AUBURN — The Auburn Cord Duesenberg Club honored two Auburn women during its annual awards brunch Sunday.

Belva Meyer received the club’s Woman of the Year award during the event at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum.

Cathy Butler of Auburn was presented with the Ken Van Ausdal Auburn Driving Award — a ring for an owner who shows enthusiasm for driving an Auburn automobile.

An ACD Club member for 30 years, Meyer said she has helped with organizing the club’s wintertime Citrus Meet in Florida for the last several years.

As a volunteer for the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival, she has a longtime involvement with its annual ACD Tour for club members and their cars.

Meyer and her husband, Sid, own two vintage Auburn automobiles. This year, Belva drove their 12-cylinder 1932 Auburn in Saturday’s annual Parade of Classics for the first time.

Meyer said she enjoys the club because “it’s just a great reunion and great people, and the cars are beautiful.”

Butler has driven her 1931 Auburn Sedan 898-A on the club’s annual Hoosier Tour for a quarter-century. For the past 15 years, she has shared time behind the wheel with her daughter, Jessica Garrison.

“This year when we went on Hoosier Tour, I got emotional. … It was just great to be back with all the other members of the club,” Butler said. The tour was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s just really fun to drive these cars,” Butler said about the classics. “I’m fortunate, because … I learned to drive with a stick shift.”

She added, “Our children learned to drive these Auburns before they ever took driving lessons.”

Driving Auburns is a multi-generational hobby for the Butler family, who own several classics and have ancestors who worked for the Auburn Automobile Co. a century ago. On this year’s Hoosier Tour, Cathy Butler drove her father-in-law’s 1933 Auburn, because her car has issues with its water pump.

Her brother-in-law, Auburn native Dr. Steve Butler of Fort Wayne, received a primary first place award in the club’s judging for his 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster. The newly restored car made its debut at the show, and Butler said he intends to continue refining it for next year’s judging.

Dr. Butler’s wife, Cathleen, received an award for an unrestored car — her 1926 Auburn, which was found in a barn in Michigan.

During the brunch, the club installed Thompson Smith of Auburn as a newly elected member of its board of directors.

Auburn Mayor Mike Ley presented the annual Mayor’s Choice award to Jason Schneck of Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Schneck’s 1936 Auburn — originally shipped to Paris, France, when new — had not been shown in Auburn since 1982.

The traditional blue blazer for the Man of the Year went to Brad Waken of Oklahoma. He also received the long-distance award for driving his Cord automobile 740 miles to Auburn, and he was presented the Thomas C. Busch Memorial Award for an owner who restores his own car.

The club also recognized Cord enthusiast Pat Leahy of Woodburn as its 2020 Man of the Year. That award was presented in a video meeting last year.

The club announced that it will pledge $20,000 to the ACDA Museum’s capital campaign. The club also appealed to its members to donate an Auburn convertible for use as the museum’s photo car, to replace an antique Dodge that now is available for visitors pose in its seats for photographs.

Club members learned that the 2022 reunion and festival theme will be “The Year of the L-29 Cord.” The club set a goal to bring 29 examples of the car to the reunion.

Source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_4e24b1e3-d8cd-5414-8b8c-5953f258071f.html