George Allen / EducateMHC Blog Mobile Home & Land Lease Community Advocate & Expert

Blog Posting # 864; Copyright 24 October 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built single-family residential housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities, a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate-secured mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, or www.educateMHC.com, to purchase ‘Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and ‘SWAN SONG’ –History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, ‘From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven’, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for ‘MHInsider’ magazine.

SEE YOU AT THE 2026 LOUISVILLE SHOW?

That’s the 2026 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show, or briefly, the Louisville MHShow. Here’re the dates and location: 14 – 16 January 2026, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, 937 Phillips Lane, Louisville, KY. Reach Show Management Team via: info@thelouisvilleshiow.com or phone (616) 888-8030. The Louisville MHShow has been a popular mid-winter business destination for at least the past 65 years!

Assuming you’re active in the manufactured housing industry and or own/operate one or more land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities or ‘mobile home parks’); this is the sole Midwest-based national trade show for this industry and realty asset class! There will be dozens of new HUD-Code manufactured homes on display indoors, even more supplier and exhibitors of products and services of interest to attendees.

Me? I attend for the opportunity to see and visit many new manufactured homes, inside and out, and talk with factory personnel present to answer questions and display product. It’s always interesting – and educational, to see how manufactured homes evolve over the years. A recent trend has been new singlesection and multisection homes designed with ‘front end loaded porches’. Why is this design appealing? Because, in land lease community ‘sets’ it’s rare to find homes installed parallel to the streetscape in front. So, having a ‘front end loaded porch’ makes it possible for homeowners/site lessees to accomplish the same end, showing off the front, narrow axis of their new home. Today, a hot design, but slow to catch-on, has been the CrossMod® home, sponsored by the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’) – making MHs more homelike than ever before!

In recent years, and perhaps this one as well, we’ve seen a variety of Accessory Dwelling Units of ADUs on display, i.e. small self-contained dwellings or residential units, a.k.a. granny flats or casitas. ADU designs also include Park Model RVs, Tiny Houses, small 3D-fabricated units, even garages and larger sheds converted into secondary living units. The whole ADU category of housing, however, presents a problem for housing statisticians. The U.S. Census Bureau, every month, estimates the annual volume of new onsite construction (i.e. stick-built homes), but totally ignores the existence and roll of offsite construction (a.k.a. HUD-Code manufactured housing, modular & panelized housing, and Park Model RVs) – and Accessory Dwelling Units! At present the underreporting appears to be, in my opinion, 10,000 new units per month, 120,000 annually. Consequence? Continued underreporting of the U.S. affordable housing crisis!

Supplier exhibits. Now there’s a perennial pleasure: seeing who and what’s new across the industry and property type. Even here we spot trends. For example; when several large property portfolios ‘went public’ in 1994, at least a half dozen other large land lease community owners/operators started ‘displaying’ at the Louisville MH Show. Why? To identify present day owners/operators who might be interested in selling their communities. This went on for two decades, until the majority of large (i.e. 150+ sites in size) communities were in property portfolios. Today it’s rare to find even one of these ‘players’ exhibiting in Louisville.

At one time or another we’ve seen land lease community real estate brokers set up shop, giving their firms names such as ‘The Park Girl’. And for a couple years, Scale Model Homes Company featured plastic models of manufactured homes, with detachable roof systems, ‘for sale’. Why buy them? To use as display models at independent (street) MHRetailer sales centers and elsewhere. Some of the plastic models are now on display in the RV/MH Hall of Fame museum in Elkhart, IN. Other years, bumper stickers were handed out as SWAG, e.g. ’I LOVE (heart) MY MANUFACTURED HOME’, & ‘1995 – 2005: DECADE OF THE MANUFACTURED HOME COMMUNITY!’’ Just about any book worth reading and using in the MH business has been or is on display at this show. For example, the only professional property management textbook to be introduced at the Louisville MHShow, focused on land lease communities, is ‘Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry’. It’s available via www.educatemhc.com

Interpersonal Networking. Few venues offer more opportunity to get to know folk in one’s business than the Louisville MHShow! All the while looking at the new homes, and visiting supplier vendors, it’s easy to see old friends in the business, and make new ones as possible valuable future contacts. In many cases this is the only time of the year we get to see and talk with one another.

Educational Sessions. This hasn’t always been a staple at the Louisville MHShow. ‘Years ago’ housing manufacturers eschewed anything (i.e. seminars & panels) that’s drew ‘shoppers’ away from visiting show homes. That’s changed today, probably because of the increased number of community owners/operators present. These sessions are almost always well attended, given the topics being presented and discussed. For example, when community owners/operators started selling and financing new HUD-Code homes onsite, they learned to execute legal lease options at the Louisville MHShow and at the SECO conference in Atlanta during spring months.

Know my most memorable experience at the Louisville show (Besides enduring bitter cold weather from time to time)? It occurred when I was invited to attend a private country western concert hosted by Jim Clayton in a downtown hotel. Jim played his guitar and sang, accompanied by an attractive female backup singer. For more than an hour Jim entertained us  with his music and impromptu tales.

Maybe you’ll get lucky and find yourself in a similar memorable environment this January!

George Allen

Blog Posting # 863; Copyright 17 October 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (“MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction!) Land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And, along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages) constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is a MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrine, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

What Are the Five Asset Classes?

Are you a wealth builder – some say wealth preservationist? In either event, if you’re an adult, working as an employee, business executive or entrepreneur, you’re likely focused on one or more of five asset classes, or categories of investment with similar characteristics that work similarly in the marketplace. In abbreviated fashion the five asset classes are:

• Stocks
• Bonds
• Real estate
• Cash & cash equivalents
• Commodities

All I hope to do here is acquaint you with these ways to accumulate and preserve personal wealth. Some folk do this on their own; others identify and use capable and experienced – and sometimes credentialed individuals specializing in one or more of these asset classes. Me? I spent my career in the commercial investment real estate asset class; specifically owning and operating land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’). I also monitored my investment in the ‘cash & cash equivalent’ asset class, and did not participate in the commodities asset class at all. As far as stocks and bonds are concerned, I’ve long relied on the guidance of financial planners, a.k.a. wealth preservationists. Success I’ve enjoyed there has, in large part, not only a personal and corporate advisor, but my inclination to be a very conservative investor.

Now, more about the five asset classes.

STOCKS. These are shares of ownership in private or public companies. Stocks often generate high returns over time, but can also be very volatile as they react to current events, and other market influences. One has a choice, when investing, to do so with individual stocks, or via exchange-traded funds (‘ETFs’) that allows one to invest in a group of stocks at one time.

BONDS. These are loans you give to a company or government (to build local community buildings and infrastructure) in exchange for regular interest payments during a set period of time – until the bond matures. Bonds are generally considered safer than stocks but have lower returns. Frankly, I started off investing in bonds then switched to stocks.

REAL ESTATE. Real estate involves acquiring property, e.g. homes, commercial buildings, even raw land – with an expectation it will appreciate (increase) in value over time. Not only is price appreciation a positive feature of real estate, but the possibility of rental income is helpful. Investing in real estate also requires significant upfront investment and ongoing management.

CASH & CASH EQUIVALENTS. What does this asset class include? One’s funds in checking and savings accounts, also short-term investments that are easily converted to cash. The asset class’ characteristically offer lower returns than stocks, in exchange for providing liquidity (easy access) to one’s money when needed for emergencies or other immediate financial needs and opportunities.

COMMODITIES. Commodities include physical goods such as gold, silver, oil, even agricultural products. They are viewed as a hedge against inflation since the prices can rise when the cost of living increases. Investing in commodities lends diversity to one’s wealth-building portfolio. But also know that price volatility can work in the opposite direction as well.

So, how many of these asset classes are you invested in today? Interested in broadening one’s involvement? If so, do more research. Get comfortable with the class(es) in which you have interest.

GETTING OLD & BEING FORGOTTEN!

OK, I admit it. Thoughts of getting old and being forgotten rarely crossed my mind until I retired several years ago, then noticed how nary a week passes without word of another friend, relative, or business associate dying.

Where my business associates are concerned, another reality has come hard to mind: Did or did they not take steps to document their personal or corporate legacy, ensuring the preservation of their memory among friends like you and me? The sad answer to that question is more often than not, NO. This hit home with me recently when I received a fall newsletter from a Midwest MH association. Front page title? ‘Remembering_____, An Industry Pioneer and Friend’. Well this was a nice write-up on a now deceased pioneer in our industry. But guess what? Once this month passes, so too will the memory of this RY – except for his being an enshrinee in the RV/M Hall of Fame. To the best of my knowledge, he wrote neither memoirs (i.e. short stories) or an autobiography. And his is not an isolated case. Just sitting here I can easily recall the recent demise of other friends/acquaintances in our business, e.g. Bud Parkhill in IL., Don Gedert in IN., and Charles Irion in AZ. All of whom I asked to pen their life stories….

In the latter instance, Chuck was a complicated, colorful, giving individual. He authored nearly a dozen books, mostly adventure/mystery tales, and some nonfiction (e.g.                                      ). Chuck ‘made is mark’ in MH as a land lease community broker and ownership partner. He spent the last few years of his life traveling the world with Nora, documenting their adventures on Facebook, but often donating funds and medical equipment along the way. His recent death was sudden – and he too, to the best of my knowledge, did not document for posterity, all that he did and experienced. Now he’s gone. I knew him and will miss his lively banter, but so far, no one else will remember all that much about his business acumen, philanthropy, and love for people.

Now there’s a positive side to this recollection. To date, a dozen guys (no women, sad to say) have penned autobiographies. I’ve read them all and collected excerpts in a booklet titled ‘Who Will Preserve Your Legacy? Answer: You!’ A free copy is available to you for the asking, via gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 862; Copyright 10 October 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing &Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) are the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And along with various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages), constitute the post-production segment of the MH industry.

EducateMHC is an official MH historian, trade term trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, from SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING AUGUST 2025

George Allen’s Estimated Total of New Onsite & Offsite Construction Homes Together!

This TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS REPORT for August 2025 combines online data from the U.S. Census Bureau monthly report of estimated annual onsite construction (i.e. 1,608,000 units divided by 12 months = 134,000 units @ August), then combine this monthly total with 11,776  offsite construction completions for the same month. The offsite construction total is comprised of 1) HUD-Code manufactured housing production data (@ 8,696 units) per Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’)*1; 2) modular & panelized housing units estimated to be 2% of the onsite construction completions total (@ 134,000 X .02% = 2,680 units); and, 3) RV Industry of America (‘RVIA’) reporting 400 Park Model RVs produced.*2 So together, 134,000 onsite construction units plus 11,776 offsite construction units = 145,776 onsite & offsite construction completions together!

So, what’s going on here? Why the partial reporting of U.S. housing completions (.e. only onsite construction units) each month by the U.S. Census Bureau? I have no informed response. But it appears to me that since onsite construction totals are akin to stick-built housing alone (except for the occasional permanently-sited HUD-Code manufactured home); this is helpful information to traditional builders. Then there’s the happenstance that offsite construction data posting (i.e. IBTS & RVIA monthly reports) occurs a month later than the U.S. Census Bureau online posting.

Consequence of this partial reporting? Just using August 2025 housing completion totals (134,000 onsite construction & 11,776 offsite construction), total housing completions of 145,776 units is underreporting by 11,776 units – that’s 141,312 units when annualized, i.e. ‘more than a one month total of onsite construction’ units! So, U.S. Census Bureau appears to be underreporting total U.S. housing permits, starts & completions by 10,000+/- units per month and 100,000+ units per year! How long is this travesty to continue before correcting?

U.S. affordable housing crisis. Just how bad is it really? At the levels reported by the U.S. Census Bureau? OR, should offsite construction units be added to onsite construction unit totals to provide a more accurate data picture for housing planners and professionals?*3 The answer should be obvious to housing practitioners!

As we’ve said before, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions Report’ is a work in progress. Let us know what you think of this ghosting interplay between onsite and offsite housing completion statistics: gfa7156@aol.com

End Notes.

1. Housing data source reporting is not without its’ challenges. Take the IBTS as an example. For August 2025 it reported 8696 new HUD-Code homes as being shipped, including 26 Destination Pending units (i.e. unshipped at time of reporting). Well, the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’) reports to its’ members 8,688 new HUD-Code homes shipped, eight units fewer than what IBTS reported to them. This is because MHI, after deducting the 26 Destination Pending units from IBTS’ total, adds back the number of Destination Pending units deducted the previous month (July). As long as this confusing practice continues, the MH industry will never realize universally accurate reporting of HUD-Code housing shipments!

• Park Model RVs. The question sometimes arises, ‘Why include Park Model RVs’ as part of offsite construction? Two reasons. First, an increasing number of Park Model RVs (i.e. 400 square feet or less in size) are used as permanent and seasonal dwellings across the U.S., e.g. entire Park Model RV villages in the state of Florida and elsewhere. Second, including Park Model RVs serves as a ‘place holder’ for accessory dwelling units (‘ADUs’), yet another increasingly popular form of housing (i.e. Think ‘tiny houses’).

• Yet another issue lurks in this reporting of ‘Total U.S. Housing Completions’. Has to do with ‘manufactured housing as percentage of single-family home starts’. MHI in its’ Monthly Economic Report dated 3 October 2025, covering August 2025, claims: “Manufactured housing accounted for 10.0% of single-family home starts in August 2025.” However, given the accuracy of numbers reported in the previous paragraphs, it appears the correct answer to this question is not 10 percent, but 6 ½%. How so? MHI-reported 8688 HUD-Code MHs divided by 134,000 onsite construction units equals 6 ½%

.

George Allen

Blog Posting # 861; Copyright 3 October 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages constitute the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC, an MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

My autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

‘TURN YOUR STORY INTO HISTORY!’

Several notable personages, active in manufactured housing and land lease community ownership, are penning their autobiographies! Are you one of them? While I hope so, I doubt it. Why? Because writing personal and corporate memoirs (i.e. short stories) is a time-consuming and lonely task. But pulling memoirs together into a self-published corporate history, biography (of someone else) or one’s autobiography, while turning ‘stories into history’ – is a laborious service to mankind and preservation of one’s legacy! In my opinion, it’s well worth the time, effort and expense. Here’s why….

So many of our personal, even corporate experiences, are unique to us, our family, our business, our industry, and deserve recording. Just one example. As many know, I’ve been researching and penning a comprehensive history of the RV/MH Hall of Fame for the past two years – and know I’ve got another two years to go. Along the way I’ve relied on anecdotes and histories archived in the Hall of Fame library, and a raft of autobiographies. I’ve read and used material from more than a dozen manufactured housing and land lease community-specific autobiographies (More about this later), and of late, a half dozen RV-related collections of memoirs. If these personal and corporate histories had NOT been penned and, for the most part, self-published, I’d be ‘dead in the water’ where this project is concerned, and all this ‘history’ would be lost to future generations of MH/RV aficionados and would be practitioners.

Since I have these tomes for my use, the stories have fleshed-out ‘specific events by date’ histories I’d have otherwise not written. For example, I’ve learned of the fair number of immigrants who’ve come to America and realized Horatio Algier dreams of personal and corporate success (e.g. Kris Jensen, Dan Pocapalio, Boris Vukovich, et. al.). And how many, if not most, MH & RV manufacturers started, fabricating product prototypes, in someone’s garage.

So, are there stories in particular I’d like to see penned and published? Sure, here’s a sampling.

Several corporate owners/operators of land lease community portfolios ‘went public’ as real estate investment trusts (‘REITs’) in 1994 – and all have continued to grow in size since then. So there’re certainly interesting, if not exciting, stories to share now and in the future.

How ‘bout the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’). Everyone in the MH business knows who they are, but ‘who’ really knows the institute’s history? Some tidbits to disclose: original name and when started; who were the many executive directors during past seven or more decades? How was MHARR spun off in 1985? Same to be said about the RVIA (Recreational Vehicle Industry of America).

Adventure Homes in Auburn, IN. This was originally a plant for a major MH player, but is now owned/run by employees – or so I’m told. There simply has to be ‘a grand tale to be told there’.

Annual SECO Conference in Atlanta, GA. During the past 13 years this event has grown from a small regional gathering into the premier gathering of small-to-mid-sized land lease community owners/operators from throughout the U.S! New manufactured homes are always on display. Rumor has it that a book is being written, but mainly about one of the transaction methodologies conceived and matured along with this annual event: MH lease option.

There’s a new tale unfolding right now – the acquisition of American Homestar by CAVCO Industries. Hmm. Wonder if anyone there will pick up the pen and tell us that inside story? Maybe a similar tale, albeit larger in $ size, is the soon acquisition of YES! Communities.

A story I’d really like to read is one that describes the growth of Lautrec, Ltd, under Spencer Partridge; then the founding and rapid growth of RHP Properties, under his son Ross Partridge.

ROC USA is surely a tale with many tangents. Resident-owned Communities (‘ROC’) have come into their own during the past couple (few?) decades. Founder Paul Bradley has moved into other leadership there, succeeded Emily Haden. Anyone going to tell us this compelling story?

The most intriguing story yet to be told, is about Randy Rowe of Green Courte Partners. I was at his side when his saga began in the early 90s – when he took MHC cum ELS, Inc. public as a REIT. Then came his founding and rapid growth of Hometown America, followed by Green Courte Partners. And along the way, Randy was the inspiration to launch the National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division at MHI*1; Oh, and lest we forget, the short-lived Manufactured Housing Communities Council (‘MHCC’), of the Urban Land Institute (‘ULI’).

Know what? There are many additional individuals out there who have very worthwhile personal success stories to tell. I’ll name just a few here: Charles Fanaro of Saddlebrook Farms fame – as visionary real estate developer and top shelf MH manufacturer*2; Eugene & Sam Landy, father/son at UMH Properties; the Hames family in Iowa; Jim Ayotte, executive director of FMHA (Florida), Mike Sullivan, CPM, of Newport Pacific Family of Companies; Sharon Niccum, now retired Indiana-based community owner/operator; Don Westphal, renowned landscape architect; George Porter, father of MH installations; and Suzanne Felber, interior decorator par excellence.

Earlier I spoke of land lease community owners/operators who’ve penned and published their autobiographies. Quoting from the booklet ‘Who Will Preserve Your Legacy? Answer: you!’:

Kristian Jensen, Sr., A Danish American. Long out of print but in the RV/MH Hall of Fame library

John Crean, The Wheel & I. Most extravagant MH book ever published, with gilt edged pages…

James Clayton, First A Dream. Profits from these book sales donated to RV/MH Hall of Fame

The Life & Times of B.M. Vukovich, a photoautobiography prepared and published by his family.

Harrell & Darrell Cohron, The Trailer Twins. Both deceased; company in 3^rd or 4^th generation

Mike Conlon, Unconventional Wealth. Covers first half author’s life, more to come….

George N. Goldman, The Road Less Traveled. Once renown Midwest owner/operator

Alvan L. Schrader, No Respect At All…A PATH TO MILLION$. Contains pithy challenge to MH folk

George Allen’s SWAN SONG, History of Land Lease Communities & annual MH #s from 1955…

Samuel Zell, Am I Being Too Subtle? Long awaited book from largest public owner/operator.

Matthew Jenkins, DVM, Positive Possibilities. USAF veteran, veterinarian, owner/operator

Jim, Ralph & Jeff Scoular, Leap of Faith. Tale of three MH ‘players’ all in one family.

George Allen, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven. From Vietnam combat to community owner

George O’Leary, the O’Learys of Beechwood. Little known MH & RV developer/operator

Now, wouldn’t you like to see your life story, or corporate history, added to this august list? For a head start to this end, request a FREE copy of the aforementioned booklet. It contains brief summaries of these titles, and at the end, a Five Step procedure for preparing one’s memoirs and autobiography. Request via gfa7156@aol.com Most of these books are available to purchase via the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN. Visit their website: RV/MH Hall of Fame.

And remember, tongue in cheek, that “Autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people.” Philip Guedalla

End Notes

1. Read the late Bruce Savage’s The First 20 Years! Available: www.educatemhc.com
2. Read SWAN SONG, Available: www.educatemhc.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 860; Copyright 26 September 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. And various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans), and real estate mortgages constitute the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is an official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG –History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

My autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

WRITING FOR YOU, IN THE MOMENT & IN RETROSPECT

French-born American female writer, diarist and novelist Anais Nin (1903-1977) presciently describes my life in retirement with this quote: “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” I did not realize this truth until just recently, during the SECO Conference in Atlanta, when asked to describe my present day writing projects. Here they are…

In the moment, so to speak, I continue to pen and post a weekly blog for EducateMHC. In fact, this is the 860^th blog since 2008. And we’ve covered a lot of territory during the past 17 years: wide variety of manufactured housing and land lease community matters and perspectives; a rewriting of the classic ‘Upside Down in a Mobile Home Park’, describing how chattel finance shenanigans in and around 1998 caused the MH industry to lose easy access to ‘home only loans’ – bringing about the paradigm shift of new home sales away from independent (street) MHRetailers to the onsite sale and financing of homes. Also sharing of combat experiences in Vietnam 60 years ago, and the popular post, ‘Bad Boys of Manufactured Housing’.

Another ‘in the moment’ writing focus is a passionate, ongoing interest in what I see as ‘righting a serious wrong’ in new U.S. housing statistical reporting. As you may or may not know, the U.S. Census Bureau, every month, tallies and reports online, the volume of new stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction) permits, starts, and completions. No mention whatsoever is made of HUD-Code manufactured housing, modular housing, panelized housing, or Park Model RVs (a.k.a. offsite construction & factory-built housing). Why are these forms of affordable housing not included? Maybe because that data, other than MH shipments reported by the Institute for Business Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’), and Park Model RVs by RVIA (‘Recreational Vehicle Industry of America’), are too difficult to tally, e.g. number of modular & panelized units estimated to be 2 percent of the onsite construction total. Plus, the data for offsite housing, as a rule, surfaces a month later after the U.S. Census Bureau report is published online. The grand consequence? In round numbers, the monthly total of onsite construction of new U.S. homes is approximately 90 percent of what it would be if offsite construction was added to the total!

From the retrospect perspective, I spend much time writing in two separate and distinct areas. Since the very beginning of MHInsider magazine (August 2018), I’ve penned the Allen Legacy column. My instructions there are to write interesting manufactured housing and land lease community columns – with an historic bent. There I’ve covered the gamut from RV/MH Hall of Famer pioneers and enshrines, the evolution of MH trade terminology or lingo, identity and autobiographical summaries of various prominent business founders and leaders, the five decade long partnership between MH and HUD, and community value appraisal, the Big Auction of 2005, Vietnam War veterans in MH, community rating (grading) systems, and a look back at community management 50 years ago. And soon to come, ‘MH Poems, Songs, Narratives and More!’ Perhaps someday, someone will collect and publish these dozens of columns as a supplemental history of manufactured housing and land lease communities.

Another retrospect focus has been two years of research relative to preparing a comprehensive history of the RV/MH Hall of Fame in Elkhart, IN. The late Dr. Carl Edwards, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, authored an unpublished history covering the years 1972 through 1992. I picked up the pen, beginning with year 1993, but soon discovered much was amiss in the earlier years. SO, the project has expanded and is estimated to be completed (maybe) sometime in late 2026 or year 2027. In the meantime, if you’d like to learn more about the prestigious RV/MH Hall of Fame, visit their website: RV/MH Hall of Fame. And while there, consider nominating a deserving friend or relative who’s been in the MH and or RV industries for more than two decades, for induction into the Hall of Fame. Better yet, visit the RV/MH Hall of Fame and tour its’ two large exhibit halls, one dedicated to RVs and one dedicated to MH and land lease communities. You’ll be glad you did.

So, recalling writer Nin’s words, I continue to taste MH life twice; in the moment and in retrospect. Comments or recommendations are welcome via gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 859; Copyright 19  September 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction: manufactured, modular, panelized housing & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities 9a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages constitute the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is an official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.eduatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG –History of land lease communities  official record of annual MH production totals since 1955

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrine, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

SECO & I’m HOME Network’s Menu of Policies

What happened when 350 manufactured housing aficionados and 100+ ROC homeowners/site lessees socialized and met together in Atlanta, GA during 8-11 September 2025? Well, they talked and learned together about their common interests, living in HUD-Code manufactured homes and residency in land lease communities. Specifically, this was a ‘first time ever’ coming together of the annual SECO Conference and Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s I’m HOME Network.

Many I’m HOME Network attendees participated in an evening reception, and visiting five new HUD-Code homes on display in the Renaissance Hotel’s outdoor parking area. The next day, several SECO folk sat in on I’m HOME Network’s Menu of Policies panel presentation and lively discussions. What follows here is a potpourri of observations and extracts from selected writings I reviewed during the sessions.

Trade Terminology. This was an important topic among the I’m HOME folk. While panelists made a concerted effort to take the high road in this area, there still were errant references to ‘parks’ and ‘park-communities’, but not many. One handout, ‘Words Matter: How Terminology Shapes Policy for Manufactured Home Communities (‘MHCs’)’ went into detail recommending use of ‘manufactured home’, not ‘mobile home’ or ‘trailer’, and why ‘manufactured home community’ is favored over ‘park’. Since the majority of I’m HOME attendees appeared to be from ROCs (‘resident-owned communities’), they preferred ‘landowner’, ‘ business owner’ or ‘stakeholder’ rather than ‘park owner’, even ‘community owner’. I suggested, during discussion, a few more clarifying terms, e.g. resident, not tenant; rental homesites, not lots, spaces or stalls; and ‘independent (street) MHRetailers’ – or simply MHRetailers, not ‘dealers’.

Yet another interesting handout was the preview copy of Lincoln Institute’s ‘State Policy Handbook’ for manufactured housing, a.k.a. Playbook & Menu of Policies – September 2025.

Goal 1. Expanding the Market and Creating Affordable Housing Supply via reforming of zoning and land use policies for manufactured homes; replacement of substandard housing with new, efficient units; and, provide financing and other support for new home development using manufactured homes.

Goal 2. Improving Home Financing Options via allowing broader access to mortgages by making it easier to title manufactured homes as real estate; and, supporting manufactured housing through state first-time homebuyer programs.

Goal 3. Preserving Existing Affordable Housing via ensuring manufactured home community (‘MHC’) residents have the opportunity to purchase their community when it is for sale; supporting the preservation of MHCs, including new ROCs, through state financing and grand programs; Improving public data collection and disclosure on manufactured home communities; including MHCs in state and local affordable housing analyses and planning processes; and, strengthening minimum lease protections in communities.

Within each of the three stated goals, Lincoln Institute writers provided researched and learned details as to how to accomplish said goals. The fact that these matters are being articulated in a quasi-academic fashion suggests, to me anyway, that continued refinement of this State Policy Handbook for Manufactured Housing will garner deeper and serious interest on the part of government agencies, NGOs (non-government organizations), even the manufactured housing business industry itself. (Is anyone at MHI & MHARR paying attention to this cooperative effort?)

So, what else happened at this SECO/I’m HOME Network forum? More than I can tell you here. But I did suggest a couple measures to consider in promoting the above goals:

1. I’m HOME Network should make its’ presence and work better known throughout the manufactured housing industry, as well as local and national government offices, by dint of regular, professionally-penned PRESS RELEASES. At present, few know the I’m HOME Network exists, let alone what it is doing now and in the future.
2. Research and publish the first formal glossary or directory of MH trade terminology. Invite the manufactured housing industry (e.g. MHI, MHARR, & MHInsider magazine) to participate in such a project.

What will you do to help further this blooming cooperation between the manufactured housing industry – including land lease communities, and the SECO team, as well as folk at I’m HOME Network at the Lincoln Institute? Your input is always welcome: gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 858; Copyright 12 September 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction; the other three being modular & panelized housing, & Park Model RVs), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). Plus, land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. Various types of housing finance (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, and real estate mortgages constitute the post-production segment of MH.

EducateMHC is an official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source! Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG –History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fae enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

TOTAL U.S. HOUSING COMPLETIONS DURING JULY 2025

EducateMHC’s Economic Report: Total new onsite & offsite homes completed!

This total U.S. Housing Completion Report for July 2025 combines online data from the U.S. Census Bureau (i.e. their annual estimated onsite construction completion total divided by 12 months; then adding offsite construction completions comprised of 1) HUD-code manufactured housing production data from the Institute for Building Technology & Safety (‘IBTS’), 2) modular & panelized housing units estimated to be 2% of onsite construction completion total, and 3) RV Industry of America (‘RVIA’) website report of monthly production of Park Model RVs – a type of accessory dwelling unit (‘ADU’).

A disturbing albeit historic fact! The U.S. Census Bureau’s Housing Completion Report today, cites only  estimated onsite construction completion totals (i.e. stick-built homes), totally ignoring four types of offsite construction, a.k.a. factory-built housing; specifically, HUD-Code manufactured housing, modular & panelized housing, and Park Model RVs. Result? Under estimation of total U.S. housing completions month after month after month. If you agree the time has come to broaden the data reporting scope of the U.S. Census Bureau, read on…

The real U.S. Housing Completion total for July 2025. Rather than there being just 117,917 new onsite construction homes completed during this time frame, the all-encompassing estimated total (i.e. including 10,973 offsite construction units) is 128,890 new onsite & offsite construction homes – a difference of 10,973 and an underestimated total for all of 2025 of 131,676 new homes.

What are the ‘numbers’ that make up these totals?

U.S. Census Bureau, for the month of July 2025, reports 117,917 single-family, site-built, privately-owned onsite housing completions (i.e. this is 1/12^th of the published annual total of 1,415,000 completions). Meanwhile, the monthly grand total, inclusive of four types of offsite construction (Again, 10,973 HUD-Code housing + modular & panelized homes + Park Model RVs) totals 128,890 total U.S. housing completions during July 2025.

So why does the U.S. Census Bureau continue to research and report ‘half a loaf’ where onsite and offsite housing completions is concerned? Your guess is as good as mine, though I sense  conventional housing builders are not interested in any recognition of the factory-produced housing used on privately-owned, scattered building sites, and within land lease communities. Anyone care to prove me wrong?

As we’ve said before, this ‘Total U.S. Housing Completion Report’ is indeed a work in progress. Let us know what you think of this interplay between onsite and offsite housing statistics: gfa7156@aol.com

‘LET’S TALK’

Will you be at the annual SECO Conference in Atlanta, GA., 8-10 September? Well, I will be and I’d like to propose a new interpersonal protocol for regional and national meetings attended by manufactured housing aficionados and owner/operators of land lease communities. And this year’s SECO Conference is a good place to begin.

Heretofore, interpersonal protocol has been described as informal networking among peers. Nothing wrong with that. I’d just like to take the matter a formal step forward. Here’s how. We already know we can’t count on the organizers and hosts of regional and national trade meetings to arrange for scheduled, stimulating conversations focused on business issues at the time.

Here are three topics I’m making myself available to discuss during the SECO Conference.

This very topic of Total U.S. Housing Completions. Whether the U.S. Census Bureau should continue underreporting housing completions month after month after month. Or, bring offsite construction into the fold to join with onsite construction reporting – and how to bring this about. Your opportunity to comment upon and discuss a national MH issue.

Have you visited the RV/MH Hall of Fame museum and library in Elkhart, IN.? If not, you really should. It’s a very large collection of vintage RVs and manufactured homes, all under one huge roof. It’s the veritable preserver of our two industries’ history and legacy. I’m in the midst of researching and authoring a comprehensive history of the Hall of Fame, and if you have stories to tell, please talk to me about them. This is your opportunity to input!

And finally. As one approaches the end of a business career, it behooves one to think about the legacy they’ll be leaving for colleagues, friends, family, and employees. Do you know the difference between a memoir and an autobiography? Simply, a memoir is a short story; an autobiography is a collection of those short stories – whether personal, familial, or career-related. Stop and talk to me about starting to pen your memoirs and possibly an autobiography in the future. Who else in the MH industry is willing to help you learn this process?

If you’re not attending the SECO Conference, talk to me anyway; via gfa7156@aol.com

Parting thought. Why isn’t this sort of interpersonal protocol part of every regional and national – even state association gathering? It boggles my mind to think of the many and varied topics now begging open discussion-leading-to-action. For example: national brand marketing of manufactured housing, greater emphasis on professional property management of land lease communities nationwide, and broader use of lease option methodology when marketing manufactured homes onsite.

See you in Atlants!

George Allen

Blog Posting # 857; Copyright 6 September 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely    paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. A variety of housing finance types (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, & real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes post-production MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG –History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

My autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, and freelance consulting plus authoring 20 nonfiction texts & 900 blog postings.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/M Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

OUR WORST NIGHTMARE

‘EMP Attack Would Kill Millions of Americans!’ This is the vivid headline of a feature article in the September 2025 issue of NEWSMAX magazine. Here’s from that startling news story:

“One of the primary reasons the U.S. needs a Golden Dome (like Israel) is to prevent an electromagnetic pulse (‘EMP’) attack, which if successful would kill millions of Americans over a short period of time.”

And “Instead of detonating when it hits the ground, an EMP would explode 200 miles above the U.S.”, damaging current and effecting voltage surges nationwide – and a whole lot more!

So, where’s all this coming from? Various sources for sure. I first learned about EMPs back in 2009, when a friend working in the federal government recommended I read William Forstchen’s science fiction novel One Second After. Well, I did so – and was shocked to learn  how devastating an EMP attack would be here in the U.S. I mean, and think about this for a moment, how do we live without electricity? No power, no lights, no pumping of any liquid, no electronic communication, no HVAC, and on and on! Guess what likely becomes the primary method of monetary exchange? Bullets! There’re needed for hunting, as there will be no grocery stores to speak of. Anyway, this dire scenario goes on and on throughout the novel, leaving readers stunned at ‘what might be’. This real fear of an EMP so stunned politicians in Washington, DC. at the time, that Newt Gingrich encouraged Dr. Forstchen to pen this story – and that was 16 years ago! Now EMPs are coming back into the national news.

Again, “After about 20 days, your town is out of food, and then the (loss of) command and control starts with the bad guys coming to take whatever they want. It turns into a massive catastrophe.”

A second novel by Forstchen, titled One Year After, revisits the towns and characters introduced in the first novel, 12 months later, describing how many, but not all, have adapted to a very primitive lifestyle. It sure reawakens the angst and awe spawned in the first novel.

Finally, author Forstchen closes this epic tale in The Final Day, describing an almost apocalyptic event – but not, on the east coast. By the time one finishes reading this triad of science fiction novels, one wants to never experience an EMP attack, anywhere, anytime!

So, if you’re looking for a challenging, albeit educational ‘read’ this fall, be sure to pick up a copy of One Second After. And let me know what you think of the plots and characters, via gfa7156@aol.com

George Allen

Blog Posting # 856; Copyright 29 August 2025. EducateMHC

Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. one of four types of offsite construction), routinely paired with traditional stick-built housing (a.k.a. onsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRE’) component of MH. A variety of housing finance types (e.g. chattel or ‘home only’ loans, & real estate-secured mortgages) constitutes post-production MH.

EducateMHC is the official MH historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as perennial MH information source. Contact EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email gfa7156@aol.com, and www.educatemhc.com to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry (This book belongs in every land lease community nationwide!), and SWAN SONG – History of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production totals since 1955.

My autobiography, From SmittyAlpha5 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consulting and authoring of 20 nonfiction texts.

George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, Allen Legacy columnist & editor at large for the popular MHInsider magazine.

A CHANGE IN PACE…

Yes I know, no blog posting from me last week. That’s because I spent the first three days of the week in Elkhart, IN., at the RV/MH Hall of Fame museum and library. Monday night, hundreds of us enjoyed the annual Hall of Fame induction banquet, where we celebrated to lives and careers of ten MH & RV industry pioneers. Monday, 100 of us participated in the IMHA/RVIC’s annual two days FactoryTour program, also at the Hall of Fame facility. Plus, I spent time, while there, working on the RV/MH Hall of Fame history project. This initiative has been in play now for two years, and I estimate another two years work and writing before we publish a comprehensive, year-by-year history of this important MH & RV museum and library. Now for this week’s ‘change in pace’.

A longtime friend sent me several short stories describing historical origins of several common day terms we use during conversations and in writing. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

During WWII, U.S. airplanes were armed with belts of bullets which they’d shoot during dogfights and on strafing runs. These belts were folded into wing compartments until fed into their machine guns. These belts measured 27 feet in length and contained hundreds of rounds of ammunition. Often, pilots would return from combat missions, having expended all their bullets on various targets. They would say, “I gave them the whole nine yards’, meaning they used up all their ammunition.

In George Washington’s days, there were no cameras. One’s image was either sculpted or painted. Some paintings of George Washington showed him standing behind a desk with one arm behind his back, while others showed both legs and arms. Prices charged by painters back then were not based on how many people were to be painted, but by how many limbs were to be painted. Arms and legs are ‘limbs’, therefore painting them would cost the buyer more. Hence the expression, “Okay, but it’ll cost you an arm and a leg.” (Artists know hands and arms are more difficult to paint).

As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year, usually in May and October. Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads, due to lice and bugs, and wore wigs. Wealthy men could afford good wigs made from wool. They couldn’t wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve a large hole in a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes. The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term ‘big wig’. Today we often hear the term ‘Here comes the Big Wig’ because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

In the late 1700s, many houses consisted of a large room with only one chair. Commonly, a long wide board folded down from the wall, and was used for dining. The ‘head of the household’ always sat in the chair, while everyone else ate sitting on the floor. Occasionally a guest, who was usually a man, would be invited to sit in this chair during the meal. To sit in the chair meant you were important and in charge. They called the one sitting in the chair the ‘chair man’. Today in business, we use the expression or title ‘Chairman’ or ‘Chairman of the Board.”

Ladies wore corsets, which lace up I the front. A proper and dignified woman, as in ‘straight laced’ wore a tightly-tied lace.

Common entertainment included playing cards. However, there was a tax levied when purchasing playing cards, but only applicable to the ‘Ace of Spades’. To avoid paying the tax, people would purchase 51 cards instead. Yet, since most games require 52 cards, these people were thought to be stupid or dumb because they weren’t ‘playing with a full deck’. Hmm, that sounds a little dubious, but ‘who knows’?

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid’s job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in ‘pints’ and who was drinking ‘in pints & quarts’, hence the phrase, ‘minding your Ps & Qs’.

Now, this final tale is a bit complicated to follow. Bet you didn’t know that, in the heyday of sailing ships, all warships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannons fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon. However, how to prevent them from rolling about the deck. The best storage method devised was a square-based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine, which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of 30 cannon balls could be stacked in a small area next to the cannon. There was a problem…how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding or rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a ‘Monkey’, with 16 round indentations. If this plate was made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to use ‘Brass Monkeys’. Now, brass contracts in size much more and faster than iron when chilled. Hence, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannonballs would come right of the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, ‘Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.’ Now you know…

OK, where’s the MH application in all this? Well, back in the 70s (1970, not 1870), there was a Midwestern MH-related social organization known as the Hitchball Social Club. This IMHA/RVIC (Indiana) group partied regularly, even had its’ own unique lapel membership pin, featuring a MH hitchball in its’ center. I wear the pin, from time-to-time, to various state and national MH events. Ask to see it sometime….

George Allen

Blog Posting # 855; Copyright 15 August 2025. EducateMHC

50 YEARS YOUNG; the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame

A Summary of the early history of the foundation, 1972-2025

Introduction. I have been researching and penning a comprehensive history of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation Hall of Fame for the past two years. I expect it’ll be another two years before I have a manuscript ready for printing, binding, and distribution. What follows here is a brief look at some of the history of the foundation. If you have RV &/or MH anecdotes, and historical tidbits, to share on this subject, please let me know via gfa7156@aol.com Here goes…

            Year 1972 is historic for several reasons. Internationally, it was a black year due to terrorism interrupting Olympic sports when Arab gunmen massacred 11 Israeli athletes in Europe. Nationally, 1972 marked the beginning of the Watergate fiasco, one of the greatest U.S. political scandals in modern times.

            In manufactured housing circles however, 1972 was a Banner Year, boasting the second highest production level year in industry history, with 575,940 new mobile homes shipped!  And 1973 exceeded this euphoric level by 4,000 units, when 579,940 new homes were shipped! Unfortunately, two years later – in 1975, these acme shipment levels, for financial and regulatory reasons, plummeted to 212,690 new homes shipped. Since then, it’s been a veritable roller coaster ride of fluctuating annual production totals, affecting financial support for the RV/MH Hall of Fame, museum and library. (Editorial note. Given the dearth of recreational vehicle production totals, that perspective is absent from this summary.)

            Riding the 1972 MH shipment euphoria, a group of 10 manufactured housing recreational vehicle trade magazine publishers, attending an MHMA meeting (predecessor to MHI) in Washington, DC on 22 March, announced the first Hall of Fame class comprised of 14 pioneers. Inductees included industry pioneers Betty Orr, Jerry Golden, Wally Byam, Elmer Frey, Kristian Jensen and several others. First Hall of Fame headquarters was the business office of its first chairman, later a loaned desk in the National Bank of Elkhart. Early years were tough going, with members paying utility bills. In time, Jack Tuff and Vern Sailor convinced the city of Elkhart to donate six acres of urban renewal land for the first Hall of Fame facility, built in 1990.  First major donors were Winnebago and MHI, until the RV industry became more involved during the early 2000s. (Editorial note. Interestingly; some recall an early name version as being MH/RV Hall of Fame). A new 80,000 square foot RV/MH Hall of Fame museum and library facility opened on the east side of Elkhart during 2007. And during year, 2021, a new manufactured housing display area was opened to the public.

            Some interesting facts about past year inductees into the RV/MH Hall of Fame, beginning with the varying number of inductees each year. 1972 = 14; 1973 = 11; 1974 = 10; 1977 = ‘0’; and years 1984, 86, 89 & 94 saw only three new inductees each year. Beginning in 2014 and thereafter, annual classes have numbered ten individuals; five each from the recreational vehicle and manufactured housing industries.

Who’re some of the MH industry pioneers inducted into the prestigious RV/MH Hall of Fame during the past five decades?

• At least eight father and son pairings (as of 2024), of which three ‘fathers’ have authored autobiographies: Jim Clayton, the late Kris Jensen, and late Ralph Scoular.  
• Other Hall of Fame enshrinees who’ve authored autobiographies include the late John Crean, twins Harrell & Darrell Cohron,  Alvan L. Schrader and George Allen
• One pair of twins; Darrell & Harrell Cohron from Indianapolis.
• At least one married couple: Warren & Mary Jackson
• More than a half dozen founders of housing manufacturer firms, e.g. John Crean, Art Decio, Bob DeRose, Jim Shea, Sr., Elmer Frey, Harold Platt.
• Some notable individuals: Ricky Bucchino ‘did it all’ (i.e. MHRetailer, manufacturer, community owner, and association director), was known as ‘Mr.  Florida MH’ until he died; Dr. Carlton Edwards, prolific author and director of Michigan State University’s Mobile Homes Education Program; Dick Moore, longest operating MHRetailer, who sold a MH to Elvis Presley; and Grayson Schwepfinger, perennial trainer of ‘company store’ and independent (street) MHRetailers everywhere.

            An interesting and welcome phenomenon, of late, has been the growing number of women pioneers and executives being inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame. The late Betty Orr was a member of the inaugural 1972 class. Since then there’ve been others, listed here alphabetically:

• Lisa Drake Connor of MO. Early spokesperson for the MH industry, via media events and among legislators. Worked to improve industry & image.
• Theresa M. Desfosses of ME. Since 1968, she fabricated and sold new manufactured homes via Burlington Homes, & developed communities.
• Patricia Fiederer of NY. President of Latham Homes & developed land lease communities. A 40 year member and leader of New York MH Association.
• Ruth D. Kaseman of AZ. Active in housing since 1944. Founder of Arizona MH Owners Association, and a co-founder of the RV/MH Hall of Fame.
• Christine Lindsey, MHM, of TN. Career regional property manager for UMH Properties. Energetic promoter of manufactured housing nationwide.
• Betty Orr of IL. Well known after-market supplier, MH retailer &association leader. First female interior designer to work in manufactured housing
• Debra Pizer, MHM of IL. Retired property management executive with Zeman MHC; female mentor in community management & retail sales.
• Maggie Stephenson of IN. Founder and developer of Stephenson land lease communities, an independent MH retailer. Past president of IMHA/RVIC.
• Glenna Tollett of WA. Developer and operator of three land lease communities in WA. Executive director of the Washington MH Association.
• Doris Woodward of CA. Editor of Trailer Life magazine in 1940s & 50s. Also with Jenkins Publishing as a columnist writing about manufactured homes.
• Mary I. Younkin of OH. 50 year veteran of manufactured housing; served  Ohio MH Association for 30 years. Founded Dycom Industries.
• Karen Redfern, VP of marketing at ‘Go Rving!’ promotional program
• Darlene Stahla-Gardner, President & owner of Henry Stahla Mobile Homes
• Paula Reeves, CIS Financial Services president

While this is an impressive list of 14 female RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinees (The last three were inducted during year 2023), their number comprises only 3 percent of all inductees honored since 1972!

Again, if you have knowledge or experience of RV and or MH historic events during years past, please share them with me ASAP. I’m working with a 53 year timeline and will insert your contribution(s) where and when appropriate.

George Allen, EducateMHC