By Mike and Kemi
Broadley...
What would possess a hard working, happily married
couple and make them think they could start up
a Corvette Club from scratch?
Mike
& Kemi Broadley had attended a couple Corvette
events in the Portland area with friends, driving
a borrowed ’65 vette. After a weekend event
in Medford they were hooked on the Corvette lifestyle.
They bought their first Corvette, a midnight blue
1980 coupe, on Kemi’s birthday in 1989 and
things were never quite the same.
The first official meeting of the
High Desert Corvette club was held June 4th, 1991
at Rolaine’s Cantina in Bend. We made plans
for our first Day Tour, overnight Mystery Trip,
and Show & Shine. Our first tour a few weeks
later was truly historic with Mike &
Kemi being rear-ended by a TRACTOR in Sisters (just
after the parade). The oddity of a Corvette being
overtaken by a tractor made Paul Harvey news. To
this day Kemi will cringe when driving a Corvette
through Sisters.
We have both held offices and volunteer
positions in the club. Mike and Kemi both have been president
several times, and between the two of us we have
been in charge of the club newsletter more years
than I can count. We have had a blast planning
driving trips through the many scenic roads of
Central Oregon. The years of potluck meetings brought
fun challenges for the cook, and delightful food
for both of us. The few autocrosses we have participated
in have been a thrill.
Over the past 18 years we have
had a lot of fun and met many, many terrific people
that we probably would have never met without the
club. There have been the usual trials and tribulations
that any group faces over time, but the good times
have far outweighed the not-so-good times. The
amazing, funny, talented, loveable, supportive,
interesting, and just plain awesome people who
have come into the club have made every minute
exciting and worthwhile.
We hope that you can enjoy
the excitement of the cars, the thrill of the
journey, and the joy of spending time with good
people through all your Corvetting days. And,
as always, Save the Wave! |
