Bruce and Marilyn Phipps bought their first Corvette in ’98, a convertible! The dealer didn’t want to sell it, but fortunately for the Phipps’, he did. Bruce says this was “the beginning of a great relationship with the car and with the museum”. He had known about the NCM before buying the Vette and became a Lifetime Member of the Museum with his wife the following year.
They have participated in many Museum events such as the 50th Anniversary Caravan and say owning a Corvette is all about the people: people that have been there for many milestones in the Phipps’ life. On a trip to Maine for the C5 Registry is when Bruce proposed to Marilyn, and that’s not the end of their Corvette love story. Bruce and Marilyn got married at the 2001 Rolex 24 at Daytona, the last year Corvettes were raced there. Bruce says “The car has enriched our life immensely,” and for that reason, he and Marilyn knew they wanted to join the One Acre Club. They already have plans to be at the Museum’s 20th Anniversary Celebration and are very excited to be part of the Motorsports Park.
George and Beverly Hoover were fans of the Corvette before they could drive. George still remembers the first Stingray he ever saw, a silver split-window. In 1986 George went to the Indy 500 and saw Chuck Yeager driving the Pace Car. It was there he decided he was going to have one someday. But the only one he had over the next ten years was a 1/24" die-cast model. Then in 1996 George bought a 1995 Bright Aqua Metallic convertible left-over as a 50th birthday present.
Beverly booked them on an NCM trip in 2000. Naturally they became members. It was on that trip that they met a member of a club near their home, Skyline Drive Corvettes, from Reading PA. It wasn't long before they joined them, too. In 2007 at the suggestion of their NCM Ambassador, Jack Delong, they became Lifetime Members. They love traveling and have averaged over 10,000 miles per year, making the 800 mile drive to Bowling Green, going on Museum in Motion trips, and caravanning with Skyline Drive.
Both Beverly and George are race fans. They frequently attend events featuring Stock Cars, Open Wheel and of course Corvettes. Supporting the NCM and performance driving by purchasing an Acre just seemed to be the right thing to do.
Only 28 acres remain in our "One Acre Club" program. Learn more about how you can be a member of this group here.