A LITTLE MORE INFO ON OUR BEGINNING BY STEVE PORTIAS

VanishingBreed

Inland Vans Berdoo
A Little History

In 1969 Pete Hall, Tom White, Rick Trenny, and Derrick Stanvick and their old Ford Econoline Vans (Pete he had a V.W. Bus), started hanging out together at Bakers on Highland and Arden. Talking about different things they wanted to do to their Vans and how cool they were to go to the drive-in and party in. Other early members like Rick Ferguson, Bob Henry, Ray May, and others helped the club grow . These young guys and a few others later formed United Vans Berdoo. Norm Gernux was elected the first President of the club. They met at different places for their weekly meetings and finally found a permanent place at the Legion Hall, in Highland, which Grace charged us for $75 a month (one meeting a week). Meeting there every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. It turned into a local party place and the club grew…in fact it grew too quickly and it got to the point when one member didn’t recognize another. In January 1972 the club split. Ron Trujillo took over President of United Vans and Norm Gernux was President of Inland Vans. Inland Vans started meeting at Chris Brown’s house, then to the Little League Facility, and back to the Legion Hall. Club rules and stricter guide lines were set. Wanting to become a member was no enough, you had to have a van, become a prospect for however long it took to get 100% member votes to become a member…we voted on the person not their van like a lot of car clubs do. It was ran like an Outlaw Bike Club would run their club. Dues were $2 a week, and “Big Bertha” our paddle drew bids for swats for anything from being behind on dues, spilling a beer during a meeting, or disrupting a meeting. Norm stepped down from President of the club later in 1972, and Steve Portias was elected President of the club.
We still had our legendary weekly Wednesday meetings and parties that continued to grow as well as the club did to 67 members, including Beach Cities and High Desert chapters. The brotherhood was formed that would go on a lifetime. We would plan our weekend parties, or monthly “Runs” to a “Van Happening” or just to some destination of our
own where we could get crazy. Our huge parties drew hundreds of friends and members. Lake Dolores was another popular party area for us where we would not be harassed.
One party at Steve’s house we went through 12 kegs of beer, but the largest one was the one at the UTC Hall on 45th and Sierra Way where Steve told them it would be a wedding reception and got the keys. It turned into a 32 Keg, 3 Band playing party ending in a fired pistol. We made enough money off that party and car washes to get our treasury built up. We had a club only party in Deep Creek where we bought all the steaks and beer and partied all weekend. Not just our club members but our friends that went everywhere with us, including the Calidex’s Motorcycle Club with people like Leo Spargo, Lewie Lovin, Ron Kidd, Randy Cross, and many other good friends.
Cruising E Street was another big part of our club, in fact one time we had over 60 vans in a row, with Shannon DeRosie stopping traffic at intersections, until the police set up and stopped us on Highland and Waterman. Night Clubs like Eros & Bogart’s was a club hang out as well as the Green Onion Bar, Cop Out, Family Dog, Test Club. Eros & Bogart’s had our name on top of the entrance on E Street next to some of the bands that played there like Van Halen, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Lee Michaels, Squeeze, and more. We were a big part of the E Street cruise seen.
In 1974 we through our own “Van Happening” and with the help of our friends Mike Navol (later member of Inland Vans) and Sand vans, of Palm Springs. Which turned into another wild weekend of partying and law suit against us. We had over 1500 vans and most likely 4000+ partiers there.
Their were at least 100 Van Clubs in the Western States by 1974. Inland Vans Berdoo was known as being the Outlaw club and was thrown out of the Van Council in early 1975 and were no longer allowed to any of their events. This never stopped us and we were happier alone. We just moved our parties to the River, Desert, or someone’s house.
But, like us or not we were the innovators of the Van Craze of the 60’s -70’s and now into 2008 still doing what we do best Vans and party. Until
we came along people didn’t have big tires, built V-8 Engines, wild custom exhaust systems, lavish interiors, sun roofs, and custom paint jobs on
their vans. Mike Cook’s van is a fine example as well as Mark English in stepping it up into a new level.
Around 2002 Tim Carroll put us into the new age by setting up a deluxe web-site that has been pulled up by thousands which we can share our good times with. Mike Cook started up The Forum and later had some help of Tim Wisinger.
For the past 17 years the annual San Bernardino Route 66 Rendezvous and Cruise has really got us back together and pumped up our interest in Vans and being able to show the spectators what we do. It’s unbelievable that folks will often walk by a Hundred Thousand Dollar Street Rod to come up to us and see our vans and tell us stories of how vans effected their life or some event in their life had to do with a van.
This year we finally got respect and will be honored by being inducted into the 2008 Route 66 Cruzin Hall of Fame. We will be the first Car Club ever inducted and our name will be etched in marble on Court & E street along with the likes of Boyd Codington, The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, Big Daddy Don Garlits, Chip Foose, Big Daddy Ed Roth, Isky Cams, Goodyear & Firestone Tires, McDonalds Restaurants, Bob’s Big Boys, Hot Rod Magazine, Carol Shelby, Route 66 TV Program, George Barris, KMEN Radio Station, Dougs Headers, Edelbrock Manifolds, and others names were proud to be named next to.
We’re all proud of this club and our loyal friends. The only regrets are members we have lost along the way: Norm Gernux, Shannon DeRosie, Brian West, Mike Wilson, Ron Wright, Cliff “Cleo” Brown, Rick Trenny,and our beloved Shannon Laurie.
We never did anything in a small way. Every member is special and this club has been a big part of each of our lives for almost 40 years now.

Steve Portias
Inland Vans Berdoo
_________________
Mike Cook
Vice President
Inland Vans Berdoo
2%vanner

VanishingBreed · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2008 4:50 pm Post subject:

Just want to add to Steves post. Yes we are a club that grew into a brotherhood but we are are really just one big happy family that spends as much time together as we possibly can. Like the Three Musketeers "we are all for one and one for all". Everywhere we go people come up and say "man I used to party heavy with you guys back in the 70s" and they are surprised that we are still together after all these years. The area we live in is where clubs like the Hells Angels had their first meetings and businesses like Taco Bell, McDonalds, Bakers and Dell Taco built their first fast food resturants. I worked for the Mc Donald brothers at their original one at 14th and "E" streets in San Bernardino. Most people think that Ray Kroc built the first McDonalds but the truth is he bought the chain which had over 900 franchises from the Mc Donald Bros. and built his first one in Chicago. "E" street where we always cruised drew cruisers from all over southern California every Friday and Saturday night. Litterally thousands of cars cruised there and our club was the one everyone wanted to party with. Sure we had our share of fights back then but we were basically partiers who loved our vans. It is a good thing our sponsor was Big Brother Bail Bonds. They got us out of jail many times and sometimes for free. Looking back I wonder how we survived all those wild parties and the things that went on there.
_________________
Mike Cook
Vice President
Inland Vans Berdoo
2%vanner

Steve Portias · Club President Joined: 21 Apr 2007 Posts: 115

hdpete98 · Joined: 30 Jun 2009 Posts: 2

Damn, I remember that party at Sierra Way and 45th. I had not thought of that in many years. hard to believe any of us from that time are still alive.