Life sometimes puts you in some situations that you wish you were never in-we all know that, but if you keep your mind open, it also can put you into places and situations that turn out great- if you play them right.

My first introduction to the National Impala Association was at the 2011 Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals. I had certainly heard of NIA before and was familiar with the cars, but I had no real experiences with the club itself.
I had been invited by event managing partner Bob Ashton, to give a seminar on experimental Pontiacs. At the time, I was the Editor-in-Chief of Smoke Signals, the Pontiac-Oakland Club International’s magazine. After the seminar, Jody Anderson, then president of NIA, introduced himself and told me that he really liked what I was doing with Smoke Signals and was wondering if I would be interested in becoming the art director for Impala News. After mulling it over, I accepted the offer and began work on a redesign of the magazine and I have been doing it ever since.

When Mike Berry came aboard, I was relieved to find that he was every bit as easy to work with as Jody and I have really enjoyed my tenure with the organization thus far. Still, as time went on, I could see that the club was in need of additional help. While it appeared that everyone knew what was needed to rejuvenate the NIA, getting to that point was proving to be elusive. Mike had expressed interest in selling the club last year and while I was interested, I wasn’t sure it was the right timing- I had just left POCI after my contract was not renewed and had started a new Pontiac magazine, known as Poncho Perfection. I wasn’t sure that I had enough time to do another magazine on top of a monthly.

Fortunately, Mike persisted and after some conversations and a little negotiation, Keefe Media International agreed to acquire the National Impala Association. Mike could not have been more accommodating and I thank him for his efforts.

Now What?
Okay, you’re asking, what is the gameplan for rejuvenating the NIA? It has been somewhat dormant over the last couple of years, though the conventions buzzed along without a hitch. Here is what I would like to accomplish in the next year:

1. Get the magazine back on schedule. This winter edition will start us off on a new, more timely schedule.

2. Give the convention committee some support. We are meeting with them soon down here in Florida and want to reassure them and you that aside from adding a few popular vote classes, we are not going to change anything in the way that the convention is run. We want to see what they need in order to make their jobs easier and we hope to be able to accomodate them. If it ain’t broke- don’t fix it!

3. Expand our reach. The time is now to welcome the next generation of full-sized Chevy fans. Therefore, we are expanding our focus to include all full-size Chevrolets right to the present, including the square-bodied 1977-90 cars, the 1991-96 Caprice and Impala SS, the front-drivers that came after them, as well as the Chevy SS and related Caprice PPV police cars. Additionally, we are welcoming Canadian-built, Chevy-platformed full-sized Pontiacs, such as the Parisienne, Laurentian, Strato Chief and related models. Since we have a significant number of Canadian members, and they are essentially the same cars underneath, it’s a natural extension. I am sure that there are some NIA members who have them, so for me, it’s a no-brainer.

This might seem like a radical move but it makes sense- here’s why. We as a club, need to understand that we are all getting older and part of being proper stewards of the cars and the hobby, we need to effectively attract and retain younger members. By opening up the club to newer cars, we can much more easily get those younger members in. Once we have them in, we can show them what it is about our cars that make them so special to us and in turn, they will do the same. You might not really understand at first, but in time, it starts to come together.

Several years ago, I was president of the Victor, New York, Lions Club and was the chairman of the annual Sports Car and Vintage Auto Festival, which kicked off the season in the Rochester area. At one time, it was the largest one-day show east of the Mississippi river, often topping 1,000 cars. As I was walking through the showfield one Sunday morning, I ran across a young guy in his 20s who had a gorgeous silver 1973 Impala coupe with a black vinyl top. It was in spectacular condition and appeared to be completely stock- except for the 22-inch chrome wheels and super low-profile tires. Seeing that he was getting a lot of flack from people about his choice of rolling stock, I introduced myself and I said to him, “I am not criticizing your car at all, it is a generational thing and I don’t understand the huge wheels and tires- can you explain the style to me?” He simply said, “You remember when you were a kid, your Hot Wheel cars had wheels that were out of proportion to the rest of the car? That’s it. We just like to replicate that look.” I thanked him and walked away with a new understanding of what makes the younger generation tick.

It’s really as simple as that. Instead of telling him to stay off my lawn, get a haircut or worse yet, putting down his pride and joy, I asked him what made him tick and he told me. Whenever I saw him on the road- I’d get a wave and a thumbs-up. Mission accomplished.

We just need to extend the hand of friendship, welcome in the younger generations and give them a sense of belonging. When I joined the Lions Club, I was still in my 20s and most of the members were at least in their 60s. Nevertheless, they welcomed me in, along with my brother and a couple of other friends. It wasn’t long before we were all having a great time together. I really think that this is exactly the scenario we need to ensure that NIA, the full-sized Chevy hobby and our cars survive into the next generation.

I am excited about the future and I encourage you to hit me up on Facebook and Instagram, as well as by phone (585) 489-9826 or feel free to send me an e-mail at donaldjkeefe@aol.com or info@nationalimpala.com. Your insights, experiences and opinions do matter and I would like to hear from you.

Though I am known primarily as a Pontiac guy, I do have a lot of Chevy experience and have owned several, including a 1978 Impala, which I drove and raced throughout my college years and a 1979 Caprice Classic two-door, which I owned when I was just starting out my career in the car magazine business. I have written for many magazines over the years, including Hot Rod, Vette, Corvette Fever, Musclecars, Musclecar Review, Rodder’s Digest, Collectible Automobile, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings, Muscle Machines and Hemmings Motor News, as well as a variety of Ford and Mopar titles. Additionally, I have a tremendous amount of car club and car show organizing experience, which will help the cause.

If you are still a member, thank you for your support and loyalty. If you know of former members who are interested in getting back in NIA, please send them our way and we will do our best to accommodate them. We are all in this together and I appreciate your enthusiasm and interest in making things better. Buckle up, we’re going to have some fun!