I can hardly believe that two years have passed so quickly as your President, and that this will be my last leader’s message for our Journal.

My first order of business is to thank you for allowing me to serve at the head of such an interesting, diverse and dedicated group of people. It has been a privilege and an honor, as well as ex-tremely rewarding. I have sincerely enjoyed meeting many of you and sharing your intense enthusiasm for the automobile, its history and the people who made the industry. It has also been wonderfully educational for me because if I began with my own particular passions, I have certainly been challenged to broaden my own definition of automotive history and “world view” of motorized vehicular transportation. On this note, I would be doing our Society a disservice if I did not try to sum up a little of what I have learned or come to value most in our association. You certainly know by now that I am a bit preachy, but if you will bear with me for just one more time, you can get out the tar and feathers when I leave office.

First and foremost, I value the significance of what we as historians do. Academicians and professional historians are only just now beginning to recognize that the field of “automotive history” is not just some asterisk to the study of the wars, politics and scientific advancements which have marked the latter part of the 19th and most of the 20th centuries. The social, economic and artistic importance of the automobile in modern life can no longer be ignored, and I am proud to be part of a group of folks, both amateur and professional, who understand that fact and take its promotion very seriously.

Second on the list is our dedication to quality. In earlier messages I have noted that as our field grows and matures we have been exposed to more and more well-written, superbly documented and beautifully illustrated works, including films, television productions and museum exhibits. I would like to believe that in our own way SAH has played a significant role in this movement, not only through our awards and assistance to one another, but also through our collective buying power and, at least in one instance, our efforts to publish a neglected but valuable work. This quality and a commitment to truth based on solid evidence are at the heart of what we stand for and allow us to hold our heads high in any gathering of historians.

Third is the great diversity we represent. “Never was a car somebody didn’t love” is a quote I often hear at shows and flea markets, and it really is true. From Duesenbergs to dump trucks, limos to lemons, Templars to Trabants and ACs to ZILs, someone among us has doubtless dug up significant facts about the development, design and production of these vehicles, not to mention the geniuses or charlatans present at their creation. As I mentioned in another earlier piece, there are also lots of different sorts of “automotive history.” An enthusiast who cranks a wrench may know just as much or more than the fellow who collects literature or who has a shelf full of books on a particular subject. Nor do automotive archaeologists and academicians have to disagree. It’s all “neat stuff,” and I revel in the extraordinary breadth of our interests and activities.

Fourth, the opportunities we as a Society offer for communication and cooperation lie at the heart of our work. From our magnificent members’ list and resource directory to our semi-annual conferences and gatherings both in the United States and abroad, we exist to unite interested parties. I sense that some years ago the field of automotive history was a somewhat fragmented activity with a few well-known authors publishing recognized works and most everyone else either toiling in obscurity or collecting material without much knowledge of others sharing their passion. I feel that has definitely changed, witnessed by dozens of specialty pub-lications, periodicals and the steady growth in our own membership. Another example might be our tent at Hershey, the excitement of which you have to witness to believe.

In sum, I carry a very strong sense of pride in being a part of the Society. We have strong traditions of open communication, inclusiveness, recognition of excellence and encouragement in furthering and improving our fields of endeavor. With more than thirty-five years of our own history to look back on, I feel we are poised for a fine future, with many exciting new associations, discoveries and much increased recognition ahead of us.

I can also assure you that I will be part of that future, if not as your Pres-dent. I eagerly anticipate taking on some of the tasks that I have not gotten to in the last two years. The expansion of SAH outside the United States as well as the creation of a section or chapter dedicated to automobile racing history are high on my list. So too are our continued efforts to reach out to the world of academic historians.

Once again, I want to sincerely thank you for allowing me to be a part of all this. It is a high honor to be “educated by the experts.” See you all at Hershey!

- Joe Freeman, SAH President