(Note: names have been omitted to protect the privacy of others)
I brag on Studebakers and the the Studebaker community a lot. Probably too much. But it's hard to keep your trap shut when you've found the coolest cars and greatest car people around. Since I re-joined the SDC a few years ago (and the local chapter just about a year ago), I've experienced more support and open-armed friendship than I have with any other group I've ever belonged to. The guys in the local chapter have not merely allowed me into the club, but warmly welcomed me to become part of it. They've been enthusiastic about my offerings to help out (such as with the chapter website), and even though I'm sure some of the questions I ask may qualify as dumb, they've never made me feel like the new kid with his first car, even though in comparison that's about where I am. Even my little three year old son has a place in the club, drawing the winning ticket for our monthly prize drawing. In this short of a time, I feel like the local chapter isn't their chapter that I get to participate with, but it's our chapter. That's cool, and it just doesn't happen in any club out there.
I wrote here on the forums a while back about the break in at my garage. Thieves stole just about every tool I had to my name. They left me with an assortment of about a dozen hand tools, my big rolling tool cabinet, and not a thing more. The loss was devastating to me. As a result I found myself selling off the two 1960 Larks I had been trying to restore, as there's no use trying to restore a car when you can't even maintain the running one you've got. I never asked for the folks in the chapter to help, and I didn't expect anyone to. It's not their problem, after all.
Even so, the Studebaker community stepped up to the plate. one friend in the club let me come up to his place a few weeks back, to use his tools and shop to do some maintenance on the '63. At the end of that long day of work, he gave me a very nice ratchet set, one I've put to work more than once since. But today was the biggest surprise. Another guy in the club called me about noon, and asked if I'd take a ride up to yet another chapter member's home, where they are gearing up for an auction. The story I was given was that he was taking me there to see what was going to be available. So I got there, and found a tool cabinet full of tools that I could certainly put to use. I also found a jack, which I was in need of as mine was swiped along with everything else.
As I'm looking at the tools, I realized that pretty much everyone who had been in the garage had vanished. I decided to see where everyone went, and I headed toward the house. When I found them, they were working out a deal. I won't go into all the details, but the outcome was that I was given this very nice set of hand tools along with the jack. I didn't know what to say. Even now, 12 hours later, I'm very seriously still beside myself over the generosity I received today. Besides being totally unexpected, this is such a lifesaver. I can actually maintain my car again, and with the exception of the power and air tools I believe this replaced everything that was stolen (and then some!).
The phrase "Studebakers are great. Studebaker people are the greatest!" has floated around on this forum for some time, but I thought I'd come on here tonight to share a real life proof of that. My hope is that someday I can pay this forward. And to those folks out there who know who they are, thanks so much. This is one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. It brought a lot of joy to a part of me that's been missing that for the last couple months.
And that's all I have to say about that
I brag on Studebakers and the the Studebaker community a lot. Probably too much. But it's hard to keep your trap shut when you've found the coolest cars and greatest car people around. Since I re-joined the SDC a few years ago (and the local chapter just about a year ago), I've experienced more support and open-armed friendship than I have with any other group I've ever belonged to. The guys in the local chapter have not merely allowed me into the club, but warmly welcomed me to become part of it. They've been enthusiastic about my offerings to help out (such as with the chapter website), and even though I'm sure some of the questions I ask may qualify as dumb, they've never made me feel like the new kid with his first car, even though in comparison that's about where I am. Even my little three year old son has a place in the club, drawing the winning ticket for our monthly prize drawing. In this short of a time, I feel like the local chapter isn't their chapter that I get to participate with, but it's our chapter. That's cool, and it just doesn't happen in any club out there.
I wrote here on the forums a while back about the break in at my garage. Thieves stole just about every tool I had to my name. They left me with an assortment of about a dozen hand tools, my big rolling tool cabinet, and not a thing more. The loss was devastating to me. As a result I found myself selling off the two 1960 Larks I had been trying to restore, as there's no use trying to restore a car when you can't even maintain the running one you've got. I never asked for the folks in the chapter to help, and I didn't expect anyone to. It's not their problem, after all.
Even so, the Studebaker community stepped up to the plate. one friend in the club let me come up to his place a few weeks back, to use his tools and shop to do some maintenance on the '63. At the end of that long day of work, he gave me a very nice ratchet set, one I've put to work more than once since. But today was the biggest surprise. Another guy in the club called me about noon, and asked if I'd take a ride up to yet another chapter member's home, where they are gearing up for an auction. The story I was given was that he was taking me there to see what was going to be available. So I got there, and found a tool cabinet full of tools that I could certainly put to use. I also found a jack, which I was in need of as mine was swiped along with everything else.
As I'm looking at the tools, I realized that pretty much everyone who had been in the garage had vanished. I decided to see where everyone went, and I headed toward the house. When I found them, they were working out a deal. I won't go into all the details, but the outcome was that I was given this very nice set of hand tools along with the jack. I didn't know what to say. Even now, 12 hours later, I'm very seriously still beside myself over the generosity I received today. Besides being totally unexpected, this is such a lifesaver. I can actually maintain my car again, and with the exception of the power and air tools I believe this replaced everything that was stolen (and then some!).
The phrase "Studebakers are great. Studebaker people are the greatest!" has floated around on this forum for some time, but I thought I'd come on here tonight to share a real life proof of that. My hope is that someday I can pay this forward. And to those folks out there who know who they are, thanks so much. This is one of the coolest experiences I've ever had. It brought a lot of joy to a part of me that's been missing that for the last couple months.
And that's all I have to say about that
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