At a special event hosted for personnel from Edmonton Garrison Tuesday evening, Ron Hodgson announced he and his brother Reg are planning to open a museum to honour our national military history as well as Canadian motorsports.
“We want a military museum in St. Albert and parallel with that we want to have the Western Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame,” said Ron.
The Hodgson brothers share a passion for vehicles old and new and over the years have each amassed sizeable, but different collections.
Reg, who is now retired, was the former dean of student services at NAIT. Like many boys who grew up in the wake of the Second World War, he used to make models of tanks and airplanes. For many years the St. Albert resident put the same loving care into each rusted old hulk he restored.
If Reg’s refurbished army-green vehicles are big, slow and lumbering, Ron’s collection of sleek racing cars are the exact opposite. Ron’s collection includes a replica of the drag racer called the Hawaiian, which in 1965 set a world speed record. He has Nitro-Funny cars, including one jointly sponsored by Ron Hodgson, Chevrolet and Boychuk Ventures Inc. that last season set a historic record of 5.631 seconds at 258.12 mph. at the National Hotrod Association World Finals in California.
Both collections were on display for Edmonton Garrison families to view. The Hawaiian was started with a roar so loud it seemed to shake the ground. The soldiers and their families were able to meet renowned racecar drivers Roland Leong and Tim Boychuk.
Many of these vehicles will also be displayed at Canada Day festivities at Edmonton Garrison.
“This is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women that put their lives on the line,” said Reg.
Ron admitted the idea of a military/motorsport museum is in its early stages, but he hopes it will be large enough to house other items donated by other collectors from both genres.
“It’s on the ground floor, but we have talked to people from the Military Vehicle Preservation Association and we want to have that museum in conjunction with the Western Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame,” Ron said, explaining there is a Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame in Toronto, but no similar facility east of Ontario.
Motorsports include not just fast cars, but also fast boats, motorbikes and snowmobiles, he said.
Ron said plans for a museum are definitely in the works. He and other collectors are working on a structural financial plan.
“Once that’s done we’ll approach the provincial and federal governments,” he said.
While no land has been purchased for the proposed museum, Ron repeated he hopes it can be located in St. Albert and that he and Reg would like to donate their collections and leave them as a legacy.
He also stressed this city is a fitting location because so many military personnel live in either Morinville or St. Albert.
“There is a military museum in Calgary, but we need to recognize our own people here,” Ron said.
