The Morgan family arrived at Grand Forks AFB in late May 1966, the result of a transfer from McCoy AFB, Orlando, FL, for dad’s assignment to the 321st Strategic Missile Wing with LGM-30F Minuteman IIs.

As it turns out, the base and city at that time had a very active sports car club, appropriately named the Grand Forks Sports Car Club.   According to the Peace Garden Trident, the base newspaper, gymkhana season was well underway, with a pretty good assortment of cars competing at multiple events.

For example, on 3 July in the parking lot of the headquarters for the 319th Bombardment Wing (Heavy), an individual named Charlie Bone took the best time of the day in his Porsche 356.  Ken Rotz won Class D in a Triumph TR4A, Bill Adams took Class E in a Porsche, Lynn Breax won Class F in a TR3 and Ted Fields won the sedan class with a Saab.

More events, more interesting cars, including Sprites, MG Midgets, a Vauxhall (you have to assume the owner, Ronald Olson, was an Air Force member who brought the car back from England) and an E-Type.   At the 21 August event held at the old municipal airport, John Goulart took Sedan 1 with a Mini Cooper, with Jim Halloran set the best time in Sedan 2 with a Volvo.

BTW, the following really summed up life in North Dakota, particularly during the winter.  In reporting on a 8 January rally, the paper noted only two cars finished, due in part to the “…minus 30 degrees temperatures and blizzard like conditions.”

Yup, sounds like North Dakota…