The Hudson Triangle
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THE HUDSON TRIANGLE Exclusively for members of the Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society. A 501(c)(3) Charitable Organization Volume 16 Issue 1 THE HETHS HUDSON LIBRARY IS OPEN!! Winter 2014 http://heths.info/ Page 1 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward Departments The Starting Line 2 Behind the Wheel 3 ___________ The Starting Line History In the last issue I mentioned the Laughlin John A. Conde 5 Economy run, patterned after the MobilGas Economy Runs of the ‘50’s. Members of five area Hudson Dealerships 6 chapters participated. It turned out nice; great Hudson On The Road 7 weather, good turnout, nice variety of Hudson Training Program V - Italia 11 products, etc. Pictures on pages 12 & 48 of the Hudson at Indy 13 Jan/Feb WTN. We drove our ‘54 Hornet sedan. On the way Historical Society Projects home we noticed a new sound from the engine. Hudson Library 4 After inspection, we learned that Hudson intake manifolds have durability problems. With the help Doc Hudson Project 9 of Jason Fisher of Vintage Coach and our local Museum Report 9 “old car mechanic”, we are back on the road 2014 HET Calendar 16 again, better than ever. In fact, since we have had above normal (and dry) weather this winter, I Historical Society, Inc. have been able to clean and detail the Hornet. All set for the show season which lasts for about 11 Board of Directors 15 months out here. Membership Last year we were able to provide some interesting articles. I want thank all those that Click, On Line 8 contributed to the Triangle. Their efforts make New Members 5 this magazine a valuable asset for the HET Correspondence 10 Historical Society. Membership Application 14 There has been a lot of progress toward the goals How to Reach Us 15 of the HETHS during the last few months. Read ___________ about it in the following articles. Bob Dedicated to Preserving the History of Hudson Motor Car Company © 2014 Page 2 http://heths.info/ Winter 2014 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward Behind the Doc Hudson currently resides in the San Diego area and has some very good friends Wheel there. Buzz Stahl, of Escondido, CA, has With Mike done so much for Doc’s health and he As you read this we continues to work to make Doc ready to are already well into begin his trip to French Lick, IN. Buzz has the New Year. Soon been ably assisted by HETHS director we will be attending Richard Esparza. If you see either of these our regional meets and not long after that Hudson fanatics, please thank them for their many of us will converge on French Lick for help with Doc. They deserve our thanks and the HET Club and HETHS International more. Meet. So much fun to be had! Before too long, Doc will begin his trip east. The Society continues to make progress. If you can help move Doc towards Indiana, Thanks to the help of many and the guidance let Dick Teeter know. Doc is the Society’s of Dick Teeter, HETHS director, librarian and and Club’s most visible marketing instrument. Doc’s keeper, the HETHS library is open for The Society is proud of Doc and happy that inquiries and requests at the Antique he has been received with such acclaim. Automobile Club of America, in Hershey, PA. Again, so many people made this project go In this issue there is information in the event from a vision to reality. you want to take advantage of the wealth of The HET Club and Aaron Cooper, HET Hudson Motor Car materials. Thank you, Club president continue to support the Dick and all who were instrumental in making Society’s efforts and we thank them for their this happen. Without the help of many people support. this could not have been possible. So progress is being made on some Now our library truly is accessible to HETHS impressive fronts. There is one thing that contributors, HET Club members and the could accelerate all of the dreams and goals general public. In a short time we will have a we have and that is membership. Surely system set up that will allow all current and you know of a HET Club member who does lifetime members of the HETHS some free not belong to the Society. Some don’t belong research, courtesy of the Society. just because they have not been asked. Ask The HETHS is still negotiating an agreement one of your Hudson friends to join us – WE with the Ypsilanti Automotive Heritage NEED MORE MEMBERS. Together we can Museum that will provide us with a real increase our membership. Let’s do it! Hudson Motor Car Company museum, which Finally, if you attend the international HET will be located in the Miller Motors building. Club meet, plan on attending the HETHS That dealership has existed for well over 80 business meeting. The meeting does not years and is near Detroit, home of the last long and much information is shared. Hudson Motor Car Company. Until we meet again, drive those Hudson Thank you to Jack Miller, Ed Souers and made automobiles and take care. the YAHM directors for moving this to fruition. It should not be too long until this Mike interim museum is up and running – hopefully by July, 2014. After the HMCC museum is in place, a HETHS Facebook committee will begin to investigate an approach for a permanent museum location. Winter 2014 http://heths.info/ Page 3 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward HETHS Reaches Another Important memory." Goal! Note: Looking for info seems awkward. Key- As you may know, the HET Historical Society word does not always find what you has set several goals for the preserving the want. Marquee opens for Hudson or Essex or memory of the Hudson Motor Car Company Terraplane but there are loads of listings that and many people have been working very must be looked at individually. hard to accomplish them. Categories are Misc., Book. Sales Literature, One important goal is to establish a safe and Racing, Parts Lists, Owners manuals, Dealer secure library of Hudson material for use by Albums, Dealer info, periodicals and pho- present and future generations. tos. Also, when you find something you want, HETHS President Mike Cherry is pleased to it is not possible to click on subject to see it announce that it is one step closer. The because nothing has been scanned into the HETHS historical material has been transport- system yet. ed to the AACA Library & Research Center However, the material can be obtained using in Hershey, PA. It has been sorted, cataloged the AACA Research Request Form which can and listed on the internet. be found at: http:// The next step is to scan the material for easy www.aacalibrary.org/contact/request.aspx access on the web. Directed research is also The Library Steps to the index are: available. Web address: aacalibrarycatalog.org Dick Teeter, HETHS librarian, recently visited Click on: Search the AACA catalog the library to check on progress. His report: “I visited AACA Library yesterday. I was im- Click on: Automotive Literature pressed by their facility and the care they have given our materials. The storage area is heat and humidity controlled and not accessible to the public. A few pieces that have been sent to me were added and will be included. Bottom line, material is secure. Finding what a person wants can best be done using their research request form.……. Thanks Dave, Larry & Sue for your work with the literature, and to anyone else who helped. Dick” Mike stated "The fact that Hudson Motor Car Company historical information, including own- ers manuals, photos, advertising and news stories and the like is now available to all, is a giant step forward for the Hudson Essex Terraplane Historical Society. These mate- rials are now available not only to Society members but to HET Club members and the public as well. This is a milestone as now the Hudson Motor Car Company historical infor- mation is readily available, for the first time in Page 4 http://heths.info/ Winter 2014 HET Historical Society - Moving Forward John A. Conde 1918 - 2008 chives. Excess material not needed would be by Jack Miller provided to Hudson and Nash Clubs and col- lectors. Prior to the formation of America Mo- Automotive enthusiast’s new to the hobby tors, Nash-Kelvinator under John Conde’s di- probably will not recognize this name. John rection starting in 1951 published annual ‘ Conde never published any information on re- Family Albums’ which after the merger be- pairing a collector car, but he did provide liter- came the ‘American Motors Family Album’. Ton’s’ ally ’ of information on the history of Nine were published through Nash, Hudson, Rambler, Jef- 1976. The albums provide the frey and of course American graphic story with original fac- Motors. tory photos of American Mo- During 1946 as a member of tors and its predecessor com- the Nash-Kelvinator Corpora- panies which could be pur- tion public relations staff, John chased by collectors from Conde had a big part in the American Motors. Golden Jubilee of the Auto- John Conde upon the 25th an- mobile which took place in niversary of American Motors Detroit. Among his duties, he th and the 20 anniversary of the was the personal escort for Hudson Essex Terraplane Charles Brady King. who built Club national meet which was and drove the first car on the held at the Henry Ford Muse- streets of Detroit.