Thanks to Paul and Patricia Pierson for hosting this year’s Christmas Party. Sixteen people attended. The food and weather were wonderful.

The people were brought to the party by 5 Studebakers.

Christmas Party

The Christmas party will be held at the Paul & Patricia Pierson’s house on Sunday, December 4th at 1pm.
4530 MW 83 Lane
Coral Springs 33065
This is a gated community. Paul will be making arrangements with the gatekeepers.

The club will provide the main course. Please call Patricia at 786-277-7286 to see what she may need you to bring like snacks, sodas and desserts

We will have our regular gift exchange so bring a $20 give to exchange.

Regular Meetings Start in February

We will be meeting at Smokey Bones, 21733 State Road 7 (US 441) in Boca Raton (between Palmetto Park Road and Glades on the West side of the road). The meetings will be on the second Sunday every other month starting in February 2023.

We met at Smokey Bones, 21733 FL 7 in Boca Raton at 1 pm.

The Studebakers from left to right are:

• Butch Figurella’s 53 Coupe
• Bob Ewart’s 54 Champion accompanied by Adele Flores
• Sebby Amenta’s 54 Commander accompanied by Sal and Andi Amenta
• Mitch Packer’s 61 pickup (The pictures don’t do it justice. It’s Gorgeous)

After a good lunch we talked about future meetings.

By Butch FIgurella

On Oct 16 2022 we had 4 Studebakers at the ACCA picnic at John Prince Park in lake Worth Fl,

I had my 53 and Sebby the his 54 and Bud Alverez had the 4 dood Bullet Nose   Mitch Packer brought his newly finished beatiful 63 Champ pickup 

It was a nice event with nice people.

The IDYSD was on September 10th this year. We had 4 cars lining up to go to Packy’s Sports Bar & Grill out west on Palmetto Park Road in Boca Raton.

Leading off the parade was Butch Figurella’s 62 Champ pickup, followed by Rich Shomaker’s 66 Commander Hot Rod, then Bob Ewart’s 54 Champion and last was Mitch Packer’s 61 Champ.

Mitch couldn’t make it to Packy’s. But the rest of us got there.

Well we had 4 cars there. Notice the little Studebaker in the middle belonging to Butch.

Text by Cindy Schomaker
Pictures by Cindy Schomaker and Bob Ewart

The day started out hot and steamy but nine members and three additional cars joined Rich and Cindy Schomaker at their home which is also home to his 1966 Studebaker Commander hot rod and a 1964 Avanti. Two of the members called from I-95 where they were stranded, waiting for a tow truck. Everyone could relate. A short drizzle did not put a “damper” on the gathering.

Those attending:
Sebby Amenta &Joyce Fredericks
Salvatore & Andi Amenta 
Studebaker Commander 1954

Butch & Gina Figurella
1962 Studebaker Champion pickup 

Bob Ewart 
1954 Studebaker Champion

An eight- foot table was added to the dining room table and everyone stayed cool inside. A few ventured out to the garage visit the Commander and discuss some of its “issues”. Another group gathered outside to discuss some of the “issues” that were vexing some of the Studebaker owners. Rich conducted a tour of his toy truck collection.

After filling plates with hot dogs, hamburgers, etc. everyone settled in for the remainder of the afternoon. Taking a break after led some to sit on the dock by the canal and watch a few boats go by.

Conversations were varied, animated and filled with stories about interesting careers, extensive travel and Studebaker experiences. All listened or spoke with thoughtfulness and consideration and sincere interest in what was being shared. After isolation from covid, it was wonderful to see folks enjoying good food and conversation. The art of dialogue was alive and well, shared by a wide range of ages.

At one point, a discussion among all present was initiated regarding membership and future goals. Suggestions included short road trips and extending gatherings to owners of other vintage cars. A suggestion for game afternoon or evening events led to several “walks down memory lane” regarding Monopoly, Scrabble, Uno and Rumikube to mention a few. It was apparent that most would enjoy a few hours of friendly games and conversation. Ownership of Studebakers or other vintage cars would be the catalyst for gathering. Fun would be the goal for all events and would hopefully encourage others to join in.

Phone numbers were exchanged among a few to continue conversations. The last members left in the early evening.

Text by Cindy Schomaker
Pictures by Bob Ewart

A breath of fresh air! After months of weathering Covid, members of the club took their cars out of the garage and headed to Boynton Beach on a bright, sunny, warm South Florida day.

We convened at Cocina Moderna on Lyons Road in Boynton Beach for a delightful afternoon lunch on the patio. The following members attended:

Butch & Gina Figurella
Norma and Mario Hernandez
Sebby Amenta
Salvatore and Andrea Amenta
Richard and Cindy Schomaker
Bob Ewart and sister Adele

Butch announced that Andrea Amenta has agreed to be our new secretary/ Treasurer and we are working on getting our funds transferred from the late John Loerop’s account.

We discussed future plans for the group. Suggestions included road trips for an afternoon and another gathering in the near future. Rich Schomaker offered to host a picnic at his house in Lighthouse Point and it has been scheduled for June 12^th. It will be a BYOB, BYOC and BYOF event. When the specifics are sent to the members, the acronyms will be explained (if necessary).

We also discussed ideas of how to increase membership, especially among younger drivers. Club membership applications were distributed to several members to take to local car shows, several of which have nearly one hundred cars on display. It was suggested we get the Studebaker Driver’s Club to donate some magazines to put on display along with the applications. More suggestions are always welcomed.

After lunch, we lined up the four attending Studebakers in front of the restaurant for photos. The cars and owners (left to right) are as follows:

Bob Ewart’s 54 Champion
Butch Figurella’s 53 Commander Coupe
Sebby Amenta’s 53 Commander hardtop
Richard Schomaker’s 66 Commander Hot Rod

We hope good health and meetings continue and look forward to the next gathering.

Because a number of us went to the Studebaker International Meet, we couldn’t participate in the International Drive Your Studebaker Day. So we had a Delayed Drive Your Studebaker Day on October 10th. We met at Smokey Bones on Route 441 west of Boca Raton.

Fifteen people attended with five Studebakers.

The cars from left to right are:
Andrew Wiley’s 53 Commander
Rich Shomaker’s 66 Commander Hot Rod
Tony Robles’s 39 Commander
Angelo “Butch” Figurella’s 62 Champ Pickup
Ed deSilva’s 90 4-door Avanti

After lunch we had a drawing for a $50 gas card. Only the 5 above were eligible. Ed deSilva won the draw.

One more sign that I spotted in Ellie’s 50’s Diner & Flamingo Ballroom in Delray Beach.

The Studebaker Drivers’ Club will hold an International Meet on September 11-14 in Mansfield Ohio.

The International Drive Your Studebaker Day is on the second Saturday of September. That’s September 14th. Because some of us will be going to the International Meet, we won’t be having a local event.

The Florida State Meet/SE Zone Meet 2019 will be held on October 11-12 in Clearwater, Florida. It is hosted by the Central Florida Chapter SDC. The host hotel is the LaQuinta Inn and Suites.

See www.cfcsdc.com for registration.

On August 3rd seven members attended a breakfast at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Deerfield Beach. As usual there was a lot of discussion about our Studebakers and how to fix/improve them.

Only two Studebakers made the breakfast. We need to get more of them out to our events.