So just exactly who is Wayne Drumlins?  Well, actually, nobody - the club name is a combination of Wayne County and a geological phenomena known as a drumlin....

Wayne County is situated in upstate New York, it's northern border being Lake Ontario and it's western border being Monroe County and Rochester, NY.  The county was founded in 1823, it's county seat is Lyons, and it has a rich agricultural and manufacturing history.

A drumlin is an oval or elongated hill believed to have been formed by the streamlined movement of glacial ice sheets across rock debris, or till.  The name is derived from the Gaelic word druim ("rounded hill," or "mound") and first appeared in 1833. Drumlins are commonly found in clusters numbering in the thousands. As you might suspect, one such large cluster is located in central New York.

Thus, Wayne Drumlins.....

Some Memories (fallible) of Wayne Drumlins Beginnings

By David B. McCleery

When I bought my first antique Model A Ford in 1962, there were several persons in the area already active with old cars. They included Wayne Brownell, Tony Bushart, Dick Weis, Roger DeMay, Elwin Ressue, DeWitt Morley, Jim Bollman, Stan Herdman, George O’Neil, David Roll, Don Orr and probably some others that I don’t remember at this time. For several years thereafter, our only group activity was participation in the annual Apple Blossom parade in Williamson and Canal Days in Palmyra. Several of us belonged to the Genesee Valley Antique Car Society (GVACS), but did not participate in their program to any great extent. After purchasing my first Model A, I acquired several others in various stages of disrepair and eventually sold one to Les Buell of East Williamson. He then engaged the assistance of his neighbor, Frank Crudele in restoring it, since Frank had worked in an auto body shop at some earlier time. By the time Les’s A was ready to use, Frank was determined to have one of his own. At this time I was beginning the restoration of my second Model A, so I offered Frank a deal - if he would do the body work and paint mine, I would give him another one I had to restore for himself.

After getting involved in this project, Frank suggested that there were enough of us in Wayne County interested in antique cars that we should have our own club, and with our agreement he began the process of organization. Since AACA requires that a new region be sponsored by an already existing club, Frank requested this sponsorship from GVACS. They refused sponsorship, stating that another club so near theirs would only compete with them. Frank then contacted the Finger Lakes Region in Auburn, NY, and they were willing to provide the necessary sponsorship. Thus our club was officially formed. I believe this was 1972, but you will have to check the records. We did have a car show in conjunction with the Apple Blossom Festival in May.

One thing required for a car club is a name, so we had to come up with something that somehow identified us with our center, which was Wayne County. I suppose we all gave this some thought. I know I did, for Wayne County then, as now, had its fruit growing and processing section in the northern part of the county bordering Lake Ontario, dairy farming farther south, the Erie Canal in the middle, and the various industries of Newark, Palmyra, Macedon, and the other villages. How to find a name that was inclusive of the whole area was the problem. An inspiration came to me one day when I happened to glance over our fireplace to a large antique map of Wayne County printed in 1858. Clearly marked on this map were the drumlins, those hills running north and south over the whole county, as they remained following the last great glacier. Here was something that was common to the whole area. At the next meeting of the group I proposed this name and the Wayne Drumlins Region of the Antique Auto Club of America came into being.

After a couple years, Frank’s interest in the club had begun to wane since he had become deeply involved in the Williamson Volunteer Ambulance Corps. For a brief period the club teetered on the edge of extinction until Wayne Brownell agreed to be president of the club if I would take over the duties of secretary. The club records should show the date for this election. Wayne, who was very literate, had retired from Rochester Products early, following a severe heart attack, and thus was able to devote considerable time to his duties. My dining room table became the talk and planning center with Wayne coming over at least once a week to discuss what could be done to improve the club.

One of his desires was to provide a monthly newsletter for the club so that everyone could be aware of whatever was being done. So thus the need for another name, “What shall we name this newsletter”? It was at one of these talk sessions when we were kicking around many name possibilities that I suddenly said: I’ve got an idea. Cars have headlinings and newspapers have headlines, so let’s put them together and call it The Headliner. Now we had a name and the next month, with Wayne editing and Jim Bollman printing, the Wayne Drumlins Headliner was on its way. And as they say, “The rest is history”. All of which should be available by reading the club minutes which, although very sketchy for the first couple years, should be complete beginning from the date of Wayne’s election. (Thanks to Amy Ressue, Historian, for providing this article.)