administration.
Another major change was beginning to hold meetings in Washington, D.C. We were getting a campaign underway to get NCOA recognized as the voice of the campground industry. Rut Connor spearheaded the effort and John Graybeal made many contacts on our behalf. Aided by that effort, I served on a national commission under the advocacy division of the Small Business Administration to investigate government competition with small business throughout the United States, and learned that we were not the only ones who were damaged by unfair competition from government at entry level.
At this time, the American Recreation Coalition was created. On behalf of NCOA, I made the formal motion to form the coalition”
The Fourteenth Annual Convention was held on November 12-15, 1980, at the Marriott Hotel in Tucson, Ariz.
Special guests at the convention were French campground owner, Hubert Rebout and his 15-year old daughter, Rose Marie, who spent 25 hours flying to Tucson from Southern France via Greenland and California. The keynote address was presented by U.S. Rep. Philip N. Crane. On Thursday, November 13, the trade show opened, the candidates for NCOA board were announced, and Second Committee Chair Jim Osterich’s CPO (Certified Park Operator) courses were initiated.
Humorist Chris Christianson gave an inspiring post-luncheon address, and Dr. Wilbur LaPage received a special award for his faithful years of compiling and reporting campground statistics.
On Saturday afternoon the annual NCOA meeting was held and the new officers and board members were elected.
Past Presidents Denis Snyder and Chuck Murphy joined David Hodgin in presenting annual awards in many competitive categories before the annual banquet.
Newly-elected President Jack Harper (Ohio) began his term by imposing a stringent seven-month program of paying bills by percentages to aid the ailing NCOA treasury.
During this period, the Board made some important decisions. First, NCOA’s Washington, D.C., headquarters was moved to 804 D Street, N.E., with Don Hawkins hired as executive vice president.
Hawkin’s original staff consisted of: Sid Lutzin, Peter Verhoven, Beverly Hukill, Sandy Day, Marian Bendixsen, Denise Robinson, Jack Noonen, Leslie Wilkerson, Suzie Killary, Lillian Lutzin, and Cindy Hawkins.
Communications were established with the NCOA membership by initiating Volume I of Direct Line on January 15, 1981, to be followed by regular issues to the membership when needed. Nineteen committees were designated by President Harper and each director was held responsible for a state or states.
The Spring board meeting was held at the Capital Hilton in Washington on April 26 and 27, and many important decisions were made and actions taken. Hartford Insurance issued protective policies on liability, personal and bodily injury and property. Woodall Publishing began producing a four-page monthly NCOA newsletter insert at a cost of $1,000.
Continuing efforts to increase NCOA membership, board member Jack Denton (Ariz.) made a trip to Utah’s state association to invite affiliation as Vice President Al Henninger had previously done in New Mexico.
The Fifteenth Annual Convention took place on November 11-14, 1981, at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, Tenn.
Officers were now elected by the board and board members were elected to three-year terms with six new directors elected each year by the membership.
Almost 900 people attended the convention at Music City, with a contingent of 57 French campground owners as guests of Tour American of New York City.
Ben Payne took the Board on a bus trip around his Holiday Nashville Travel Park in Music Valley. Keith Kambak donned the new rabbit costume of NCOA’s mascot, Scamper. This unique costume has been received in September from Scollon Products, Inc.
Hartford Insurance sponsored Wednesday’s opening reception, and Wheelers sponsored Thursday’s continental breakfast in Ryman Hall. That night, Hank Wilgus led the traditional and popular cracker barrel. The cracker barrel was followed by a Moonshine Jamboree Square Dance sponsored by the Tennessee Campground Owners Association.
State campground officers and directors were the guests of President Jack Harper at a Friday breakfast where many common problems and solutions were discussed informally.
That evening, after the Awards Banquet, the group boarded buses for the world-famous Grand Ol’ Opry House.
The Spring board meeting was held on March 25, 1982, at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle and at the National Park Service Building on March 26. All twenty board members were present at both meetings and committee reports were presented. Committee reports were heard from Nominations, Election, Membership, Publications, Legislative, Insurance, Education, CPO, Awards, Dues, Highway Signing, Rating Systems and By-Laws. The annual budget was approved and various challenges were resolved. Executive Director Pete Verhoven reported to the board on publications, articles, meetings attended, reports produced, membership lists and general progress at the Washington office.
The Sixteenth Annual NCOA Convention was held November 3-6, 1982, at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, Wash.
The Management Committee met on October 31 and November 1 and discussed attendance, AMI, the Tillicum Village tour, the CPO awards, keynote speaker Secretary of the Interior James Watt, board nominees, Woodall’s, ANSI, longevity, Don Hawkins, the budget, absentee voting (Fitt-Peaster of Colorado) and NCOA dues.
At the November 1 board meeting, NCOA’s first honorary lifetime membership was unanimously approved for Past President and Historian Denis Snyder. During the afternoon session of this meeting Ed Watson presented a check for $4,500 to NCOA from the Insurance Trust.
President Harper reported numerous recommendations from the seven attending state executive directors. However, an attempt to get their representative to sit in on the NCOA board of directors meeting was defeated. Pev Hukill reported that at this time 42 state associations belong to NCOA with 10 executive directors, both full- and part-time. Officers for the 1982-83 term were: Derald Dafforn, president; Keith Kambak, vice president; Doris Kennett, secretary; and John Davis, treasurer. Newly-elected directors Bob Greene and Michael Gelfand were welcomed to the board. Total registration was announced at the annual meeting to be 589 persons.
Publications Chairman and Senior Editor Ollie Mizerak reported that the first edition of NCOA News would be published in the Spring (Volume I, April 1983). John Davis reported that 7,056 campgrounds are listed in Woodall’s campground directory and 2,877 were members of NCOA (37 percent). At this time the top three states in membership were: Wisconsin—246; New York—240; and Florida—202. Ten states have over 60 percent of NCOA’s entire membership. Dick Hartford reported that 400 persons were in the insurance program with $7 million represented in premiums.
Sunday’s General Session turned out to be a “cracker-barrel” with feedback from the attending members. Some of the items that were discussed herein were: Sun Belt campgrounds, the smaller campground (under 100 sites), dues vs. expenses, highway signing, increasing number of seminars, how to effect a membership increase, whether to publish a calendar, state vs. national responsibilities, and NCOA functions and interests.
After many years of efforts a ponderous board of 31 members was finally reduced to a workable 18 members, six to be elected each year for a three-year term. New boards, after election, will name their own four officers.
President Dafforn announced more than twenty committees for 1983. The Board of Trustees for CPO consisted of Tice Boissevain, John Graybeal, Keith Kambak, Doris Kennett, Jim Oestreich, Barbara Wilgus, Rollin Cooper (University of Wisconsin), Gerald Harrison (Springfield College), Francis Montville (University of Maine), and Pete Verhoven of the NCOA Washington office. The Insurance Trust consisted of Ed Watson, chairperson, Jack Denton, treasurer, Dick Hartford, secretary, Jack Harper and Roger Anderson.
On March 16 and 17 the Board met at the Sheraton Sturbridge Inn in Massachusetts for the Spring board meeting. (Absent: Rut Connor and Dave Hodgin). Some of the items that were discussed were: the treasurer’s audit, Pete Verhoven’s activities, board expenses, ANSI, state parks, the new awards, minutes to be mailed to former board members for two years, nominations, campaigning, NCOA News and Direct Line, regionalization, advertising, the CPO program, the financial report and board spouses’ travel expenses.
During the year, Board Members Jim Oestreich and Steve Hames resigned. Marion Peveto of Texas and Jim Robinson of Wisconsin were appointed to fill their seats for the remainder of the year.
The NCOA Washington, D.C. office continued to function under the direction of Don Hawkins.
The Seventeenth Annual NCOA Convention was held on November 9-13, 1983, at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, La., just a decade after NCOA had previously convened in this city at the Fairmont Roosevelt Hotel.
The weather was abnormally cold, foggy and rainy, and the hundreds of arriving delegates were quite disappointed when, despite confirmed reservations, the first night had to be spent in other hotels. It seemed that Louisiana law allows hotel guests to remain for 24 hours before their room can be vacated and 700 previous guests exercised this prerogative. Despite the inclement weather and the initial housing handicaps, more than eight hundred campground owners and approximately 120 exhibitors assembled in Cajun country from all over the nation and beyond.
NCOA delegates were treated to the world-famous French cuisine aboard New Orleans’ newest 172-foot paddlewheel excursion river boat, the Creole Queen, after a musical parade down Canal Street led by a five-man jazz band. The 1,000 passenger stern-wheeler was partially owned by a former NCOA Board member, Warren Reuther, who also was the owner of the New Orleans Travel Park on Chef Menteur Highway.
Auctioneer Derald Dafforn brought into the NCOA treasury $6,236.50—helped by Dick Hartford’s purchase of Ben Payne’s U.S. mailbox, guest speaker Tom Ward’s purchase of the huge Mickey Mouse and Texan Marion Peveto’s genuine Longhorn steer horns.
In addition to the generosity of exhibitors and campground owners, many unique and attractive items were also contributed from France and England.
Participation in sporting activities was high with eighty participants signed up for the Barb Wilgus’ Saturday morning Fun Run. Keith Kambak’s tennis tournament had winners Dee Brodesser (Fla.) and Gary Wight (Wash.). The highlight of the sports events was the North-South softball game.
On the educational side of the convention many sessions were conducted by the board members and other experts throughout the three days, but as usual it seemed too little time was allotted for the always popular cracker barrel.
At Saturday night’s Awards Banquet, Past President and Historian Denis Snyder was presented NCOA’s first Honorary Life Membership.
The results of the membership election was as follows: for three years Derald Dafforn, Albert N. Daniels, Doris W. Kennett, Jim Robinson, David R. Tetrault and Ronald O. Watson and for one year, John Imler. The NCOA Board then named the following new officers for 1984: Keith Kambak (Fla.)—president; Roger Anderson (N.Y.)—vice president; John Davis (N.J.)—treasurer; and Jack Denton (Ariz.)—secretary.
The Eighteenth Annual NCOA Convention was held December 5-8, 1984, at the new Buena Vista Palace Hotel in Walt Disney’s World Village outside of Orlando, Fla. Complimentary transportation was provided by regular shuttle buses between the Palace and the Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. Fort Wilderness Resort provided for campground owners who desired to see camping at its best in their motorhomes.
CPO (Certified Park Operator) credits were available as well as audiocassettes of all NCOA educational sessions at a slight charge. Some of the distinguished speakers (besides board members) were: Frank Usina (FCA president); Malcolm Bevins (University of Vermont), Philip Wall (real estate consultant from Ft. Myers, Fla.), Rosalie Keller (psychologist from Harrisonburg, Pa.), Bob Klos (executive administrator from CONY), Holly Nolan (New York Division of Tourism), Dr. Rollin Cooper (University of Wisconsin), Debbie Regnone (Marquis Resorts in Ft. Myers, Fla.), Newton Kindund (Holiday of Orlando), Dr. Alan Worms (Dept. of Forestry at Lexington, Ky.), Curt Fuller (president of Clark-Woodall’s Publishing Company at Highland Park, Ill.) and dozens of others from all over the nation.
Approximately 111 exhibitors participated in the trade show—a great improvement from the initial attempt in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1971. Cracker Barrel sessions were now divided into four groups: under 100 sites; 100 to 300 sites; over 300 sites; and year-round operations.
The NCOA annual business meeting was convened, new Board members were elected, Bob Greene’s bylaws changes were adopted and Al Daniels’ resolutions were voted on. The treasury as of November 29, 1984, showed a balance of more than $120,000.
The climax of the convention was the NCOA Annual Awards Banquet held on Saturday night in the Great Hall. The group thoroughly enjoyed the “Kids of the Kingdom” complete with Disney’s Mickey and all the gang.
The Nineteenth Annual NCOA Convention was held November 6-9, 1985, in the Galt House in Louisville, Ky.
New officers named by the NCOA board were: president, Daniel E. O’Connell, Ill., first vice president, Roger Anderson, N.Y., second vice president, Al Daniels, Mass., secretary, Jim Robinson, Wisc., and treasurer, Ollie Mizerak, N.Y.
Former president Dan O’Connell offers these recollections of his term of office.
“Organizations of people, whether they be industry organizations, labor unions, chambers of commerce, church groups, scouts or almost any “not for profit” type of organization are, like life, subject to good and bad times. The Board of Directors of NCOA selected me as President in Louisville, Ky., in 1985. Recognizing the fact there are always diverse opinions on the internal operations of any organization, it was generally considered NCOA had a few “hot spots” and all would be well with a better and more open communications effort. That opinion and my honeymoon as a national president were short-lived.
Within thirty days of assuming the presidency, notice was given that a major state in the Northeast was dropping affiliation with NCOA. Problems surfaced like oil on water.
That was only the first of many surprises which all pointed to a growing sentiment in NCOA that change was needed and coming. The Spring Board Meeting held in Sturbridge, Mass., was at best a peace-keeping effort, but out of that meeting came the seed for changes to follow.
The major concern was a growing demand across the nation that NCOA should employ its operational people as opposed to having a management company run the day-to-day affairs of the organization. A task force has been appointed to consider this option, and in Sturbridge, under the chairmanship of Roger Anderson of New York, reported that as soon as feasible, the NCOA should indeed put its own staff on-line, and separate company from the management firm. The national Board of Directors adopted the report of this task force.
Al Daniels (Mass.) agreed to chair a committee referred to as a Ways and Means Committee to recommend options for consideration by the NCOA Board as to the financing and procedure to follow in order to place staff in the direct employ of the organization.
The 20th Annual Convention in Atlanta brought with it the realization that additional funding in the way of dues increases and other efforts were desperately needed. After the election of officers the new board did indeed target dues increases and place in motion the directive who would be in the employ of the NCOA and serve as a catalyst to bring the organization to maturity, solvency and harmony.
During this period, the insurance industry went into a crisis and plans as well as policies were cancelled or doubled and tripled in premiums to the members. The political scene was ripe with rumors, dissension, distrust and in essence, the need for change loomed larger and larger on the national horizon.
Dan O’Connell, Al Daniels and Erv Banes served as a selection committee for an executive director, with Bob Greene and Rita Ganser, the other members of the Executive Committee, serving as advisors.
With a view to obtaining an outside and independent recommendation, the American Society of Association Executives was contacted. The NCOA Board had authorized the committee to reduce the number of applicants to five at which time the Board of Directors had voted unto itself the final selection process and interviews.
With the 21st Annual Convention approaching in Milwaukee, Wis., the Board of Directors met in executive session in Reston, Va., to interview the final five applicants for the position of NCOA executive director. All twenty Board members were present, and at the end of the day, the committee was empowered to negotiate with David Gorin as the choice to fill the position. Gorin was hired to begin work in September, 1987.
The management firm was charged by contract to run the convention and, upon completion of the convention, was relieved of all further duties other than the wrap-up work necessary to complete the convention.
As the Board of Directors meeting in Milwaukee, Wis., the financial crisis of NCOA was discussed at length, at which time Roger Anderson and Herb Strauss served as fundraising chairmen to obtain loans from the membership to fund NCOA during the transition period and to purchase the necessary equipment and services to put the organization in a forward movement.
The total restructuring of the national organization was indeed, the birth of the new NCOA. As AL Daniels assumed the presidency, he and his corps of officers were charged with molding the future of the organization and the separation from the past.
While the “Clouds on Horizon” were indeed real, the dedication of a hardworking Board of Directors, determined to improve the services and stature of the NCOA proved fruitful. The decisions of those two boards of directors during 1985-1987 were probably the toughest in the history of the NCOA. Having served that period as national president, my faith in good people making food, common sense decisions paid off one hundred fold.
Today, as opposed to the crisis management it was forced into, the organization is self-sufficient, determined and looking toward long range programs in a business-like manner which will improve the services offered to its membership.”