Remembering Dennis Damon
/by Dan Tackett
On October 3rd, our Chapter lost one of our longest-serving Board members, and a friend to many of us. Dennis Damon passed away at age 84 following a distinguished career as a Marine Corps Officer, and he was a lifelong fan of BMWs. Dennis organized the annual Clean Car Contest and Charity Auction for decades, enshrined on the Board with the title of Wachsmeister. He oversaw our venue as it relocated from Mission Bay to our current site of Spanish Landing near San Diego Airport. For just as long, Dennis put together our annual Holiday Party at the San Diego Automotive Museum.
Dennis as the auctioneer extraordinaire, a role he truly enjoyed (Photo by Greg Uhler)
Dennis’ organizing skills enabled him to recruit judges and repeat participants from Orange County, LA County, and Arizona. The Clean Car Contest was a staple on our annual calendar, usually occurring near the end of May, with the date set early every year so we could plan other events around it. This outdoor display attracted members who enjoyed Club fellowship and beautiful cars but perhaps didn’t attend any other Chapter events. Our goal has always been to offer activities that appeal to a wide array of interests, and this was a prime example. And for many years, we got to admire Dennis’ beautiful Euro-spec 635CSi, and later his pristine E30.
A new generation (Littoff’s daughter) helps Dennis to distribute gifts at the Holiday Party (Photo credit Brett Littoff)
As another highlight of each year, Dennis and his wife Diane coordinated our Holiday Party early in December so we could all gather and share a catered meal and enjoy the holiday spirit together. It was a time to see old friends and make new ones as we socialized while strolling among the ever-changing displays of historic cars and motorcycles. He cultivated a great relationship with the Museum to clear space for our tables and chairs and grant our Club exclusive access to the facility. He arranged for a catered buffet dinner, and for many of our parties, led a white elephant gift exchange that allowed good-natured stealing and couple competitions. Dennis was a great host, and our Board could always rely on him to expertly handle every detail.
The Jack Cavanaugh Memorial perpetual trophy awarded to our People’s Choice (Photo credit Greg Uhler)
The Clean Car Show evolved to honor another long-standing member, Jack Cavanaugh, who was an original Chapter founder in the late 70s. Jack was an Air Force veteran who served in many roles during our Chapter’s earliest days. He and Dennis always teased each other about their respective military branches. After Jack passed away, Dennis wanted to keep his legacy alive by naming the event in his honor and awarding a perpetual trophy that featured some of Jack’s Air Force medals.
Dennis also created a charity benefit to the annual Show. Appealing to local dealerships and various BMW-related vendors, he arranged for unique trophies to be made and accumulated desirable products that could be auctioned. Dennis reveled in his role as a cajoling auctioneer, coaxing money out of the pockets of members to support the United Ostomy Association, a charity that helps youngsters to manage the disease that Jack had succumbed to. With Dennis’ efforts, we raised thousands of dollars in donations every year; tens of thousands over the years that Dennis conducted the “Jack Cavanaugh Memorial Clean Car Contest, Car Show and Charity Auction” (the mouthful that it came to be called). He also attended nearly every Board meeting during the decades that he was elected, adding his ideas, but mainly being so well-organized in making the Show and Holiday Party such turn-key operations that Board members could focus on other activities and leave these completely to Dennis.
This year, the Show was reimagined and renamed Bimmers by the Bay. But Dennis Damon’s long shadow guided us in bringing the event back with the organizational effort of Brett Littoff. And we once again raised thousands of dollars to donate to the United Ostomy Association.
Dennis, we thank you for your service to our Country and to our Chapter. Godspeed, sir.
