The 2005 Antique Studebaker Zone Meet Meet Report by Neil Maken Editor of the So Cal Chapters "Atalanta" Even the weather cooperated. Wednesday night the rains came down; Thursday cleared nicely in time for the arrivals of some of the ‘early-birds’, and by Saturday, it was gorgeous. Not too hot, no humidity, just a perfect weekend for a fantastic zone meet.      And it was fantastic. Friday morning, just after nine o’clock in the morning found Rhonda Bailey and Pat Bilheimer registering folks, handing out goody bags, and welcoming them to our Pacific Southwest Zone Meet. Small groups quickly began to  form, around this car or that one in the parking lot, or around the coffee and eats in the Hospitality Suite.      The Hospitality Suite boasted an amazing array of good things to eat (and later in the evening, to drink). Bagels and croissants, donuts and crackers, fresh toast and fresh fruit. Earlier Neil Shepard and one of his lovely daughters brought in flat after flat of giant, sweet, juicy, fresh strawberries, right from the fields. Those strawberries were used in a wide variety of ways: whole, cut into pieces, or blended into exotic cocktails. Two pots of coffee were always ready, and coolers of soft drinks and water were at hand.  (Again, later of course, the coolers with the icy cold beer were opened and many a thirst was quenched!) The Hospitality Suite became a place of refuge; when you needed a rest, the big, soft sofa was welcoming. Always filled with people, the room had multiple conversations going on at all times.      At about One P.M. Tom Markey gave us the word and people loaded into their own cars and as guests in other’s cars. With over twenty cars in attendance, seats were plentiful and new friends were made, and old acquaintances renewed. The first stop, the Huntington Library, was only about two miles from the hotel, as the crow flies. But Tom and Pat made sure that that’s not the route we took. We drove through beautiful tree-lined roads, past gated mansions and through quiet neighborhoods. We pulled into the Huntington Library’s parking lot and Studebakers parked fender-to-fender for almost as far as the eye could see. If you picture the Huntington Library as shelves of dusty old books, you couldn’t be more wrong. It is a treasure trove of fine art, exquisite architecture, sculptures, furniture and furnishings, and gardens. Acres and acres of gardens – almost 150 acres of them. Quiet places for walking or resting, for viewing and admiring. It didn’t take long for our group to be absorbed by the buildings and grounds, and one could walk for fifteen minutes without seeing another member of our group. At four thirty, as pre-arranged, we met back at the cars and headed out to the magnificent Bundy Mansion, a turn-of-the-century home with a massive entryway flanked by enormous Corinthian columns. One by one, the cars pulled up in front of the house while ‘official photographer’ Carl Pevey photographed each. Then, having parked the cars back on the street, our gang traipsed back up to the house for a tour. The Grand Staircase just inside of the front door leads to the upper levels – at the top lighted by a genuine Tiffany stained glass skylight. The upper level, once the grand ballroom, has been converted into a giant toy room for the owner. His fantastic collection of model trains filled the room.   We returned by car to the hotel where an alarm went out: “Has anyone seen (sorry, not to be named)”. One husband jumped into the car and headed away from the mansion and back to the hotel WITHOUT HIS WIFE. (The next night, auctioneer Richard Dormois made the most of this incident, not letting either one forget that we all knew about it.).      The bar was open in the Hospitality Suite, and we gathered for a bit of refreshment before heading out to a casual dinner. Dean of the Studebakers, and good friend, Bill Cannon, stopped in for awhile Friday evening and was welcomed by old friends and folks who had just heard his name. Phil Cannon was good enough to drive his Dad over so that he could be part of our festivities. Groups formed and reformed around Bill.  Later in the evening several groups met again at one of the local eateries. Then back to the hotel for some rest before Saturday’s events.      Promptly at 9 A.M. on Saturday a parade of about twenty antique Studebakers pulled out of the hotel’s parking lot for the trek to the world-famous Nethercutt Museum. It was surface streets all the way, and Southern California’s traffic being what it is – even on a Saturday morning – it was a slow trip. The traffic lights all seemed to be timed against us, and the Nissans and Toyotas crowding the road that early seemed oblivious to the motorcar history driving alongside of them. There were more than a few startled pedestrians who looked up to see a line of antique Studebakers driving by. Most waved, and were greeted by a phalanx of ooh-gah horns. Others stood there like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to comprehend this unusual sight.      All of the cars performed just as the three brothers had originally planned – flawlessly. Well, one did run low on petrol, another smacked a curb pulling into a rest stop/gas station  requiring a tire change, and  a third had clutch problems which prevented driving that day, but nothing serious. The rest stop came just in time for most – remember, there was plenty of coffee and bottles of water at the hospitality room before we left. One incident caused some momentary concern. I, in my ’26 Club Coupe began to hear a strange ‘whirring’ noise as we were driving along, like nothing that should be coming from my engine. I checked to be sure it was from my car and not an outside noise, and it continued for a few minutes, until I realized that my guest passenger, who shall go nameless but is a world famous gasket maker out of Port Orchard, Washington, was leaning back in his seat, with his long legs stretched out and a foot on the starter button. Boy was he embarrassed. No problem and no harm done, Sandy. Whoops, didn’t mean to mention names.      That was one of the best things about this weekend: meeting people with whom we had spoken and e-mailed but never met face-to-face. In my case with Sandy Olson and Tom Pennington in my car, we got to know each other pretty well. That’s how friendships are really built. A couple of members brought extra cars so that some out-of-state guests could do their own driving.   We reached the Nethercutt Museum and parked all of the Studebakers against the trees at the rear of the parking lot. What an impressive sight that made. Visitors to the museum were diverted from their mission to come over and see our cars. The Nethercutt is probably the finest automotive museum that I’ve ever encountered, and our guests felt the same way. The range of marques is overpowering: ’Minerva’, ‘Pope-Hartford’, ‘Westinghouse’, ‘Renault’, ‘Doble’ and the more popular marques: ‘Lincoln’, ‘Rolls-Royce’, ‘Packard’. And there was a little six-cylinder Nash, a Ford Model A, and even Henry F’s Model T. John Burgh, of Concord, California – a first time visitor to the Nethercutt – was amazed to find a Kenworthy (1920-21), a car manufactured in his home town of Mishawaka, Indiana. He was never aware of its existence. Regretfully, our schedule required that we move on, and our next stop was a lovely park for a catered box lunch. Tom and Pat outdid themselves with this lunch, or maybe it was that by this time, we were all starving.      An uneventful trip back to Pasadena and our last driving stop of the day – a lovely Victorian home which served as a backdrop for another series of photographs. Photographer Carl Pevey was waiting and all set up and we were able to take home some lovely photographic souvenirs.      We had enough time once back at the hotel for a quick shower or nap before the Hospitality Room opened. And at six-thirty, the bar in the banquet hall opened as guests began to arrive. Rhonda Bailey, Rick Peterson, Carole Maken, Norm Adams and others set up the pile of donations for the evening’s auction - Dee Peterson’s hand-made quilt, and couple of scarves hand-made by Regina Cooley, a Victrola donated by the Maken's, and stacks and stacks of items donated by members and by the great local companies who supported our zone meet. Even Richard Dormois, a veteran auctioneer, was beyond words when a ‘one-of-a-kind’ framed lithograph of the Colorado Street Bridge (Pasadena) was followed by another, then another, and another, …. Ralph Baer was on the floor, behind the table framing these beautiful lithographs as fast as Richard could sell them. The auction was a great success and helped offset our expenses for the weekend. Our deepest gratitude, Richard.      Sunday morning’s swap meet was a bit sparse, but it didn’t faze anyone. We still had the Hospitality Suite and lots of people milling around chatting. But all good things have to come to an end, and so did our weekend. Special thanks to Tom Markey and Pat Bilheimer for hosting this event, and very special thanks to all of the members of the Southern California Chapter of the ASC who worked so hard to make this weekend a memorable and exciting one. But none of it would have been possible without all of the guests who came to the So Cal’s chapter first major Studebaker event in Arcadia.                                   PACIFIC SOUTHWEST ZONE                                 MEET AWARD WINNERS     1st Annual So Cal Chapter of the ASC Founder’s Award: Tom Markey and Pat Bilheimer Bill Cannon Award              Martin Warren                 1936 President Coupe Hard Luck Award                Bill & Regina Cooley              1929 Commander Sedan Ladies Choice Award          Malcolm & Jan Stinson          1940 President Sedan Long Distance Award          Jerry & Sherri Washburn        1929 President Roadster Grapes of Wrath Award     Ron & Sherry Watson       1931 Dictator Sedan President’s Award               Bruce & Maggie Wheeler  1933 Rumble Seat Coupe Popular Choice Award      Ray and Pam Pesenti          1922 Light Six Touring

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