The Old Dominion Packard Club History
The Old Dominion Packard Club was founded in the Summer of 1958 for the historical preservation of Packard motor cars. The idea sprang from the mind of Herb Hulvey. Postcards were sent to all known Virginia owners of Packard motor cars proposing the establishment of a club, devoted to the Packard marque, since it was clear that Packards would no longer be built.
The first meeting of the Club was at the Willow Lawn Shopping Center in Richmond, Virginia. Attending the meeting, with their wives, were Herb Hulvey of Fort Defiance, Virginia in a 1928 roadster; Lance Phillips of Ashland, Virginia in a 1929 roadster; Joe Ridenour of Staunton, Virginia in a 1929 phaeton; Ken Adelstein of Richmond, Virginia in a 1940 Darrin; and Hubert Wright of Roanoke, Virginia also in a 1940 Darrin. Herb Hulvey was elected President and served for the next four years. The new Club then left Richmond and toured to Williamsburg for lunch at the Williamsburg Cafeteria. Originally, the Club held a Spring and a Fall Tour but the Fall Tour evolved into a Fall judging meet and remains so to this day. In 1970 a formal judging system of competitive classes was established.
Old Dominion Packards return to the Willow Lawn Shopping Center in Henrico County, VA,
the location of the first ODPC gathering.
While the majority of the Club membership is made up of Virginia residents, the Club has always had a diverse membership including Packard enthusiasts from as far away as Alabama and Colorado.
Tours and Meets have been held primarily in Virginia. Early bylaws dictated that if a function was held outside the Virginia boundaries that the business meeting and banquet would always be held in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Those bylaws were revised to permit the business meeting to be held at the location of the Tour or Meet.
While there are personalized awards presented at each Fall Meet for the best Packard cars, there is a prestigious trophy that is awarded to a member who has contributed significantly to the Club. The trophy is called the Diffee Award, after its originator, Jefferson Davis Diffee of Waynesboro, Virginia. Jeff was our elder member until he passed away in 1999.
Tom Brooks, ODPC Historian expounds on the significance of this reenactment of the first ODPC
gathering at the Willow Lawn Shopping Center in Henrico County, VA.
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