Rock River Valley Chapter of SDC History:
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The Rock River Valley Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club application for membership was submitted on November 14th, 1981. See letter to the right for the details.
The charter was issued July 12th, 1982.
The charter members were Vic Phillips, Jerry Soulak, Dale Gittings, Preston Rea, Cheryl Rea, Ed James, Hennely Hall, Pete Bell, and Phil Mosher.
There could have been more, but these are the names mentioned in Vic’s letter show to the right.
Our chapters purpose has always been to promote Studebaker cars, not just as show cars, but as drivers as well. The club holds many events through out the year. The events change, as determined by the membership, but often include; St. Patrick’s Day Party; Spring Tour; Summer Cruise Nights; Zone Meets; A Fall Event or Tour; and conclude each year with the Annual Christmas Party.
The chapter has published it’s own news letter in some form or other since the very beginning, called “The Strato-Vue”, dues paying member are entitled to six issues of the clubs news letter, and are allowed to run ads on the “Strato-Vue Market Place” page for free. The Strato-Vue hold tons of information, including Presidents Message, coming events, Club Cars section, Service Bulletins, and much much more.
The club has held it’s meetings at several places over the years, starting with Jarnines in Belvidere IL, then Top Hat and Western Sizzler in Loves Park IL, later Jessica’s in Roscoe, just to mention a few. We most likely have left out a few. The monthly meeting is currently held at Machine Shed, in Rockford IL on the first Monday of each month.
Below is a table which lists the past and present Chapter Presidents, many others have shared in the work and direction of the club as officers and committee chairs, but that list is just to long to compile in this space, however our heart felt thanks to every member who has made the club stronger.
Year | Name | Year | Name | Year | Name | Year | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1981 to 1984 | Victor Phillips | 1989 to 1991 | Dave Neiber | 1995 to 1997 | Peter Bell | 2001-to 2017 | Jack Willis |
1985 | Peter Bell | 1992 | Victor Phillips | 1998 | Don Lutmer | 2018 to Present | Fran Tremain |
1986 | Phil Mosher | 1993 | Gary Powell | 1999 | Dave Neiber | ||
1987 to 1988 | Ed James | 1994 | Victor Phillips | 2000 | Larry Hachet |
Studebaker, a brief History:
In 1852, the Studebaker Brothers started building horse drawn buggies, carriages and wagons. Their wagons were a primary mode of transportation as the nation migrated westward. Studebaker carriages were used by US Presidents, including the carriage that took President and Mrs. Lincoln to the Ford Theater on that fateful night. In 1902, Studebaker started building electric automobiles, but soon went to gasoline power. By 1915, Studebaker was building more than 45,000 cars annually. Wagon production also continued until 1919. In 1928, Studebaker acquired Pierce-Arrow. Unfortunately, by 1933 Studebaker had gone into temporary receivership, but was on the road to recovery in 1934. In 1939, Studebaker introduced the Champion, a new economy model designed by the soon to be famous Raymond Lowey studio. During WWII, Studebaker produced trucks and radial engines for aircraft, including the B-17. After the war, automobile and truck production resumed with a vengeance. In 1950 and 51, Studebaker offered their famed bullet-nose design. In 1953, the incredible new Lowey coupe was introduced. Bob Bourke, a member of the Raymond Lowey team, is credited with the innovative new design. During the last half of the fabulous fifties, Studebaker introduced their family of Hawks, and in 1959, responded to the growing demand for a more compact family car with the Lark. Studebaker once again turned the automotive design world upside down in 1963 with the unveiling of the Avanti. While the Avanti was universally acclaimed, Studebakers days as a US company were numbered. Production ceased at the long-time South Bend, Indiana plant in 1964, Studebaker production continued in Canada until 1966. The Avanti Motor Company continued to build the Avanti II in South Bend until 1987 when production moved to Youngstown, Ohio where it was produced until 1991. Still later, in 2000 production was resumed in Villa Rica, Georgia and yet even later 2006 in Cancun, Mexico. The last Avanti rolled off the Cancun assemble line in March of 2006.
The Packard Connection:
Due to a number of factors, Studebakers finances were poor by 1954, leading to a acquisition of Studebaker by Packard. Studebaker-Packard would fare no better, as they would lose 43 million dollars in 1956. The Packard name would disappeared altogether after 1958.