Mark, I didn't think you were ragging about the twenty bucks. I understood the point you were trying to make and it was a good one. I made the offer only because I know, even without asking her, that Lynn would want the matter cleared up.
I've been thinking about this thread and I suspect there are quite a few folks who are new to the hobby who never met Ron and don't know anything about him. With that in mind, I'd like to say a couple of things about him.
Since TCCN is in the news lately, I would like to point out that Ron Johnson was the one who came up with the basic idea for The Cougar Pages web site that started it all. Ron was also the one who encouraged me to, in his words, "Go for it."
Beyond that, many of the major innovations at TCCN were prompted by Ron's suggestions, like the Club in a Box feature that has helped five new regional Cougar clubs get started, and the annual TCCN Vendor Survey.
But Ron's contributions to our hobby go much farther back than TCCN. He was heavily involved in the national Cougar club when it was starting out and his contributions to regional clubs, including the one he started (The Stray Cats) go well beyond the level of "good business." More than that, Ron never hesitated to answer a technical question or send a customer to a competitor if he didn't have the part they needed.
People tell me I've done a lot for the classic Cougar community, but I could never hope to do for our hobby what Ron did. And I'll tell you something else. When Gary and I decided it was time to close up TCCN, we both had the same thought at almost the same time: What would Ron say?
Vfret, yes, we're all supposed to be friends here, but I don't think friends spread rumors about each other. Friends stand up for each other and I can't count the number of times Ron Johnson stood up for me. So, when someone says something that is blatently untrue about Ron--something that didn't need to be said for any reason--it is a wrong that must be righted. To put it another way, mess with a friend of mine, and you're messing with me. Do you have any friends like that, Vfret?
Keep on Cattin'!
Steve