E. R. Hemmings Family Fund

Anyone who has ever searched for a hard-to-find car part most likely knows Hemmings Motor News , “the bible of the old-car hobby.” What you may not know is that Ernest ‘E. R.’ Hemmings founded the business in his hometown of Quincy, Illinois.

What began as a mimeographed mail order catalog in 1954 evolved into Hemmings Motor News . With help from family and friends, Ernie grew Hemmings Motor News from 500 subscribers to nearly 40,000 in 1969.

Ernie died on February 25, 2015 leaving a storied, yet humble, legacy in the old-car world. At the time of his death, Hemmings Motor News and its associated titles boasted a combined global readership in excess of 500,000.

Ernie’s son, Trent, and Trent’s late mother, Frances, considered how they could honor the father and husband who spent his life taking care of his family while quietly building a business that became known globally. To honor Ernie, described by Trent as “a son of Quincy,” they established the E.R. Hemmings Family Fund at the Community Foundation – leaving another kind of legacy right in his own hometown.

The endowed fund will permanently support charitable organizations and causes in Quincy and Adams County, Illinois.