2024 Awards
Alexander Chiniaeff
is 14, lives in Temecula,
California, is a freshman in high school, and is a member
of the Temecula Valley Model
A Club Alexander is lucky
enough to have as a neighbor, Stu
McLaughlin, a former Temecula
Model A Club president. As a
consequence, Alexander became
excited about Model A’s.
Stu, intent on finding a Model
A for Alexander, located a 1929
Tudor that the owner had tried
to donate to the high school, but
rejected because of the car’s age. With the help of the
Temecula club, Alexander was given the Model A.
David Orseske
is 14, lives in Batavia, Illinois,
and is a member of the Naper A’s. A year ago, David saw
a 1930 Model A Roadster sitting in
his neighbor’s yard. His neighbor was
Gene Egert, president of the Naper
A’s. Gene took David for a ride,
and he became hooked. In March
2023,David acquired a 1929 Murray
De Luxe Town Sedan.
While only 14, David has been
involved with vintage transportation for some time. At the age of 9, he began his passion for antique bicycles. At 12, he purchased
his first Whizzer motorbike. Now David has 8, plus two
Cushman scooters and an assortment of other two-wheel
motorized vehicles.
David says his Model A will not be a show car, but for
fun to enjoy and to educate more young people about the
wonderful Model A hobby. There remains much to do to
get the Town Sedan running..
Jon Dalsing
is 14, lives in Kannapolis, North
Carolina, and is a member of the Queen City Region.
He writes, “I became interested
in Model A Fords when I was
ten. My father was active in the
Queen City Model A Club and
often worked on his or another
club member’s car.” Jon rst drove
a Model A when he was 12. Jon’s
father, Troy Dalsing, is now the
president of the Queen City club.
Last year, Jon’s father
purchased six Model A’s that
needed saving. Jon selected the 1930 Cabriolet, which had
been sitting for ten years, had four flat tires and mouse
droppings that give evidence they had lived in the car’s
seat. John has given himself four years to complete the
restoration, the year he graduates from high school.
Broc Best
is 18, Lives in Staunton, Illinois, and is
a member of MAFCA. Since he lives 70 miles from the
nearest Model A club, his father is
his mentor.
Brock knew little about old cars
until his grandfather’s cousin gave
him his 1929 Model A Tudor Sedan
in December 2023. The car had
been sitting on jack stands for 20
years and restored 50 years ago, but
otherwise in fair shape With his father’s and neighbor’s help, Broc pulled
the engine, put in new gaskets, painted it, and changed
the fluids. With much still to complete, Broc is already
thinking of a taking a trip on Route 66.
Kai Samuelson is 21, lives in Fleetwood,
Pennsylvania, and is a member of the
Lehigh Valley Model A Club. Kai
has an associate’s degree in aviation
maintenance from the Pennsylvania
College of Technology. Kai’s
interest in a Model A started with a
doodlebug he found in a scrap yard
that he thought would be a quick fixup
into a truck.
Kai quickly discovered the “fixup”
part of getting it running was not going the way he
had visualized. His most difficult challenges were finding
a straight axle, a usable engine, and acquiring a title for the
car. Now the biggest challenges are the cab interior, roof
slats, wood framework, glass, and paint.
Beau Barnes, 16, lies in Topsham, Maine, and is
a member of the Pine Tree Model A
Club. In October of last year, Beau
purchased a chassis for $1,000.
Beau started working on it the
day it arrived home. “I am doing
all the work myself,” he says, “and
teaching myself as I go.”
A few weeks before he sent
in his MAYRA application, Beau
met two Pine Tree Model A Club
members at a local car show who promised their help.
Beau says, “I have completed everything by myself so
far and would like to keep it that way for the most part,”
but he anticipates needing help with the internals of the
differential. Beau is a very self-motivated and determined
young man.
Domonick LeBlond
is 13, lives in Berkeley
Heights, New Jersey, and is a
member of the Model A Ford Club
of New Jersey. He grew up around
his father’s and grandfather’s Model
A’s.
Domonick received a 1930 Town
Sedan from his grandfather in the
fall of 2022. The car runs, but it has
some issues: a hole in the roof, and a
need for new brakes, a new interior,
and exterior paint. Domonick expects that repairing one
issue will lead to unexpected new problems.
Savannah Bella Nelson
is 20, lives in Mason,
Ohio, is a member of the Ohio
Valley Region of the Model A Ford
Club. Her project is restoring her
grandfather’s 1929 Coupe, which had
been sitting for seven years.
Bella writes, “I never bought [a
Model A] until now because I had
nobody to teach me how to take care
of it. After receiving my Model A, I
did plenty of research on it, trying to
find someone to help me fix it.” At
her first Ohio Valley Club meeting, 25 people offered to
help her.
Most of Bella’s help has come from John Grossheim,
president of the Ohio Valley Region and himself a 2018
recipient of a Model A Youth Restoration Award.
Tyler Lewallen
is 17, lives in Riverton, Utah,
and is a Utah Valley Model A Club member. In February
2023, Tyler was bitten by the Model
A bug while visiting a car museum.
Three weeks later, he purchased a
1930 Coupe that had been in a barn
for 40 years, and he had fun getting
it running.
Wanting another style of the
Ford Model A, he visited the Turlock
Swap Meet in January 2024 and
purchased a frame, four wheels,
a differential, a front axle, a bell housing, transmission
housing, and a box of other miscellaneous motor parts
for $575. He plans on building either a Tudor Sedan or a Pickup. Getting a body for the chassis will be Tyler’s
biggest challenge.
Tyler says that George Sage of the Evergreen A’s has
been with him every step of the way. George mentored
Samuel Mpare, one of MAYRA’s 2022 recipients.
Blake Hill
is 14, lives in Whittier, California, and
is a member of the Orange County
Model A Ford Club. He is restoring
a 1930 Closed Cab Pickup that his
father purchased in 2017. Blake’s
father and grandfather also have
Model A’s, so Blake has been around
them most of his life.
Blake’s Pickup has major needs:
the brakes, the transmission, a
differential rebuild, rewiring the vehicle, and new tubes and tires. Blake’s target date for
completing the Model A is his 16th birthday.
Hayden Larson
is 17 and lives in Paxton,
Massachusetts. He is a junior at a
vocational technical high. What
started as a class project developed
into Hayden’s landscaping business,
managing 25 properties. Hayden is
a member of the Worcester County
Model A Club and is restoring a
1928 Model A truck, which he
acquired in November 2023.
Hayden has accomplished much.
“Within the first few weeks, I pulled everything off the
frame. The cab corners and the back of the cab were rusted
out, so I made some new corners and added new paneling
on the back.” The list of his accomplishments goes on. At
Hayden’s speed, having another Model A on the road will
not take long.
Ryan Spieker,
20, lives in Lincoln, Nebraska,
where he goes to college and is a
member of the Rocky Mountain A’s.
Ryan was a recipient of a MAYRA
grant in 2020, as was his older
brother, Dillon, in 2022. Both have
been active in the restoration for
the past 3½ years. Ryan received
his Eagle Scout award in 2022, and
Dillon received his several years ago.
Their 1931 Tudor Sedan was
purchased from a farmer after sitting in a pasture for 70
years. Their grandfather, the boys’ mentor, lives in Colorado
and is active in the Model A hobby. Dillon now lives
with his grandparents in Colorado and can spend more
time than Ryan, who participates during the summer and
holidays on the car’s frame-off restoration.
Ryan and Dillon’s near goal is to have a complete
chassis on which to mount the body. They are working on
removing dents and hope to have the restoration done in
the next two years.
