Curt R is the Wisconsin historian and old enough to have seen many of those clubs develop in the late 50's to 2014! Posted using Full box of Crayons on the Kitchen Walls App!
Have you contacted Bob and Arlo at http://wisconsinhotrodradio.com/ ? They did a lot of digging around a few years ago for WI car club histories, some is posted here on their site: http://wisconsinhotrodradio.com/NewsHistory.html Good luck, hope that helps a little.
none of the members that I know are on the HAMB. The one member that was on the HAMB years back only visits once in awhile. On the evening of 6/9/2014, five of the members of the "Cruisin Angels", from the 50's and 60's, got together for a dinner. These dinners happen once every coupla months. In 1960, the Cruisin Angels held a slow drive rally with their custom cars in the Southgate shopping center parking lot and in the winter of 1960 they took their custom cars onto a snow covered store parking lot and did the kind of things that you do in the snow with your car when the public or the leo is not around. Fortunately, one of the members filmed the fun and I have had the 8mm film transferred to disc. Curt R
Any chance of getting a copy Curt? As I recall, you had some photos of car shows from the day as well.......Centurion9
I'm probably the youngest member of the Cruisin' Angels and I'm an old guy, I joined the club in 1961 while still a senior in high school. To me the club guys in their 20's with really nice cars were men of the world that I really looked up to. They influenced me a lot back then. When I told my parents I was going to join a hot rod club you can imagine how that went over, they thought all hot rodders were a bunch of juvenile delinquents, and the only way I could join was if my father went with me to the meeting, talk about embarr***ing. But my father was impressed by the members and he never questioned me about the club again. The club was really a well respected club, we did a lot of community work and were always aware of our image. We met every Sunday evening in a church hall, we had fines for swearing and laying rubber although I think all of us paid for doing both. Because we thought the trouble making clubs hung their club plaque below the rear bumper we got brackets to mount our plaque above the bumper which was a club rule. We were featured in Milwaukee Journal articles and appeared on local television. I hadn't seen any members in over 40 years when a few of us got back together and then we tried getting in touch with the rest of the members and found out several had p***ed away and some just didn't care. In the last couple of years we lost a few more but the rest of us try to get together every couple of months to talk about the good old days. The old club truck is still around, now owned by one of the members and has been shown twice at the Milwaukee World Of Wheels. I sure wish I could go back to those days............Loser Don
Cruisin' Angels - Milwaukee, WI. by 37hotrod posted Oct 11, 2013 at 12:13 PM I'll add this to the thread...it's a repop of the club plaque that I picked up on ebay when I used to live in Milwaukee.
I will ask the owner of the films if they want to make digital copies available for general distribution. I will post their decision on this thread. Curt R
My father Mike Donovan was a member of the club and drove a 1963 Mercury Monterey convertible called "The Golden Tiki." My grandparents and mother were also pretty heavily involved in the club and travelled to at least one of the out of town shows. At the time my father and grandfather were employed at Allen Bradley and they did a write up in one of their magazines about the club and their involvement in it. I have some photos and my father's original club plate. I would also love to see the video mentioned in this thread and would be willing to share my photos and other items with any ex-club members.
C. Donovan......I really wish you would share those photos with the rest of us. I've inquired several times about your Dads car. The Golden Tiki. Just as clean a Mild Custom as there ever was. Please consider sharing the wealth.....Centurion9
I know a Chuck Weddig and he was a Cruisin Angel... as well as being a "Top Fuel" racer... I know Curt has inquired about his contact info.
Mark, The Chuck Weddig that raced at Great Lakes Dragaway became a member of the Torque-Twisters in 1961. Curt R
Here are the photos of my dad's car the "Golden Tiki" and other misc. pictures I've enjoying for years. Hope everybody loves them as much as I do. If there are any past Cruisin Angels members out there, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks...
Piateks "Innocent Angel".....One of two identical '61 Ford Galaxies purchases by a pair of brothers and customized differently....I would see them parked side by side at a gas station at 76th and Edgerton in Greenfield. SW Corner of the Southridge property before it existed.....
C. DONOVAN, thanks for posting your photos. As a former member of the Cruisin' Angels I remember your father and grand father very well, I always wished my father would have showed more interest in the club like your grand father did. If you look at scan 12 of your first post I'm the skinny guy with gl***es by the truck. I'm also sad to tell you another guy in that photo, Dave Zoltak, p***ed away last Thursday. During the summer we get together every month but the remaining club member list gets shorter and shorter. Thanks again for posting the pictures, it brings back memories of one of the best periods of my life...........Loser Don Holle
Hi Don....Thanks for encouraging C. Donovan and the rest of us who have a special place for local Car Club memories here on the HAMB. I remember far too many of these cars for my own good. A few years ago, I ran across a "Cruisin' Angels" Club Jacket in a West Allis Resale Shop on Greenfield Avenue but p***ed on it because it was a "Small".......I've always embraced those years, but it wasn't always worth remembering to most people, not even in Milwaukee.....Thanks to the HAMB, we have access to mutual memories.....My long term memory is sharp. I seem to remember cars that have been long forgotten by most.....Centurion9
Loser Don, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos and sorry to hear about Dave Zoltak. According to my Mom, Dave actually stood up in their wedding, she also sends her condolences. Take care... C. Donovan
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