History of the Cruisin Cajuns

The Cruisin Cajuns chapter of the Family Motor Coach Association was chartered November 7, 1970 and founded by Harry and Ethel Wakefield.

Harry and Ethel enjoyed camping and joined a chartered group called the “ROLL N REBS”. While sitting at a campground with friends one weekend, Harry got the idea of starting a chapter in Louisiana.  While talking with friends on how to go about it, he got to know people who owned motor homes and who would qualify as FMCA members.  At the time, Harry was the National Director of the FMCA and knew the qualifications to get a group to become a chartered member of FMCA.  If you owned a motor home back then, he would find you, shake your hand, tell you his name and about his wife Ethel.  Harry would ask you about your family and by the time you said goodbye, nice meeting you and start to walk away, he would look back and say “See you next month at our meeting”.

It took a lot of walking, talking and hand shaking but Harry accomplished what he set out to do.

In May 1970, Harry Wakefield planned and executed a meeting that was held at Percy Quinn Park, McComb, Mississippi to determine the feasibility of forming a chapter of the FMCA whose scope would be Louisiana.  Several meetings took place during the summer of 1970 and by August 1970, Harry’s efforts paid off with a Forty-Two (42) coach rally.  In the fall of 1970 a letter was obtained from the “ROLL N REBS” granting release from their chapter and approval from the FMCA.  The initial meeting was held on September 5, 1970 at Audubon Lake Park.  Business transacted at this meeting was the adoption of the By-Laws, election of officers and a selection of a name for the group.  Harry explained that he and Ethel were sitting at their kitchen table discussing the club and a name for it. After long deliberation, Harry and Ethel were stuck on “CRUISIN CAJUNS”.  They brought it before the group and they liked the name and until this day, it is still the “CRUISIN CAJUNS”.

After deciding on the name, they then decided that they needed a logo for the club.  Jewell Crisamore came up with the idea of a patch featuring a crawfish and a champagne glass which is our logo today.  At this time, the Cruisin Cajuns filed a request for a charter as a chapter of the FMCA.  On November 7, 1970 Ken Scott, Executive Director of the FMCA flew from Cincinnati to New Orleans, rented a car and drove to Covington, LA.  He met the club at Lake Ramsey and attended the rally where he presented the charter to the “Cruisin Cajuns”.  They then became an official chapter of the FMCA.  Ken gave the charter to Harry Wakefield who was then President of the club.  Harry stated that this was the first time that a charter membership was hand delivered by an officer of the FMCA.

Since receiving the charter in the year 1970, the membership had risen from 42 to 400 in 1989.  Since 1970, there have been 17 presidents and of course many new members.

We can look back now and see that planning and hard work by Harry and Ethel Wakefield to establish the “Cruisin Cajuns” in 1970 turned out to be one of the greatest chapters in FMCA and is still going strong.

We now say “Thank You Harry” and because of your hard work and hand-shaking, we are still here and can say:  “LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL”.

By:  Ms. Violet Teekel, Editor and Historian (1996)