[
] Jim "Brake Kit" Turner and I traveled from the Indianapolis area to South Bend today (Thursday, April 15) to attend Phil Brown's funeral. Very nice and appropriate; a gorgeous day, if it had to be.[V]We got to South Bend a bit earlier than necessary, so we decided to stop at the new Studebaker International satellite / SASCO parts purchase warehouse in the former Chippewa Plant on South Bend's south side. Ed Reynolds and several workers were there, including Andy Petrass and Kyle Maxey. Ed had a few minutes before he, too, needed to leave for Phil's funeral
, so he gave Jim and me the 15-minute tour.
Quite simply, Jim and I were amazed at the extreme organization and proper storage of the enormous number of parts that had been moved from the Engineering Buidling / former SASCO location.
I doubt the parts have been this well organized, properly stored, and inventoried since the original SASCO closed in 1972. In fact, having seen all the parts in the several moves and locations since 1972, it may be stated catagorically that the parts have not been this well accounted for and safely stored since 1972, period. The new facility is tight and secure, much more so than the assorted leaks and creaks of the old Engineering Building. The racks and rows and bins are unbelievably well organized and they aren't done yet. However, all the stock has been properly moved to the new facility and, while maybe 20% of it remains to be properly identified and placed in a final, organized, manner, "no way" did Jim or I expect to see such an excellent arrangement with clear aisles, racks and pallets stacked appropriately to the tall ceiling, and everything so well labeled.
Andy and Kyle were steadily and gainfully employed, with Andy referencing a 1959-1964 Body Parts book while Kyle was identifying, cleaning, and neatly stacking some vent wing assemblies they had just uncovered in the staging area.
Overall, I do believe this was a better scenario than any of us could have imagined. All the accolades and "atta-boys" that have been tendered to Ed Reynolds for having stepped out and undertaken this project are well deserved.[^]
Congrats, Ed, for a happy ending to what could have been a horror story! [8D]BP
We've got to quit saying, 
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