Member Spotlight

David and Janet Greenberg
Port St Lucie, Florida

FMCA membership number:  F22009

We joined FMCA in:  1976

We are members of four FMCA chapters:
GMC Sunshine Statesmen, GMC Western States, GMC Motorhomes International, GMC Dixielanders

Our current motorhome is:
A 1977 GMC, our second motorhome. We’ve also owned a 1975 GMC, purchased new.

We decided to buy a motorhome because:
We had lived in Asia for a number of years and our family became very close. But upon returning to the United States, there were too many distractions and we weren't as close. A motorhome enabled us to bond with our kids better.

Our favorite motorhome trip was:
In 1977 I took a one-year sabbatical from IBM and we toured the 48 contiguous states with our 10-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter. The 30,000-mile trip was a great experience for all of us!

Our former occupations:
I am retired from IBM China and Jan was a nurse.

Children, grandchildren:
We have two sons, one daughter and seven grandchildren. Our son David Jr. (also a GMC motorhome owner) lives in Arizona. Our daughter, Erika, lives in Jupiter, Fla. Our youngest son, Darren, lives in Stuart, Fla.

The best thing about motorhoming is:
Easy! I get to sleep in my own bed every night, eat in my own dining room and wash my face in my own sink ... all the while seeing this great country God has provided for us.

When we're not motorhoming, we're:
As VP of the GMC Sunshine Statesmen, I, David, am involved in organizing nine rallies in 2003-2004. In addition, as founder of the GMC Motorhome Registry, I track nearly 6,000 GMC motorhomes and their histories. At the moment I am very busy organizing a new chapter, to be named the GMC Eastern States, with a potential for 1,000 to 1,500 members.

If we could meet anyone from history, we’d choose:
Leonardo da Vinci, to understand what made this man such a forward-thinking person.

We travel in the motorhome:
Approximately four to six months per year

One of our fondest motorhoming memories is:
Coincidently meeting up with a bunch of GMC motorhome owners from all over the country who had chosen Shore Hills Campground in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, for their summer destination. They represented at least eight of the 20 GMC chapters. We arranged to cook lobster and corn for all on a few hours of planning.

Our "dream" motorhome trip would be:
We live our dream every time we saddle up the old GMC. She now has nearly 600,000 miles on her and she treats us well!

Our worst motorhoming experience was:
If we had one, we can't recall. Maybe when a transmission burned up or something. Our GMC has been through seven rebuilds.

The best thing about our motorhome is:
Nearly everyone who sees her will stop, stare, knock and ask if she is new, or "Is GM making them again?” or even ask if they can take a photo. Our Prevost-owning friends are jealous.

Something unique about our motorhome is:
The first engine was pulled at 280,000 miles and the current one has over 318,000 miles on it. The coach has been done over several times. It was used as a shuttle bus for Bell South execs, taking them between regional headquarters in Birmingham, Ala., and Atlanta, Ga., for some eight years. The coach design was advanced for its time and to this day (25 years later) has a contemporary appearance.

Something about motorhoming that we know now but didn't know when we started is:
We first rented a 1975 Sportscoach. After the first night in the campground, with our coach sitting at a steep angle, a friendly RVer pointed out that we should find some wood to drive up on to level the coach. I explained there were plenty of 2x12 boards in the storage area, but I thought they were for firewood. We bought the GMC because it could be leveled by pushing some switches up or down.

If we could change one thing about my motorhome, it would be:  Not one thing!

The best additions that we've made to our motorhome are:
For Jan, I designed and had built twin beds. For me, the installation of a macerator pump to dump the holding tank. I can dump through a garden hose, uphill if required!

Our favorite thing about FMCA is:
So many useful benefits, a great magazine, and a wider family.

One feature of our GMC that we could not do without is:
We wouldn't like to give up our awning. We didn't have one on our first GMC and don't know how we got along without one. We can't think of anything in our GMC that we could do without. Unlike many of today's larger coaches, GMCs don't come loaded with non-essentials.

A motorhoming trip tip we'd like to share with other motorhomers is:
Take a trip through Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and the other Maritime Provinces.

Our hobbies are:
Jan spends most of her free time on family genealogy and has documented her family to King Charlemagne. My hobby is the GMC Motorhome Registry (www.GMCss.com/Registry.htm).

Our favorite way to exercise is:
Jan rides a bike I got her recently for our 48th wedding anniversary. I try to avoid exercise as much as possible.

Favorite book:  War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Favorite song:  “Crazy,” Patsy Cline

Favorite restaurant:  Applebees

Favorite store:  Wal-Mart, of course!

Favorite campground: Zane Gray RV Park in Camp Verde, Ariz.

When motorhomers visit our state or hometown, they should be sure to see:  Florida! Need I say more?

Items that are always in our motorhome refrigerator while we’re traveling are:
Milk, fruits, hazelnut flavoring for my morning coffee

Our advice to new motorhomers is:
Join an FMCA chapter so you can meet other motorhomers and learn how to fully enjoy your coach. And use your coach as much as possible. Motorhomes don't like to sit in the barn!

Behind our motorhome, we tow:
A 1999 Saturn SW2 station wagon, four wheels down

Our favorite activity to do inside the motorhome is:  Read, watch TV

Other than family, the three people whom we’d most like to invite to dinner are:
President George W. Bush and his brother, Jeb Bush, the governor of Florida. Also: their dad, former president George Bush, and their wives. I think this family will do more for our country getting back on the right moral track than any family before them.

Other FMCA members may contact us at:
davegreenberg1@juno.com or visit my Web site, www.GMCss.com/Registry.htm

Other comments
As an FMCA national director for some eight years I know only too well what a great organization FMCA is and can't understand why I see so many motorhomes during any trip that do not appear to be members. I pass on my FMCA magazines constantly.