The Commander Volume 45 Issue 2 March-April
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Potomac Chapter Studebaker Drivers Club The Commander Volume 45 Issue 2 March-April President Lunch at Barbara Frietchie Ron Salen We invented 14717 Lake Terrace Rockville, MD 20853 [email protected] 301-460-1970 Vice President Karl Veit 3703 7th Street South Arlington, VA 22204 703-979-4763 [email protected] Treasurer Dave Farris 4313 Landgreen Street Rockville, MD 20853 301-460-4341 Ndfarris 1 @verizon.net Secretary Stephen Walter 7401 Westlake Terrace #1504 Bethesda, MD 20817 301-767-9416 [email protected] Activities Director Paul and Karen Johnson 1122 Duncan Road “There is nothing better than a Harpers Ferry, WV 25425 friend, unless it is a friend with 304-876-3347 chocolate.” Linda Grayson [email protected] Membership Nadine & Mike Farris 4313 Landgreen Street Rockville, MD 20853 301-460-4341 Ndfarris [email protected] Historian Ed Lemanski 7875 Red Jacket Way Jessup, MD 20794 MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS DUE NOW 301-776-9893 [email protected] We are assembling the new 2013 club roster. Web Master Bob Johnstone 12161 Holly Knoll Circle Great Falls, VA 22066 If you have not renewed PLEASE do so NOW. 703-450-0754 [email protected] Editor We are going to press VERY SOON and don't Lynda Welsh 24121 Ridge Road want to leave anyone out. Germantown, MD 20876 301-253-3723 [email protected] Friendship is a sin- THANK YOU. gle soul dwelling in Membership, Nadine and Mike Farris two bodies. Aristotle Volume 45, Issue 2 STEERING COLUMN By Ron Salen Pardon our dust, we’re undergoing renovation to produce The Commander in a more timely schedule as approved by the membership at the March first meeting in York, PA. If everything goes as planned, this will be the last Commander produced on the old schedule. The May issue will be printed in the last week of April and should be received during the first week of May. The Commander will still be produced every other month but you will receive it at the beginning of the two-month period instead of the middle of the period so that you don’t miss any activities in the beginning of the period. To keep you informed of activities that may be planned in the second month of the cycle, we plan to produce an e-mail Bulletin (The Lark) in the beginning of the second month which should cover any additional activities planned after The Commander is sent out. Any articles and/or information you wish to have published in The Commander or bulletin, need to be sent to Lynda Welsh by the fifteenth of the month prior to publication. As I am writing this column, Nadine is working on the new membership roster which includes your e-mail address. The roster is used for mailing The Commander and the bulletin. Make sure your membership is paid for the current year as The Commander mailing list is the membership list. If we do not have your e-mail address, the bulletin will be mailed to you. Speaking of activities, our first official Wagon Master, Eric Christensen has produced a very enjoyable Spring Tour. See flyer in this Commander and make your reservations early. You are also invited to plan a tour, spring or fall, for next year or the year after. This is your club. Let’s work together to make The Potomac Chapter better than ever! Happy Birthday Editor’s Note March April At the direction of President Ron Salen the Joseph R. Rudolph 3/4 Susan Eppig 4/1 Commander will be published one month ear- Karen Barthlow 3/6 Linda Winokur 4/1 lier than the current schedule. Accordingly the Kathy Hermann 3/7 Kay Kirby 4/7 Jeff Barthlow 3/9 Bill Soyster 4/7 deadline for the submission of items for publi- Elaine Ridenour 3/10 Hal Hermann 4/8 cation will now be the 15th of April, June, Au- Nancy Pfahler 3/12 Joy Taylor 4/9 gust, October, December, February. Robert Winokur 3/16 Margaret Bjarnason 4/17 Sidney Kertzel 3/22 Chester Bradfield 4/27 Anyone who would like to receive the Jan Rutledge 3/23 Commander electronically send me an email JoAnn Straatveit 3/23 Edwin Dashiell 3/25 stating that is what you want. [email protected] Lynda Welsh, Editor The Commander is the bi-monthly publication of the Potomac Chapter, Studebaker Drivers Club. Subscription is by membership to the Potomac Chapter at $15.00 yearly. Canada/Mexico $20.00, all other countries $25.00. Direct all membership correspondence to the Membership Director. Direct all correspondence relating to The Commander to the Editor, who retains the right to edit or modify any contribution. Deadline date is the 17th of the month for the following month’s issue. The Potomac Chapter is an officially chartered chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club, Inc.; its by-laws were approved, and charter granted by SDC in June 1967. Membership is recruited from the States of Maryland, West Virginia, Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. And those from other areas wishing to join the chapter are welcome. 2 Volume 45, Issue 2 Potomac Chapter, SDC Activities 2013 Event Date Contact Keystone Swap Meet, York, PA Dinner/Membership, Meeting, Friday- Ruby Tuesday Feb 28, March 1-2 Paul Johnson Apple Blossom Meet, Winchester, VA May 11 non-SDC Spring Tour, Calvert County, MD May 17-19 Eric Christensen Spring Picnic, C&O Canal Park, Potomac, MD June 2 Mark Myers Orphan Car Tour, Williamsport, MD June 8 Paul Johnson (Potomac Chapter is a sponsor) Sully Plantation, Chantilly, VA June 16 non-SDC 49th SDC International Meet, Colorado Springs July 29-August 4 Paul Johnson Rose Hill Manor car show, Frederick, MD Aug 18(?) non-SDC Fall Picnic, Washington County Agricultural Center, Boonsboro, MD Sept 8 Paul Johnson Atlantic Zone Meet, Cherry Hill, NJ Sept 12-14 Paul Johnson No Fall Tour due to fall Atlantic Zone Meet *International Drive Your Studebaker Day Sept 14 Paul Johnson Hershey Fall Meet, Hershey, PA Oct 8-12 AACA Bradfield Show, Bridgewater, VA Oct 13 Paul Johnson Antique and Classic Car Show, Rockville, MD (chapter is one sponsor) Oct 19 Murray Welsh Ron Salen Reedsville Swap Meet, Reedsville, PA October 25-26 Max Corkins Chapter Planning Meeting Nov 9 (tentative) Paul Johnson Chapter Holiday Party, The Inn at Charles Town, Charles Town, WV Dec.8 Paul Johnson * Firm date- will always be the second Saturday in September 3 Volume 45, Issue 2 In loving memory- Paul Thrush One of our dearest members left us on Saturday, February 9, 2013. His pub- lished obituary: “Paul Earl Thrush, 77, of Catlett, VA died at home on Saturday, February 9, 2013. He was born on May 14, 1935 a son of Nathan C. and Mary Thrush. He was an Army veteran. Mr. Thrush possessed a great mechanical ability and was able to fix anything. He was a member of the Potomac Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club and had restored two Studebakers. He enjoyed the outdoors and playing with "Duke", the dog. He was a wonderful husband and father and will be dearly missed by his wife, Dorothy E. Thrush, a daughter, Toni M. Stroh and her husband, Chuck. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, February 12, 2013 from 1-3 Pm at Moser Funeral Home where services will be held at 3 PM. Private interment will be at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Catlett Volunteer Fire & Rescue, P.O. Box 280, Catlett, VA 20119.” To add one little bit to his obituary- Paul and Dorothy were also members of the Greater Virginia Chapter. Paul has left a lasting impression on many of us. The best description I can think of is he was the nicest man I ever met- quiet, unassuming, always friendly, never complaining even though he had suffered his illness for many years. He was particularly special to the other 12 of us who made the 6,000-mile chapter Route 66 Trip in 2003. His cleverly engineered 1954 ½-ton Studebaker truck was remarkable in many ways. For one, even though his truck was the oldest vehicle on the trip, he had the least vehicle trouble on the entire trip with only one minor failure, a failed brake light switch. It was always good for a chuckle when we saw the Briggs and Stratton engine fire up to power his clever air conditioning system. The little puff of black smoke was the giveaway signal. A few years later Paul outdid his clever truck work. He bought a 1948 Commander four-door sedan and magically mounted the body on a Ford Ranger chassis. He wasn’t disre- specting the Studebaker. He needed a drive train with modern power steering, automatic transmission and air conditioning and his final product was amazingly clever in its execution. Fortunately he was able to drive it to several of our functions including the starting leg of our 2010 Spring Tour and 2011 Fall Picnic. Pat and Larry Merhaut, Nadine and Dave Farris, Karen and I attended his viewing on February 12, 2013 in Warrenton, VA. We were all gratified with how well Dorothy and daughter Toni were dealing with his loss. When I offered to help them sell his Studebaker stuff, Dorothy very quickly assured me that they were NOT planning to sell anything. In fact, Paul’s ashes were to be carried to a family cemetery in Pennsylvania in one of the Studebakers. Nadine, Dave, Karen and I stayed for the service and it was best described as heartwarming with the number of loving neighbors and friends in attendance.