NTBA

Clarence "Big Dog" Lee

written by David "Pile of Parts" Duhigg

You can't hang around the NTBA for long without hearing the name .Big Dog. Clarence .Big Dog. Lee is among the most active members on the NTBA Bulletin Board, Chief Publisher of this newsletter and all around good guy.

He's been involved with the NTBA for about eight years. .Got my first computer in the fall of 1998. Found the BBS on Spirit Industries web site. Was one of the earlier ones on there. For some reason I never joined until 1999. Had a chance to be a charter member but waited too long before I decided to join.

Although an active club member for the last eight years, he's been interested in cars all his life. .I was raised on a farm near Minot, North Dakota. Being a farm kid meant that you were driving something by the time you could see over the steering wheel. Started out on tractors & then pickups. Eventually driving grain trucks in the field. Got my drivers license when I was 14.. The first vehicle Clarence drove was a Case farm tractor. He purchased his first car in 1967. .A '57 Chevy station wagon. Bored out 283 with a power glide. Paid $250.00 for it with a fresh overhaul. Was making $1.10 an hour. Made payments to the guy I bought it from.. He has some fond memories of that first car. .We used to hunt rabbits & fox. A buddy and I were out one day & we saw a fox out in the field. I had a .22 in the back of the wagon. Told my buddy to get the gun! He started over the front seat a second before I nailed it in hot pursuit. His next stop was against the back window. Needless to say I was laughing so loud the fox got away. But I sure got chewed out by my buddy. Still funny to this day..

He first got interested in hot rods in 1965. .I was a sophomore in high school. Was walking in front of the high school when around the corner comes a '27 Model T touring car. It was yellow with a black top. Olds motor with 3 deuces. Mouth must of dropped a foot or two. Been hooked on Model T's ever since.. The car was owned by fellow North Dakota NTBA member Larry Grosche. .Him & his brother Bill were instrumental in helping me build the T I have today. He not only planted the Model T bug in me 40 years ago but he helped make my dream a reality..

Clarence owned his first hot rods in the late '60's. .I bought a '27 sedan & '32 roadster that had been hot rodded. Never did get either one running.

In 1968 he joined the Army and went to Viet Nam from 1968 to 1970 .He lost his .27 sedan and a deuce roadster. Talk about sacrifices! .My mother sold them while I was gone. Never did get back into them till 1999 when we built my present T.. .I had always dreamt about building a T. Had forgotten about it 'til 1996 or 1997. Saw a yellow T driving around. Caught up with it and it was Larry Grosche driving it. He had just gotten it built. He said his brother Bill had one too. Got the bug from those two again. Started building mine the winter of 1999 & finished it in the spring of 2000. Never would have been possible without the help from Larry & Bill. They welded everything for me & Larry painted it. And helped me put it together..

Today Clarence still lives in Minot, North Dakota with his wife, Ann where he works for the US Postal Service. His daughter, Carrie, 22, attends the University of North Dakota. He says he gets to drive his T about 1000 miles a year. .We only have about 8 months a year to drive. Plan on driving it a lot more in the future. Plan on doing the 500 & 1000 mile Toughest T-bucket ride in the near future.. .This is about the only group I have ever been this involved with. It is truly a members club. he says of the NTBA. .Honest people with no hidden agenda. Every Nationals I have been to, (only two so far) it is like a reunion. Meeting people you met on the BBS & finding out they are like a long lost friend you have known your whole life. Really special..

He believes the NTBA .brings together people with same desire to enjoy Model T's. All the other clubs kinda push us in the back & don.t think we belong. The NTBA gives us a chance to get together & enjoy what we like most. DRIVING our T's. The BBS is a wealth of info. Never seen another bunch of people so willing to help each other..

In 2001 Clarence began working with Doug .Doc. Lister, helping publish this newsletter. .He stated that it was getting to be too much work for one person. I volunteered to take over the printing.. Clarence signed on as the publisher, while Doug continued as Initially Doug and Clarence were distributing around 200 newsletters a month. In 2002 that number rose to over 500 copies and eventually over 800. .I was tied to the printer the whole time it took to print the newsletter. At this time I was putting out 800+ newsletters a month. Was taking about 40+hours a month to do the newsletter. Clarence said. In addition to printing the newsletter, Clarence manages the mailing list. .I also update every address of new members to make sure the address is correct. Plus I get address correction from the post office so our newsletter list is current & up to date..

In 2003 the NTBA officially recognized Clarence .For his dedication and unselfish contributions to promote the organization . by inducting him into the NTBA Hall of Fame. Clarence says of the HOF plaque presented to him .It is my most valued possession after my T.. Because of his significant contributions to the organization, Clarence was nominated for the NTBA Hall of Fame. Club president Richard .Punkin. Johnson commented .Big Dog had several nominations and he was doing a fantastic job printing and mailing the newsletter then, just like now. He will jump in to help anyone if they need help..

From then to now! Big Dog posing with his prized possession.
A clean, well executed bucket.