On this day in 1964 Studebaker was named the "Car of the Year" by the Canadian automobile magazine Track & Traffic. This was the second time in three years that Studebaker had won the Golden Wheel Award.
Shown below is Miss Dominion with the newly redesigned 1964 Studebaker Daytona convertible.
One of the great parts of collecting is finding the unusual one of a kind piece. That’s not really easy to do when you collect Studebaker items. However in 2002 I was set up as a vendor at the International Studebaker Drivers Club Meet in South Bend Indiana and found just such an item.
It was Friday afternoon, the end of a full week of selling Studebaker toys, literature and memorabilia and I was in the process of packing my items away for the trip home. An elderly couple came into the room where the vendors were and fortunately came up to the area I was in first. As I vend alone, I set up beside a good friend from Canada so we can take turns watching the tables if one of us needs a break. The couple explained to my friend Richard and me that they had a few Studebaker items they wanted to sell. We are always on the lookout for new items to put on our tables so we took a look. They had a 10-year service pin and a copy of the Centennial album put out by Studebaker in 1952 which Richard bought. The other item they had was a hand-drawn picture of the five Studebaker brothers. This is the story of that item.
There had been several photographic images of the Studebaker Brothers made during the time they were all alive and their company was growing. They all went from being simple farmers and blacksmiths to being very wealthy men of influence. The brothers were born to John C. and Rebecca Studebaker. Along with Henry, Clement, John M, Peter and Jacob there were also five sisters in the family.
The couple selling the items had been antique dealers in South Bend with a store they had operated for more than 20 years. They told me a woman came in the store in 1964 with this picture and said her grandmother had drawn it. Her grandmother was Elizabeth Studebaker, the younger sister of the brothers that formed the Studebaker company. Elizabeth was born in 1829 and married George Witwer in 1849. She passed away in 1909. They had a slip of paper that had the name of the woman they bought the picture from and a newspaper clipping showing the five brothers in a familiar pose. The drawing shows the brothers in this same pose but quite a few years younger than we are used to seeing them.
If the info was correct, it was a great find, a one of a kind piece that would be a great addition to any collection. With no more info than their word and original note we struck a deal and I bought the picture. Once I returned home, I did some research and found out that the name they gave me was indeed that of Elizabeth Studebaker’s grand daughter. The time line checked out as well. After that I took the framed picture to an appraiser to check it over. He confirmed it was from the proper era with period framing and glass. The backer is a single sheet of thin wood held in the frame with small square nails. There is a piece of heavy cord used to hang it. The image itself was done in a soft silver which was popular medium of the age and tarnished like silver will do which then gives it the appearance of pencil. The appraiser couldn’t give me an accurate appraisal though since it is a one of a kind and there is no reference point to put a price on it. I guess the value doesn’t matter much since it’s become part of my own collection instead of going up for sale.
Why they chose our table to walk up to that day I don’t know, they did walk past a couple of other tables to get to us. They weren’t even sure why they had held onto the picture as long as they did since they had closed their antique store in the 1970s. I guess this time fate took a hand in deciding the new home for this unique piece of Studebaker history.
I’d like to pay tribute to Mr. Munkle. Everybody knows him. They all talk about him. I myself have heard of him many times but I could never quite figure out exactly who he was. He seemed to have traveled a lot and lived all over the country. He must have been independently wealthy as well. All I know for sure is that he was very popular and had a lot of Studebakers. I believe he has passed away because everyone talks about him in the past.
I’m sure you’ve heard of him too. How many times have you gone to a car show or cruise-in with your Studebaker and someone comes up to you and says "Nice Hawk" (or any model), "Munkle used to have one of those" I used to wonder if Munkle was actually a fictional character but so many people knew him that he must have been real. What a collection of cars he must have had. I don’t know if he owned any SOB (some other brand) vehicles or not, I just hear about the Studebakers he had. I know he had an Avanti, certainly a Lark and of course a Hawk but I heard he also had a truck, a Commander, a Champion and many others. Why I’m surprised Studebaker ever went out of business considering how many cars Munkle bought.
When you think about all the people who knew Munkle and the cars he owned you would think they would know more about Studebakers in general. I have of course heard that Munkle used to have a Golden Hawk, which were of course all painted gold, and the Silver Hawks were all painted silver. Then there was the Black Hawk… I know what you’re thinking, but I’ve heard Munkle had one of those too.
While driving up the street in my 1963 Daytona one day I had an older gentleman pull up beside me at the red light and asked what year my Studebaker was to which I replied, "It’s a 1963". "No," He said, "They didn’t make cars any more in the 1960s. It looks like a 1956, Munkle used to have one just like it."
So not only did Munkle have at least of of every model and year Studebaker ever built he even had a Daytona years before they were released to the public. I would guess it was an experimental factory model. I think perhaps he worked for Studebaker for a time, perhaps testing the new cars.
I’m not sure when Munkle passed away but it’s too bad he did, I would have enjoyed sitting down with him and talking, he must have had a great wealth of knowledge with all the experiences and autos he had owned. We lost a bit of history when we lost Munkle.
I have checked online but cannot find any records of Munkle. Perhaps I’m spelling the name wrong. It may be French… maybe the proper spelling is M’Uncle… I’ll have to continue my research…
Get the current Madd Doodler
2014
Studebaker calendar
and any back issues here.
Click
here for the
complete listing of calendars.
Here's a great poster showing Studebakers of
all ages and models titled,
"Through the Years"
It measures 18" x 24" and is printed in full color on heavy enamel stock with a varnish coating
In the center is a large photo of an 1881 horse drawn Grain Wagon and a 1963 Avanti R2. Around the outer edge are small photos of various Studebakers I had seen at shows and meets over the years. In the vignettes you'll see models like the Commander, Champion, Hawk, Lark, Daytona, Weasel, Ambulet, E-Series trucks, R-Series trucks, M-Series trucks, Coupe Express, President, Dictator, and more... from horse drawn to pre-war, military and up to the last years. $6 each.
The Story of Studebaker
In 1952 Studebaker celebrated their 100th anniversary in the transportation industry having started with a blacksmith shop in 1852.
To commemorate the event they produced medallions, books and other items including a set of two 78 rpm records.
The story of Studebaker's history was narrated by actor Raymond Massey, you'll also hear the President of the Studebaker Corporation talking and the Studebaker Male Chorus singing "Rolling Along for a Hundred Years".
This new CD was made from a mint condition original set of records. The cover was reproduced to fit the jewel case.
Now you can listen to this anywhere you have a CD player since many people don't have the ability to play a 78 rpm record anymore.
