Rumors about Studebaker Museum tainted history

I don't know of anything like this, but people are involved and the laws of chance say wrong-doing is possible. Often times it is better to hush up things and resolve them quietly, or even accept your losses than carry things through to a theoritically nicer conclusion.

For example, I am owed quite a bit of money by a druggy evicted tenant. Advisors have said that I could probably get a judgemen in my favor, but is it worth spending a lot to get a worthless piece of paper?

Dat's life.

Karl

I do not have personal/first hand information about these particular items. Most museums, including SNM, have different contracts/ conditions for donations. Most donations can be legally disposed of for the good of the museum. I have been at an auction of Studebakers and parts at the SNM. I have also seen the SNM sell vehicles via eBay. Both of these methods are open to the public and are above board and okay. I personally am out thousands of dollars due to an Avanti that I had loaned to the SNM being given/sold to another individual.

You did not loan without a signed agreement, did you?

JT

While I have not heard "hard" evidence of this type of thing, I have heard rumors of such things over the years.

However, keep in mind that the Studebaker Museum basically opened to the public in 1983. There have been many managers since that time, as well as many volunteer helpers.

I think the thing to remember, big-picture-wise, is that the current museum, board, and staff are of the highest professional stature, and frankly, we as buffs of a defunct car marque are damn lucky to have a museum, and archives, as we do. Besides Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg's museum, which I understand was pretty-much organized by the Kruse auction family and has benefactors who own million-dollar cars, I would ask anyone to come up with another auto museum the size, stature, and quality of our SNM...particularly one paying homage to a single defunct brand.

I remember just a few years back, seeing what percentage of the national SDC membership contributed to the funding for the new museum. It was some ridiculous single-digit figure, IIRC.

I think this discussion is something like folks who say, "I had a lousy '86 GM/Ford/Chrysler so I'll be damned if I buy a new '07 one!" That was then, this is now!

Let's all do what we can afford to do, personally, as Chapters, and as the national SDC, to keep the new SNM open and thriving...let's not let it become a "white elephant" as I understand the College Football Hall of Fame out there is.

OK, it's not as big as some had hoped for a few years ago...but I believe a single visit there would change any nay-sayer's mind.

Just my .02, and, as they say, "change gladly given"!

Bill Pressler Kent, OH

South Bend is the "Home of Legends", and unfortunately, many crazy rumors. I've heard lots of bitching, whining and armchair quarterbacking about the museum in the past 30 years. Though some of the complaints had some merit, most did not. The level of quality of the present museum seems to have quieted many of the rumors most recently. I knew it would only be a matter of time before some crazy rumor would get started.

If a donor makes an unconditional donation, the donation can be treated in any manner. That goes for a donation to the SNM, or any other such organization. It takes money to run a museum. Someone has to decide what to do with surplus and duplicate items.

The museum has had several auctions to dispose duplicate and surplus items. I'm sure someone has donated something that ended up going "too cheap" at one of these auctions. If the donation in question was made unconditionally, the donator gave up all rights to have any say in whether the item stayed at the museum, or what it could be sold for if that was it's fate. The museum has the right to refuse conditional donations, too.

GARY,If it would not pose a personal hazzard,could you please post the entire story of how that came about? If not,I respect your decision to keep it private.

All I can relate that is factual is my own experience though I have heard the rumors too, especially about certain individuals helping themselves to things. I put my NOS R-3 and R-4 engines on display of a loaner basis at the old museum. I delivered them in the original Paxton packing crates which, in my mind, were part of the history. I was firmly promised that they would remain in storage. Last year I sold the R-3 and when I went to pick it up, no packing crates and no memory thereof. I had left in the R-3 packing crate the air hose and grommet for the cold air intake. I thought I had also left the R-3 air cleaner, but I couldn't document that. Needless to say, with the crates gone so were the air hose pieces. In addition, the supercharger belt tensioner and the belts were missing from the engine. The R-4 air cleaner was missing from the R-4, but Andy Beckman assured me that it had been taken off for safekeeping (which sort of gave me a message). On the positive side, I was very impressed with Andy Beckman and I'm convinced the museum is in much better hands now than at periods in its past. Paul Johnson

I know that these things are priceless but is there any kind of insurance that one can put on a item to be loaned? Several years ago the Iowa Club donated a '62 GTto the museum ('70's) and we were astonishied to not see it there after two years.. we were later told it had been parted out..Ouch. I'm sure everyone knows of a story or two. Dave B.

Forget the SNM in this. If you "loan" an item, with associative accessories, to any institution, college, musuem, art gallery, for exhibition, research, documentation, authentication, etc., what gives any of the above the right to sell, dismantle, auction, dispose, or in anyway alter whatever you loaned? To me, loaned is that you expect at any time that you want your item(s) back, they must be returned in the same condition as you turned them over in.

How can a "loaned" item be sold? Donated, means you gave up rights to it, but loaned means that you are letting someone use it for exhibition. Back in the 1980's I loaned a museum a collection of HO Scale New York Central locomotives. When the exhibition was over, each engine was put back in it's original wrappings, and placed in each of it's respective box, and held in a secure place until I could retrieve them.

The statement, removed for safe keeping bothers me.

If this is SOP, I doubt I would ever loan or donate anything.

This past week, we met a gentleman from lower Westchester, and someone mentioned that we have deeds dated April, 1700 and March 1721 that deeds the land to what is now known as Pelham NY. This fellow asked us to "Gift" the city of Pelham the deeds. With hearing the above story, this means that if I "gift" them, the City of Pelham could sell them, and reap the rewards. I think I shall "gift" myself.

BG

Hell Bbill... If you have the deed(s), you could probably go in and rename the City of Pelham "BondoBillyLand".... Jeff (Just check for back taxes due first ) Rice

"Bill Glass" wrote...

It is a long and complex story, but I will try to give a brief summary. I was at an SDC Meet in SB with my 3K mile Avanti. The decision was made to loan the Avanti to the SNM for display. I did have a written loan contract. I even made conditions like the car was not to be driven, like in a parade or to a show, and the car was only to be released on my okay. I rented a car and drove home to NY. At some time later, I found out that my car was removed from the SNM and driven to the Southwest. I did receive a letter from the SNM thanking me for the loan of the car and stating that it was well received at the SNM. Not long after, the guy that I dealt with at the SNM died. Later the guy from the Southwest died. I was working at least 50 hours a week at the time and had other problems. With me in NY, the SNM in IN and the car in AZ (later NV), I just decided that it was a lost cause. With the cost of time and lawyers to get a judgement that I may not have collected on, I just thought that it would be better to eat the loss. I did have the title to the car, but that didn't seem to matter. Being a good guy , I later sent the title to the guy in AZ. The next time that I saw my Avanti, it won a Senior First at an SDC Int'l. Meet. Maybe I am the winner because I am the only one involved in this that is still alive. I do believe that the SNM is now under good management and control.

But they're watching.....and waiting...

" snipped-for-privacy@bex.net" wrote..

This is a current scandal throughout the curatorial professions. Not counting "Goering Provenance"(think you got troubles?) and "Elgin Marbles,"(a true case of safekeeping), there's been screaming and shouting at great art museums about de-accessioning, deliberate bad valuations (both high and low: choose your scandal), and whether donors and loaners have any say about display, interpretation and even the location of their art pieces. SNM is not alone in this, and is probably above average.

Here's one that made me wince & giggle. My local museum (rated top 10) had an exhibit of textile constructions--you know, quilts. Research for the coffee-table book that always goes with these things revealed that a prominent businessman who died in the 20's (described as "flamboyant") had bequeathed his personally-acquired collection of folk quilts. Folk quilts were not considered art in the 20's, or even the 50's. After a pregnant and poignant pause in the news, museum sources tersely stated they had been de-accessioned. Then the retired volunteers and docents started speaking up. They had, in fact, been used to cover things in the basement, taken home by custodians, and, well, thrown away. The classically-educated, then later, tragically-hip and ubersophisticated experts, were embarrassed by having the darned things around ('Darned,' get it?). And yep, if they'd kept them in mothballs, they'd now be worth more than some of the Matisse cut-outs they so lovingly scrapbooked. Veritably, the Lark Six Regal of museum art.

Even more Studebaker: They loaned out Goya's "Children with a Cart" to the Guggenheim in New York. Packed it up, put it in a truck, stayed at a motel in Stroudsburg, and the truck got broke into. The Goya is underinsured at a million. After ten days, the thieves gave it back! No bling, no light bulbs, no Elvis on velvet, what's it good for? (I used to leave my Rocket III outside the bar with the key in the switch, secure in the knowledge that no one would steal it. Boy, that bike had beautiful mufflers. You could see the oil spot reflected in them.)

I don't see any reason we shouldn't blame the education system, Bush, and gays at Disneyland. Looks like the Jews are free and clear on this one, though.

A loan is not a donation. With the title in your hands, the loan contract, and the unauthorized interstate movement of what became a stolen motor vehicle, sounds like law enforcement or a rookie first year lawyer could have made hay on this one in quick order. Someone should have served prison time for this one! Especially if you received no compensation at all!

It is a long and complex story, but I will try to give a brief summary. I was at an SDC Meet in SB with my 3K mile Avanti. The decision was made to loan the Avanti to the SNM for display. I did have a written loan contract. I even made conditions like the car was not to be driven, like in a parade or to a show, and the car was only to be released on my okay. I rented a car and drove home to NY. At some time later, I found out that my car was removed from the SNM and driven to the Southwest. I did receive a letter from the SNM thanking me for the loan of the car and stating that it was well received at the SNM. Not long after, the guy that I dealt with at the SNM died. Later the guy from the Southwest died. I was working at least 50 hours a week at the time and had other problems. With me in NY, the SNM in IN and the car in AZ (later NV), I just decided that it was a lost cause. With the cost of time and lawyers to get a judgement that I may not have collected on, I just thought that it would be better to eat the loss. I did have the title to the car, but that didn't seem to matter. Being a good guy , I later sent the title to the guy in AZ. The next time that I saw my Avanti, it won a Senior First at an SDC Int'l. Meet. Maybe I am the winner because I am the only one involved in this that is still alive. I do believe that the SNM is now under good management and control.

Hell, he might be entitled to the back taxes himself. What a spending spree to follow!

JT

Jeff Rice wrote:

Damn Gary,that sounds really awful! I cant imagine having something like that and not blowing a head gasket!!! Wish the end result would have been different.It would be nice if they stepped up and made an attempt at amends,even after this long.Sorry to hear about the misfortune!!! And THANKS for sharing what I am sure is a painfull memory. Rich

The only car that I actually remember being sold off years later after being donated was the Bermuda brown 1965 Daytona Wagonaire. It was donated to the museum in 1983 by Harold Churchill's widow.

Craig

Hey Craig, was that a 283 auto/ac-power brake car with knobby snow tires and a 354 rear? A Iight tan interior? I used to service this wagon at the 76 I used to work at. We also serviced Jeff Newmans (of Standard Surplus fame) Avanti. If is the same wagon ,I looked at it for sale last summer.The frame is badly shot,cracked on the drivers side just in front of the leaf spring shackle and rusted thru so bad you can fit your hand thru the frame on the drivers side. The right side is almost as bad. The guy wants too much for it,dosent drive it and the 283 hardly runs.The body isnt too bad though. I am still working on him and a reasonable price.

The museum has had booth space at the South Bend May Swap Meet at which it has sold some items, and the Auction that was sometimes held on Saturday at the same function has included some cars that I thought were excess items from the Museum. This would be going back at least five years. The cars were well worn Lark sedans and a '52 sedan, if my memory serves me correctly. And the cars were FAR from museum quality. It could have been that the cars were donated with the idea that the sale proceeds went to the museum, but I don't recall it being presented that way.