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CONSTITUTION OF THE PLYMOUTH OWNER"S CLUB |
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Article
I. PURPOSE OF THE ORGANIZATION The purpose of the Club is to
encourage the use, preservation and restoration of all Plymouth automobiles and trucks and Fargo trucks, particularly
the AUTHENTIC restoration of these models, to provide and regulate meets, tours and exhibitions for members vehicles,
to provide high judging standards at these meets, to publish in the club magazine information of interest and value
to the members, and to discourage any activities, ideas or philosophies contrary to these aims. Article
II. CLUB MEMBERSHIP Membership In the Plymouth Owners
Club, Inc. is open to any person of good character, genuinely Interested in the Plymouth or Fargo vehicle, who
will subscribe to the principles in Article I.
Membership shall be continuous upon payment of annual dues as set forth in Article III, Section 4.
Ownership of a club recognized vehicle is not a prerequisite for membership. Clause A. Right of expulsion from membership
or removal from office with cause is reserved by majority vote of the Officers and Board of Directors comprised
of a total of eleven. A minimum of six is needed for a quorum. Article
Ill. DUES OF THE CLUB The dues of the Plymouth Owners
Club, Inc. shall be payable under and according to the following provisions: Section 1. ACTIVE MEMBERS. Any member that has submitted
the proper fees for one year is entitled to receive six issues of the "Plymouth Bulletin"; upon request
a copy of the Membership Roster electronically transferred; attend any club meets (subject to any entry fees which
may prevail) and is entitled to submit to the Technical Director, Technical Supervisors or Technical Advisors requests
for information pertinent to club business or to Plymouth restoration or history. Active members are also entitled
to purchase and display the club car badge and other official club merchandise to indicate their membership, entitled
to free advertising in the "Plymouth Bulletin", subject to any restrictions published in the magazine
and entitled to vote in club elections on club issues. Section 2. HONORARY MEMBERS. At the discretion of the Officers
and Board of Directors, individuals or corporations deemed to have made outstanding contributions to Plymouth history
may be named as Honorary Members. Additional potential honorary members may be proposed by active members at any
time. Honorary memberships do not require payment of dues; preclude holding office and have no voting privileges.
Honorary Members shall receive complimentary copies of the "Plymouth Bulletin" and may attend meets.
Active Members are not eligible as Honorary Members. Clause A. The following have been granted
Honorary Member Status: Plymouth Division, Chrysler
Corporation - 1961 Richardson Pan-American Highway
Expedition Members - 1982 Sullivan C. Richardson Arnold Whitaker Kenneth C. Van Hee Section 3. OTHER CLASSES OF MEMBERS. Other classes of memberships
may be adopted as growth of the club allows. Clause A. All memberships shall be considered
"family" memberships. Only one membership card shall be issued per family; family members will receive
only one copy of the "Plymouth Bulletin". Each family membership will be allowed only one vote and only
one member of each family may hold National Office at one time. Family memberships are defined as follows: member,
spouse and children up to age 18 living in the household. Section
4: NON-PAYMENT OF DUES: A member who has not paid dues
for the membership year shall automatically be dropped from the mailing roles and will be carried as an "inactive"
member until such time as they have been contacted with a second renewal notice. If upon receipt of a second renewal
notice the member does not renew their membership they will be dropped from the club roles. Upon non-payment of
dues the member shall be considered to have resigned their membership and should they desire re-admittance at a
later date, shall apply through regular channels for such admission. Clause A. In cases involving non-payment
of dues, the Board of Directors or the Membership Secretary reserves the right to use discretionary powers in expelling
the offending member or extend the membership if extenuating circumstances prevail. Article
IV. THE CLUB BADGE OR EMBLEM The emblem shall be a facsimile
of the sailing ship design used on the early Plymouth automobiles and bear the inscription "Plymouth Owners
Club, Inc." and the club's founding date. The earlier emblems, a plain oval with the inscription "Plymouth
Four Cylinder Owners Club" and the sailing ship ornament with the Inscription "Plymouth Four and Six
Cylinder Owners Club, Inc." may continue to be used by members possessing them. In the event a member allows
their membership to lapse, or otherwise severs connections with the Club, the badge loses its significance if displayed
on any automobile owned by a former member. Article
V. BOARD OF DIRECTORS Section 1. The Board of Directors of the
Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. shall consist of six active members, two of whom are Permanent Directors, being Jay
M. Fisher and Earl C. Buton, Jr., having titles of Founder Director and Technical Director respectively. The Judging
Director and three additional Directors appointed by the Board and will serve in office at the discretion of the
Board. Each member of the Board will have only one vote. Section 2. The National Club President,
upon completion of their term, automatically becomes a Director for a term of six (6) years. The term of director
expires Midnight December 31st, of the final year of their term. Section 3. In the event that a President
Is elected to serve a second term, this second term shall not be subtracted from their six year term as Director.
In such case, the Board of Directors, as constituted after January 1st, shall elect a Director for the full six
year term falling vacant by reason of the President's re-election. Section 4. In the event of resignation,
death or removal from office of a Director during their term of office, the remaining Directors shall appoint a
member of the Club to complete the unexpired term. In the event of resignation or death of a Permanent Director,
the post of Permanent Director is then eliminated. Section 5. No officer shall be eligible
to serve as a Director during their term in office Clause
A Technical
Director The Technical Director shall
be a person who has acquired the knowledge and background to qualify them as expert on the authentic restoration
of Plymouth vehicles and their history. The Technical Director shall be responsible for the Inclusion of technical
information in the "Plymouth Bulletin", for replying to technical correspondence addressed to the Club
by active members; and for the collection and use of such historic Plymouth Information as will be useful to them
in this office. Section 1.
The Technical Director is to
act as Chief Judge at all National Meets unless he is unable to attend. In that event he is to appoint a qualified
member who has judging experience and adheres to the authenticity policy of the Club.
Section 2. The Technical Director appoints
Technical Supervisors for the four groups of cars or if further division,
appoint the required number of Supervisors. The Technical Director can also appoint Technical Advisors.
Section 3. The Technical Director, with
advice and consent from the Board, chooses the judging methods at all National Meets. The Region hosting the Meet
can request a modified judging method but the final decision is chaired by the Technical Director. The main goal
in this judging process is to promote authenticity and not to maximize trophy handouts or reduce the time to judge
which could make it too easy for a less qualified car to win thereby reducing the prestige of say Best of Show
winners in the past.
Section 4. The Technical Director conducts
the Friday evening judges meeting and insures that judges are assigned for Saturday’s judging. The judges are selected
from lists that the Region supplies as well as volunteers that have proven themselves from past Meets. The Technical
Director gives each Group Supervisor a Judges Assignment Sheet which they are responsible for completing. Every
effort should be made to assign a senior and a junior judge for each judging subject. Currently that is seven subjects.
It is not advisable to reduce that number as it would give too much power to one pair of judges.
Section 5. The Technical Director has the
authority to move suggested judges around or remove them if in his judgment from past experience that a better
fit is in keeping with Club policy.
Section 6. There shouldn’t be ties for Best of Group. If there
is a tie, the Technical Director, with another qualified member, will take the judging sheets of the cars in question
and check over the results by looking at the cars. In all Classes, multiple awards will be given in
the event of tie scores.
Clause B. Judging
Director The function of the Judging
Director will be to ensure that the Club's Judging Guidelines are followed as closely as possible and that they
are updated, as necessary. The Judging Director does not serve as the Chief Judge. Section 1. The Judging Director will update
the Judging Guideline on a regular basis as changes or additions are made. Section 2. The Judging Director will contact
new Technical Advisors to receive their comments for the year(s) they are acting as advisors for. These comments
will be forwarded to the Technical Director for review and approval before making them part of the Judging Guide. Section 3. The Judging Director will send
complete copies of the Judging Guide to each new Region after it has been officially accepted by the Board. Section 4. The Judging Director will send
approved additions, such as provided by a new Technical Advisor for his/her year, to each Board member and each
Region so they will have the most current information. Section 5. The Judging Director will make
sure that any Region hosting a National Meet has copies of the Judging Sheets, Judging Guide book and understand
that the complete Judging Guide is to serve as a source of information should questions arise during the judging.
The Information in the Judging Guide will be considered accurate unless proven otherwise. Section 6. The Judging Director will work
with the Board to regularly review the years of each Judging Class and to consider the point requirements necessary
to win an award. The review will also consider if the current awards (Best of Show, Chrysler Cup or Mayflower Award)
are reflective of the number and years of Plymouths attending National Meets. Any revisions will only be made by
a majority vote of the Officers and Board of Directors. A minimum of six is needed for a quorum. Section 7. The Judging Director will be
appointed by the Board and serve in office at the discretion of the Board. .Article VI. OFFICERS AND THEIR ELECTION Section 1. The staff of officers for the
Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Membership Secretary/Treasurer and Corresponding
Secretary. The Editor of the "Plymouth Bulletin" is also considered an officer, although not elected.
The President must have served previously as a National officer, Director or Regional President. Section 2. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS Clause A. The duties of the President
shall be to preside over all regularly slated meetings of the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc., and over all regular
meetings of the Officers and all joint meetings of the Officers and Board of Directors; with advice and counsel of the Officers and Board of Directors to appoint an editor for the
"Plymouth Bulletin"; to take such actions, with the advice and consent of the Officers and Board of Directors,
as may be deem necessary and proper for the aims of the Club, as stated In Article 1, and for the protection of
its welfare. Clause B. The duties of the Vice-President
shall be to preside over all meetings Identified in Article VI, Section 2, Clause A, in the absence of the President; or in case of the removal, resignation or death of the
President to take over all duties of the President for the remainder of the President's term of office. Additional
duties shall be to act as Regional Coordinator, to advise and assist present and future Regional groups of the
Club and to regulate geographical boundaries of these Regions. All Regional business shall be with the advice and
consent of the Officers and Board of Directors. Clause C. The duties of the Corresponding
Secretary shall be to keep a true and accurate record of the business transacted at all meetings as identified
in Article
VI, Section 2, Clause A, to
send a report or copy of these minutes to the Officers and Board of Directors, to send out notices of forthcoming
meetings, elections, and to tend to mailing membership applications to prospective members, and to properly channel
club correspondence to correct officers. The Corresponding Secretary shall aid the Membership Secretary/Treasurer
in contacting "Inactive" members about renewing their membership in the Club and in other duties as may
be deemed necessary. Clause D. Duties of the Membership Secretary/Treasurer
shall be to keep an accurate membership and vehicle roster; to publish an up-to-date membership roster as determined
and approved by the Officers and Board of Directors; tend to mailing of renewal statements to the membership, process
all new and renewal memberships and deposit all club monies in the club account for withdrawal by the Treasurer.
The responsibility of preparing a "master" membership roster shall be the Membership Secretary/Treasurer,
although these masters may be forwarded to the Editor for printing and mailing. Clause E. Duties of the Membership Secretary/Treasurer
shall be to keep a true and accurate account of the monies of the Club; to receive all income from all sources
of the Club; to make provision for the deposit of Club funds in a checking account and to establish a two-signature
club checking account. All expenses are to be paid promptly using Club checks. The Treasurer shall submit to the
Officers and Board of Directors a financial statement on a quarterly basis. The Officers and Directors shall submit
to the Treasurer, on a periodic and timely basis, all outstanding bills and/or club monies for payment or deposit
of such funds. The two signature club checks shall be signed by the Treasurer and either the President or one of
the Permanent Directors. Section 3. The staff of officers named
in Article
VI, Section 1, shall be elected
for a term of two (2) years by secret mall ballot. The election shall be completed by November 30th of each odd-numbered
year. Section 4. Election of officers shall be
by vote of the Active Members. The total votes cast in any election shall be considered a quorum. A plurality of
one (1) vote shall be requisite for election. In the event of a tie, the Officers and Board of Directors shall
vote to break the tie. A minimum of six is needed for a quorum. Section 5. Nominations for National office
will be received from the current National Officers, Board of Directors, Regional Officers, and any Active Member.
All nominees must have a valid email address to participate in the office. All nominations must be received by
the President by August 15th of each odd numbered year. All ballots must be mailed by October 15th of each odd
numbered year and must be returned postmarked no later than midnight November 30th of the same year. Section 6. Voting shall be only by secret
official ballot, on ballot forms provided by the Club. Section 7. The ballot counting shall be
done by a Ballot Teller appointed by the National Officers before voting begins. Only official ballots will be
counted. No National Officer, Regional Officer, Board of Director, Active Member of Honorary Member shall have
access to the ballot count until after the voting deadline has passed. The Ballot Teller shall then notify the
Founder-Director by telephone with the results. The Founder Director will then notify the Officers and Board members,
as well as notifying the candidates of the election results. Section 8. New Officers assume office January
1st following the concluded election. Officers so elected shall be responsible for conducting the affairs of the
Club according to the principles heretofore described. The President shall serve no more than two (2) consecutive
terms. The remaining Officers may serve an indefinite number of terms. Section 9. In the event of a vacancy occurring
in any office except the Presidency, but including the Vice-president upon assumption of moving up to the Presidency
under provisions of Article
VI, Section 2, Clause B, the
Officers and Board of Directors shall immediately appoint an officer to fill the remainder of the term vacated.
A minimum of six is needed for a quorum. Section 10. Each staff officer named In
Article
VI, Section 1 shall have been
an active National member of the Club for a minimum of one year prior to holding National office. Article
VII. PUBLICATIONS The "Plymouth Bulletin"
shall be the official publication of the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. The "Plymouth Bulletin" shall be
published no fewer than six times per year. The Membership Roster shall be published as directed by the Officers
and Board of Directors. Section 1. The Club shall set up a Publications
Executive Committee which shall consist of the President, Editor and the two Permanent Directors. This committee
shall make all policy decisions regarding the "Plymouth Bulletin" and such other official publications
as the Club may at any time decide to issue. The Editor shall be obligated to follow the line of policy and ethics
decided upon by the Officers, Board of Directors or the Publications Executive Committee, who shall have final
say on whether or not to publish any controversial material. Section 2. The Editor shall have the power
to appoint an Assistant Editor or staff as is required or is feasible. Article
VIII. COMMITTEES The President, with the advice
and counsel of the Officers and Board of Directors, shall have the authority to appoint temporary or permanent
committees for the furtherance of the principles of the Club as set forth in Article I.
Members of temporary committees shall serve until the end of the President's term unless relieved of their duties
sooner by the President or through the completion of their work. Article
IX. BY-LAWS The by-laws of the club are
incorporated into the Judging Guides. By-laws shall be adopted and/or amended by a majority vote of a quorum of
six (6) of the National Officers and Board of Directors. Article
X. AMENDING PROCEDURES An amendment to the Constitution
of the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc., may originate with the Officers and Board of Directors or with five (5) active
members in good standing, signed by them and presented to the President. Any
amendment proposed by the membership shall be adopted into the club constitution by a majority vote of the members
as the amendment appears on the ballot during an election year. An amendment originating with the Officers and
Directors shall be incorporated into the club constitution at any time by a majority vote of the Officers and Board
of Directors. A minimum of six is needed for a quorum. Article
XI. REGIONS The Plymouth Owners Club, Inc.
is both National and International in Its membership coverage. In order to promote the growth of the Club in areas
where it has not been possible to attend National Meets, the Club encourages those members to form Regional Clubs.
At all times the Regions are to abide by the National Club's Constitution. Section 1. The official region(s) National
Representative is the Vice President of the National Club. All applications for Regional Charters and general Region-to-National
liaison work shall be handled by the Vice-President. Section 2. Regional applications will be
considered from five (5) or more active national members. Upon approval from the Officers and Board of Directors,
the Vice-President shall issue a Regional Charter to the Regional Club. Section 3. Regional activities are intended
to supplement the National Club. The dates of proposed Regional meets shall not conflict with National Meets. Clause A. Announcements of Regional Meets
and other official regional activities shall be sent to the Editor of the "Plymouth Bulletin" in a timely
manner for those activities to be published in the magazine. Write ups of all Regional activities shall also be
sent to the Editor for publication. Section 4. Regional members are required
to be Active or Honorary Members of the National Club. Clause A. Complete rosters of Regional
members may be requested at any time by the Officers or Board of Directors in order to enforce Article XI, Section 4. Failure of a Region to comply with Article XI, Section 4, will result in that Region's loss of a bid for a National
Meet and the Region will be ineligible for funding from the National Club for plaques and trophies. Section 5. Regional Clubs may elect their
own slate of officers for their Region and create their own set of By-laws, adhering to the principles of the National
organization. Clause A. Regional Officers shall act
as agents of their Region only and not as agents for the National Club. Clause B. After Regional elections, the
list of Regional officers shall be forwarded to the Vice-President, the Membership Secretary/Treasurer and to the
Plymouth Bulletin Editor. Section 6. Any brochure, letterhead or
similar publication of the Region must contain, at a minimum, the National Club official emblem, the Club's founding
dates and the symbol for registered trademark ("R In a circle") with the wording "Plymouth is a
registered trademark of Chrysler Motors and is used by special permission" to comply with Chrysler Corporation
guidelines as set forth in the 1989 agreement between Chrysler Corporation and the Plymouth Owners Club, Inc. Section 7. Regions may collect separate
dues, publish their own newsletters in compliance with Article XI, Section 6,
and create their own meets. The National Plymouth Club will not be responsible for any debts incurred by a regional
group. Clause A. A complimentary copy of each
Regional Newsletter shall be sent to each National Officer, the Board of Directors and Editor in order to keep
them informed of Regional activities. In addition a copy of the Region Newsletter shall be sent to all Region Presidents,
which in turn is taken to all Region meetings to be shared with their members. Section 8. Regions may, upon written application
to the National President and approval by the Officers and Board of Directors, host a National Meet. Clause A. The National Club will advertise
this meet in the "Plymouth Bulletin" at no charge to the Region. This information shall be submitted
to the Editor of the Plymouth Bulletin. Clause B. The National Club shall provide insurance coverage
for any approved event, National or Regional, as the Club carries a bodily injury liability and comprehensive general
liability policy. If a Certificate of Insurance is required, the Regional Club must notify the National President,
in advance of the event, requesting extension coverage, giving the dates, times and location of the event. Upon
receiving such a request, a Certificate of Insurance will be sent to the region. The policy protects the National
Club if there are any injuries or damages due to negligence of either the National or Regional Club. It isn't necessary
for a Region to carry their own policy but if they do, theirs is the primary and the National’s becomes the secondary.
Any accidental damages caused by an automobile falls under the individual’s automobile policy. Clause C. The National Club shall forward
to the treasurer of the hosting Region, upon submission of verifiable receipts, up to $1200.00 to be used for the
purchase of meet dash plaques and National Meet trophies. The amount can be reviewed upon a yearly basis. Clause D. The National Club will provide
to the Regions financial support for up to three (3) National Judged Meets
per year. Every tenth year, on the anniversary of the founding of the Plymouth automobile, the National Club will
authorize only one Grand National Meet to be held at a location agreed upon by the Officers and Board of Directors.
The National Club may sanction other meets, providing only insurance coverage and advertising in the "Plymouth
Bulletin" but not financial assistance. Clause F. The National Club shall provide the transportation costs (only) of the National President and Technical Supervisors to attend National Meets, equivalent to economy airfare. The Technical Director shall be reimbursed for transportation costs equivalent to economy airfare and lodging expenses to National Judged Meets. |
Page Updated 3/7/2012