OT: How long have you been in the Club?
Barry Kurman: I have been involved for about 35 years, and doing the auction for 25 years. We’ve been meeting at least 35 years at Level Cross.
OT: What’s your favorite King memory?
Barry Kurman: Once at a large open house, a book publisher had Richard in an autographing assembly line before he went out to meet people. There was a stack of new, unsigned books; then Richard signing, and then stacks of the new signed books about him being made ready for visitors to buy.
After about a half hour of signing, Richard sat back and said, “You know the worst thing about this deal? I’m going to sit here for two hours and sign all these books, and then I’m going to go outside and sit and sign and autograph things for all those people. And all these books I just signed are going to come back there and I’m going to have to sign them again, because they don’t believe it’s my signature!”
OT: What does the Club do with the auction money?
Barry Kurman: Every dime we raise that doesn’t pay our basic expenses for the fan gathering here, goes to the Victory Junction Gang camp. None of the members or volunteers make any money. So far we’ve raised about $6,000 from our auctions and swap meet sales this time, and we’ll probably have another $2,000 when it’s all done. Our goal each year is to shoot for $10,000 to give to the camp, and we come close each year.
OT: What do you think is the reason Richard Petty still has so much appeal?
Barry Kurman: The fact he has been so accessible to his fans and the Fan Club. I have never been around him where he is not accessible. Now, he has plenty of sponsor commitments; but if he can, he will always talk to you. He has always attended any event the Fan Club has put on.
He’s real. He’s down-home. He’s not “above and beyond” like some professional athletes are. His rapport with the fans and the public has made him what he is. There is a definite affection because he relates to the people. He never acts like he is above anybody around.
OT: What first got you interested in racing and Petty?
Barry Kurman: Well, I was into cars in high school and there was a race track at Dover. I went to a race there, and that was it. Now I’ve got three rooms of my house dedicated to Richard Petty.
OT: Linda, how long have you been National Director of the Fan Club?HoLinda Ritchie/National Director
Linda Ritchie/National Director: Since 1993. He had no fan club in ’93 and so many people had come back to him and asked him to continue the Fan Club after he retired. He came to Jerry (my husband) and I and asked us to be the Directors. He said as long as we were having fun, he’d be right beside us. I’ve been a member since 1971, when the Club was first started.
OT: I’ll ask you the same question I asked Barry. What about Richard Petty inspires such loyalty? He hasn’t been in a race car for over a decade.
Linda Ritchie: It’s his kindness, and that he a downright, everyday man. He’s real, and he’s not better than anybody else, and he respects children especially. He just enjoys meeting people after all these years and after all those autographs – he’s still signing, and still smiling. That’s what keeps him going I think. He’s special to all of us because he is the same man every time you see him. He has always been here for the Fan Club.
We’ll have about a 1000 members here today, and overall we have about 2500 members all over the States, with the most living in North Carolina, Virginia, and Pennyslvania, and then New Jersey next.
OT: How do people join the Richard Petty Fan Club?
Linda Ritchie: Send a check or money order to:
Jerry & Linda Ritchie
National Directors / Petty Fan Club
1028 East 22nd Street
Kannapolis, NC 28083
A new membership is $10.00 per year for an individual U.S. resident, and international is $15.00 (U.S. currency). A family of four in the U.S is $15.00 per year; an international family of four is $20.00 (U.S. currency). You get three newsletters per year, a membership certificate, membership card, photos, post cards, and various decals.
