The Kinzua Region Chapter of the Studebaker Drivers Club came into being in 1995. An article was run in several local newspapers with a basic history of Studebaker and the news that a local chapter was in the planning stages. At the first gathering which took place on May 1st in Warren, PA there were 17 people in attendance. Ideas were discussed and it was decided to start a local chapter since the nearest ones to the area were the Allegheny Region Chapter in the Pittsburgh area and the Iroquois Chapter near Buffalo. Officers were elected and some events were planned for the upcoming year. The name was chosen because of the area we are in, Kinzua Dam in nearby and the area is known for the site. The Kinzua Dam is nestled in the Allegheny National Forest in Warren County, Pennsylvania and is one of the largest dams in the US east of the Mississippi. The dam was created between 1960 and 1965 to control flooding of the Allegheny River.
The chapter has now grown to 70+ memberships and the club is very active. We try to move our events around our area as we have a membership that covers a lot of ground. There are members from all over western Pennsylvania, western New York, eastern Ohio and even Canada .
In 1999 and again in 2003 we hosted the Atlantic Zone Meet in Warren and drew a huge crowd with participants from 10 different states and a great crown that came down from Canada as well. We have had joint meets with neighboring chapters many times and these always turn out to be a lot of fun.
If anyone is interested in joining the Kinzua Region Chapter the dues are just ten dollars a year and we publish a bi-monthly newsletter called the BULLETin.
The current list of officers is:
President: Jack Frank, Warren PA
Vice President: Steve Grant, Fredonia NY
Treasurer: Bob Stowell, Perry NY
Editor: Kathe Frank, Warren PA
Hope you enjoyed this tale of our local chapter. We’d love to hear about yours. Send in your club’s history and we might just print it right here!
In the meantime, enjoy this story of the world’s longest part swap.
