| |
Greg Wayne Donaldson was long time ALPCA member #3562
who was an officer in the Arizona region for many years.
Greg went by the name “Zeke” at meets and quickly became
known as one of the most knowledgeable and most approachable
collectors in the hobby. According to his father, Temple
Donaldson, Greg started going by his nickname after getting
a belt buckle with “Zeke” written on it, even though Zeke
was never part of his legal name. Zeke was most recently
the Vice President of the Arizona region, known then as
the NILPS Grand Canyon Regional chapter. Zeke also routinely
helped out with the donation auction and explained to
the members the various nuances of the different plates
available in the auction.
Over Memorial Day weekend in 1998, Zeke was driving in
Camp Verde when another driver who failed to stop for
the stop sign hit him broadside in his Hyundai. Zeke suffered
catastrophic injuries due to this other driver’s carelessness
and died as a result. Club members, given Zeke’s popularity
and spirit for the hobby and the club, took news of Zeke’s
passing hard. It was decided at the November 1998 meet
to create an award in Zeke’s honor, the first being given
at the year-end meet in 1999. The “Zeke award” honors
the favorite single license plate. By creating an award
for a favorite single plate, it gives every collector
a chance to participate as all members have a plate they
particularly enjoy in their collection. Initially, this
award was determined by judges but was later changed to
allow all of the members attending the meet to choose
via secret ballot which collector truly has the “favorite
single plate.” True to the “everyman” spirit of enjoying
the hobby that Zeke loved so much, the Zeke award is a
fitting tribute to a legacy that continues over a decade
after Zeke’s death.
Please take a few moments to honor Zeke, as well as the
collectors and unique plates that have won the Zeke award
as the “Favorite Single License Plates.”
Click
an image to enlarge it.
Zeke
Award Winners
(Click a name for their photo)
2001: Dave Pinter
(Tucson, AZ)
2002: John Spindler
(Lake Havasu City, AZ)
2003: John Spindler (Lake
Havasu City, AZ)
2004: Art Phillips (Flagstaff,
AZ)
2005: Bob LaBrash (Phoenix,
AZ)
2006: Bruce Biemeck (Cave
Creek, AZ)
2007: Bruce Biemeck (Cave
Creek, AZ)
2008: Ron Bader
(Lynnwood, WA)
2009:
Bruce Biemeck (Cave
Creek, AZ)
2010:
John Spindler (Lake
Havasu City, AZ)
2011:
Wayne Tranter (Deming,
NM)
|
|
