| ALAN COLWELL JULY 20, 1958 - FEB 6, 2006 |
| DEDICATED TO ALAN COLWELL FOUNDER OF SSCE 1998-2008 |
| COPY OF LETTER POSTED BY ALAN ON HIS YAHOO GROUP SSCE |
10 YEARS OF MEMORIES AND GROWING
| ALAN'S LETTER It's been a while since I sent anything out to let everyone know what, why and how we got to where we are today. I think that this little story will help some of the new members that don't know. My name is Alan Colwell (aka: ScottyAl) I was born in July of 1958 and raised in Rochester, New Hampshire. Over the years I have lived in Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. I have been married to Jessica my Bride for 14 yrs. and have 3 girls and 1 boy for children. My oldest son and daughter from a previous marriage are out and living on their own and the 2 youngest, Samantha-13 and Sarah-8 are living at home and love to go camping with us. They both say they are saving their money so they can buy their own Scotty or a Teardrop someday. I have also done many things, From a Supervisor for the State of New Hampshire, Police Officer, Animal Control Officer and an Owner Operator Truck Driver. Back in The spring of 1998 I parked my Tractor/Trailer and started driving local so thatI could be home every night with my family. WOW was it great to see them every night and not every 2 to 3 months. And then in the fall of 1997 I had a series of 2 separate Strokes. We had just purchased our 1971 Hi-Lander and now the Scotty was on the back burner so to speak. Now I was going to have to start the recovery process if I wanted to do anything with the Scotty. Then move forward to around August 1998. I was getting pretty bored with looking out the windows and watching television. So I started out slow, 5 to 10 minutes a day was it at 1st, cleaning and just looking to see what I was going to need and do to make this Scotty capable to take camping again. That was all well and good but I had no idea where to find anything out about the Serro Scotty Company. I sent letters, called campgrounds and RV dealers and anyone that we could think of that might know something about these campers. We even searched the Internet and all we could find there was some guy that was complaining about his Scotty Motor home. So around November 1998 the only alternative was to start the Serro Scotty Camper Enthusiasts Group. It started out very slow at first, but as time went on more and more members joined that were far more knowledgeable about these little campers than we were. Through the years I have either met or just corresponded through email some of the best people. I have realized that people aren't bad, but Scotty people are the best people that you will ever meet. In 2000 my Bride and I started talking about a Rally like the ones they use to have in the past at Scottyland USA. We did a lot of long distance planning and it was all set to have our very 1st Serro Scotty Camper Enthusiasts Rally. People had made reservations and the time was getting close. Then it all went down hill from there. I had my 1st of 3 heart attacks. With thanks to people like Keith Trimmer and Jerry Frietag the Rally went on, it wasn't pretty, but it was the 1st Rally in a number of years at Scottyland USA. Soon after I returned home from the hospital I received flowers from a group member that lives in Dalton, GA, that I had never met before, Thanks again Joel. (see what I mean about Scotty people) Since that time we have had 3 more National Rallys under the direction of Keith Trimmer. This year the "05 Rally" it is to be handled by many talented members most of which come from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter. As of this February 2005, we now have hundreds of members that belong to this group. We have members from 37 states and Canada. Regional Chapters are being formed and many weekends a year see Scotty owners gathering together for camp outs and there Local Rallies. Or even just potlucks to share the camaraderie of owning one of these unique little trailers. I now own 2-13' Silverside Gaucho's and my original 15' Hi-lander, 23' newer model and a Class C motor home. If it isn't obvious this group means the world to me. I am here way more than I should be. But it has been and continues to be a great time for me and I hope that it is for you too. Happy Camping, Group Founder Alan,(ScottyAl) Note: Scott Al, due to health problems, was unable to attend the 2005 Rally. Later that fall he had more health issues and surgery. In February of 2006, Scotty Al passed away. May he rest in peace. |
