By Rusty Duncan, Peachtree Chapter President
A New Starting Point
Unlike a mountain drive, we cannot always predict the twists and turns of life. Sometimes the road changes direction before we expected it to, and sometimes that change brings both excitement and a little sadness.
That is where I find myself now. Circumstances in our personal life have created a wonderful opportunity for my wife, who has accepted a new position in Charlotte as Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement at Providence Day School. It is a terrific promotion and a meaningful opportunity for her to work with a strong and experienced leadership team at one of the top private schools on the East Coast.
As a result, we are moving. Soon. Thankfully, Charlotte is only about a four-hour drive from Atlanta. I will continue to serve my clients in the Atlanta area and plan to be back in town a couple of times each month. But this change does mean that my role with the Peachtree Chapter will also be changing.
I will continue serving as Chapter President through October. At that time, I will step down as President. We are very fortunate to have a strong board in place, including our current Vice President, Marisa Hegyesi, who will step up to become President. I have great confidence in Marisa and in the rest of our board, and I know the chapter will be in very good hands.
I also want to be clear about one thing: I am not leaving the Peachtree Chapter.
I still plan to be involved. I will remain on the board as Past President, as long as they will have me. I still plan to attend events. And I absolutely still plan to organize and join mountain drives whenever I can. My starting point will simply be in a new location. I also hope to become active with the Charlotte-area MBCA community, so this may become an opportunity to build new connections between clubs as well.
This moment has naturally caused me to reflect on my time with the Peachtree Chapter. I joined MBCA in 2013 after receiving my grandmother’s 1978 450SL. Like many of us, I wanted to find people who understood these cars and knew how to take care of an older Mercedes.
What I found was much more than technical advice.
I became active after attending club trips to the Tail of the Dragon and Charleston. My wife and I had a wonderful time, not just because of the cars and the roads, but because of the people. We truly enjoyed the members we met, the conversations we had, and the friendships that began to form.
A year or so later, I became Chapter Secretary. I have been on the board ever since, eventually serving as Vice President and then President. Along the way, I have added four more Mercedes to the stable, planned and attended countless drives and events, and shared many memorable experiences with this club.
Mountain drives became a special part of our chapter during COVID, when we realized we could be socially distant and still enjoy being together as a group. We drove to beautiful locations, picnicked out of our trunks at the destination, and found a way to stay connected. It was certainly healthier than being barricaded in our homes.
More importantly, I have made real friends.
That is what makes this moment bittersweet. I am excited for my wife and for our next chapter in Charlotte. I am grateful for the opportunities ahead. But I am also sad to step down from a role, and from a rhythm of chapter life, that has meant so much to me.
MBCA and the Peachtree Chapter have been an important part of my life for more than a decade. The cars brought me in, but the people are what kept me here. That will not change.
So this is not goodbye. It is simply a change in route.
The road ahead may start from a different place, but I look forward to seeing many of you at future events, on future drives, and wherever the next curve takes us.