Timeline History of the Fleetwood Travelcade Club
1955 - The Avion Coach Corporation was formed for the purpose of manufacturing Avion Travel trailers.
1959 - June 27 - The first Travelcade, consisting of twenty five people in eight Avions, left from the Avion plant in Michigan to visit Alaska. (As of 2005, there have been over 350 tours & Travelcades.)
1960 - There were some attempts to organize a club of Avion owners, but was not successful.
1961 - The Avion Travelcade Club was officially organized at its first National Rendezvous at Moore Haven, FL. The Club was formed under the umbrella of Avion Coach Corporation. All members had to own an Avion manufactured RV. Three Units (State Chapters) were organized and officers were elected. They were Michigan, Ohio, and Iowa.
1961 - Units were organized in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Wisconsin, Northeast, Mid Atlantic, and Indiana.
1962 - Six more Units were organized.
1963 - Eastern and Western Canada Units were organized, thus becoming an International organization. As of 2006, there are 24 Units.
1970 - Controlling interest in the Avion Coach Corporation was sold to Ligon Enterprises.
1975 - At the Fall Rendezvous in Oklahoma City, the Avion Travelcade Club declared its independence from Avion Coach Corporation, and became a self supporting and self governing entity.
1976 - Ligon Enterprises sold the Avion Coach Corporation to Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. of Riverside, CA.
1988 - Avion Travelcade Club began to allow members to stay in the Club under limited conditions when they bought Fleetwood manufactured motorhomes.
2002 - Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. formed Club Fleetwood & contracted with an independent operator to run the Club.
2002 – November - Waco, TX - Avion Travelcade Club opened its membership to anyone that owned an RV manufactured by Fleetwood, except those with folding sides and tops.
2004 - Club Fleetwood needs a qualified RV organization to manage and support its operations and provide the desired level of satisfaction for its members, improve owner retention, provide product feedback to Fleetwood and promote the Fleetwood brand. With suspended production of Avion products, and declining membership, the Avion Travelcade Club needs additional members, new buyer referrals, financial support, customer service support, and vendor contacts. The merger of these two clubs will accomplish the needs of both organizations.
2004 - June - At the Summer Rendezvous in Boise, ID, following ongoing discussions with Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc, the Board of Governors of the Avion Travelcade Club voted to propose an amendment to the Avion Travelcade Club By-Laws. The proposed change would allow anyone owning an RV manufactured by Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. to join the Club, to negotiate a merger between Avion Travelcade Club and Club Fleetwood and to change the name to Fleetwood Travelcade Club.
2004 - October - At the Fall Rendezvous in Chattanooga, TN, the Chairman of the Council of Presidents of the Avion Travelcade Club took a straw poll (roll call vote) of the Unit Presidents to determine the results of the proposal by the Board of Governors at the Boise, ID Rendezvous. It was determined that members of more than two thirds of the Units had already voted to approve the proposal. Final action could not be taken because all Units had not voted. With that results known, The President appointed a merger Committee to begin negotiations with Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. to have a merger agreement by the Annual Meeting of the Avion Travelcade Club in April, 2005. Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. was notified.
April 2005 - The By-Laws change was approved at the Annual Meeting of the Avion Travelcade Club in Las Cruses, NM. Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. & Avion Travelcade Club signed the merger agreement. Club Fleetwood and Avion Travelcade Club are merged, and the emerging Club is a non-profit, member owned club, operating as Fleetwood Travelcade Club.