Mr. Jack Holden
Jack Holden and his Studebaker of Canada work experience
Jack & his family immigrated to Canada from the UK in 1957 whereupon he applied to work at the Studebaker Hamilton Assembly Plant. He had previous experience working on the Rolls Royce and Jaguar as a Body man on the assembly line. On applying for employment at Studebaker, the personnel Manager, George Cowan, couldn’t complete our (my brother in law Desmond Adams applied the same day) applications that day so he personally drove both of us back to our hotel and then brought us back to his office the next morning at 7:15 am. We were both astounded at his generosity! Jack Yorick, the General Foreman, took us down into the plant to confirm our capabilities and we started to work the following morning. I started to work on the Trim line until an opening on the body in white line opened. Jimmy Greenwood, my Foreman, introduced me to each employee on the line telling them to help me in anyway possible which they did gladly. During July the plant closed down for annual vacation and model changeover and resumed in September. I didn’t get called back straight away but was rehired as the assistant to Plant Manager, Cliff Brown. He was a large man who ran the plant single-handedly and was not known to delegate very much authority. I was told that at one time he oversaw the building and production of an entire car assembly plant in India. He was very competent with a somewhat gruff manner while quietly helping many production workers with personal problems. On ceasing operations in South Bend in early 1964 he retired and Bill Moeser was hire as Production VP. John Slack in scheduling decided to transfer to Time Study so I replaced him. The Hamilton Framing and daily production report was compiled each morning. For the previous day’s activities and distributed to all departments. The copy to South Bend was required ASAP. I took the line build tickets home at night to get it done on time for afew months. The last one was written on Wednesday, the 16th of March 1966. A record book was used for the incoming shift to bring them up-to-date. I can’t believe how busy we were, I still have them, but it was a very enjoyable time. Being a small operation gave us the opportunity to make decisions and take responsibilities a larger plant could not afford. Once my time with Studebaker ended I was hired by Mack Trucks in Oakville and worked there until it’s closing in 1993.
I have very fond memories of my time with Studebaker of Canada. Socially, we had our own dance band, the Credit Union ( who loaned us the deposit on our first mortgage) a club that arranged Summer picnics, outings by train to Crystal Beach and a Christmas dinner and dance. Fond memories indeed and I’ve often thought I could happily worked past my retirement with that bunch of people.
Best Regards, Jack
Jack & June Holden at the 2013 Badenoch Swap Meet
In 2013 during our annual Badenoch Swap Meet Jack Holden was inducted as a SMIC (Studebaker Made in Canada) Honouree for his hardwork and diligence during his time at the Hamilton Plant and the many years since promoting the Studebaker Legacy in Canada. He was instrumental in compiling a list of Studebaker of Canada employees at the Hamilton Plant and held a vast wealth of information on its operation which he eagerly passed on. On June 8th 2019 Jack sadly passed away and he will be fondly remembered by all who has the pleasure of meeting him for his kindness and generosity.
Studebaker Made in Canada