Re: Lost Another Alfisti - In Memorium: Genevieve Obert was -- Much more than a weekend (was: Weekend in Milan) Itala and the Peking to Parris

[Bernie Bennett <bennetts77833@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris:

So sorry to hear of Genny's passing. I'm sending you this note (and 
reposting it to the Alfa Digest.) This was a reply to John Hertzman and 
was posted to the Alfa Digest this June.

Thanks for Tom and Ian for passing the news.

Best Wishes to You and the Children Our Prayers are with you,
Bernie & Diana Bennett
Brenham, TX

John Hertzman wrote in part . . .

>Who has heard of Itala, for instance? Probably hardly anybody. Itala
>(like Alfa) ran into financial difficulties in the late twenties and 
(again
>like Alfa) was taken over by the government's I.R.I. and eventually folded
>into Fiat in 1935, so there is no PR apparatus leading us to ask "When 
will
>Itala return?".
>
When I first read the above lines, I wanted to shoot up my hand like a
student. "Teacher, I have, I have." Then I wondered well why does it
sound so familiar. Then I thought Genny (Genevieve) Obert! That's where.
Genevieve spoke / narrated about the Mille Miglia to a wonderful slide
presentation at the 2002 AROC USA National Convention' Annual Meeting
and Banquet. In her introduction she mentioned ofhandedly she'd
participated in this rally from Peking to Paris and had a book available
afterwards. Unfortunately it happened so late after a long AROC meeting
& business presentation that not many hung around and bought the book.

Boy howdy, I did! it is called  _Prince Borghese's Trail: 10,000 Miles
over Two Continents, Four Deserts and the Roof of the World in the
Peking to Paris Motor Challenge_. And it was a great read. Diana and I
took turns with it driving home in our Spider, on I40 / Old Route 66,
marveling at the incredible adventure, the amazing sites, the cultural
encounters, and the harrowing occurrences undergone by most of the
contestants. Medication for altitude sickness, at 16,000 17,000 feet and
trying to get the cars to run at that altitude. The sadness of fatal
loss of some competitors and incredible attrition on the road to others.
We could not put the book down. The best part was Genny's interweaving
of quotations paralleling her journey with the original Peking to Paris
from the diary of Prince Borghese who did it in 1907 in a 1907 Itala.

I recommend the book to all. And an honor to meet the author. The book
is probably our best (certainly one of the best memories) memory of many
great ones from the Alfiesta 2002 convention.

Best Wishes,
Bernie Bennett
Brenham, TX
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