Pete Kliment

[Rerun]

Another of the pillars of the early SDC, and just an all-around great guy, Pete Kliment has passed away. Pete signed me up back in 1970. I know that there are many of us on the Forum who knew Pete have a little story or two to tell. Please share them here in his memory. The announcement was in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/postgazette/obituary.aspx?n=peter-j-kliment&pid=147077650

I suppose that this post belongs in the Obituary Forum, and that one of our moderators will move it there. But, due to Pete's stature and history, I thought that the announcement should spend a little time on "page one".

[Bill Pressler]

Once about twenty years ago, a friend of mine who lived in Pittsburgh and I went to York. Totally unknown to me, we drove past a "stuck in time" Studebaker dealership, with the signs still up, a '52 (I think) in the showroom, and a '64/'65 out in the lot maybe a block up the street. I'd never seen/heard of the place, and we were looking in the windows and a fellow waved us to come on in. Not sure if it was Pete or his brother, but he let us look around. I remember the Champ service truck and old Studie wrecker in the shop, and the original Stude exhausts in boxes stored overhead. I'm sure they got lots of "looky-loos" so I always appreciated him waving at us to come on in.

[trnstrtrk]

I bought my first Studebaker in 1985. The seller gave me some contact information for parts etc. Pete Kliment's name was among those. I called him several times to order parts and he was always very helpful and informative. RIP Pete.

[Rerun]

I always enjoyed stopping by to see Pete. Walking into the showroom was like stepping back in time. Pete was a very helpful and friendly guy who not only had a great parts inventory, and a wealth of Studebaker knowledge, but would take time to chat and provide advise, if necessary.

I once picked up a batch of parts and questioned the total of the bill - not that it was too high, but I felt it was too low. Pete assured me that it was correct. He said that had bought the parts at a very good price, and was making enough on the sale, so I got the bargain. He was that kind of guy.

Pete helped many of us in the Pittsburgh area get into the world of Studebakers, and helped us maintain them as daily drivers in the early years, and then as hobby vehicles later. Illness in recent years caused Pete to give up the business, but we would look forward to seeing him at Reedsville and York. May he rest in peace.

[GTCruiser]

When our daughter attended Pittsburgh Univ. she said I have a neat place to take you and this next thing I knew we were in a Studebvakeer dealership!!! There was a black '59 Lark Deluxe two door ouside just like the one we dated in. Real nice people, the Kliments.