The venue for the February 18th 2012 event has been changed from The Smiling Wilderness to the Denny's in Napanee. Be sure to pass this to anyone who plans to go.
I met Roy Graham over 20 years ago, way before I started fixing and driving Studebakers. It was at the Inverary Homesteader’s days, which is held annually every August. My dad had Studebakers like so many of us and I thought it was rare & unique to find someone that was selling cars & parts for vehicles that hadn’t been made for over 25 years at that time. Well fast forward to 2010 and Roy Graham is still selling Studebaker cars & parts while recently telling me that 2010 was a good year for him.
Roy’s association with Studebaker goes back along time as he was a Owner and Chief Mechanic of his White Rose Garage in Haydon, Ontario since the late 1940s when he worked on them. In the late 1950s he started his Studebaker dealership. He sold many new & used Studebakers out of his Haydon garage until the day Studebaker closed its doors in Hamilton and afterwards sold many used Studebakers. He has moved from Haydon to his present location just south of Marmora on Hwy 14 and still has over 30 Studebakers in many conditions from like new to parts cars. He also has many new or NOS parts while being able to source that part that you might be looking for.
He still drives his 1966 Studebaker Commander which he has had since new and he has his Dad’s 1963 Lark, 1960 Champ truck, and a rare Rockne that keep him busy in keeping them roadworthy. Once you go out back at his place you will find many cars that some have seen a better day but have useful parts on them that help keep our vehicles on the road when a new part is just too expensive or hard to find. Over the years all of our Studebakers have received parts from Roy and it has been nice to not have to order from the states or travel to York or South Bend to get parts and keep these vehicles on the road.
Roy was one of the founding members of the SDC - Ontario Chapter since it was started and you will find him at our events, at the York Swap or the International meets on a regular basis. His son, Ian stills runs the family garage in Haydon and has some nice Studebakers such as his 1938 Coupe Express and 1961 Hawk. His other son Kyle has a 1963 Champ and his Grandson Darren also has a 1946 Champion Coupe. So after being in the Studebaker business for over 50+ years Roy has truly earned the title of Eastern Ontario’s “Studebaker Man”. If you need a part or just want to talk Studebakers give Roy a call (any day but Sunday) at 613-395-0353.
