Packard Forum Index » Studebaker Built Packards (1957 - 58)

After looking at the original bill of sale for my 57 Clipper asked my wife to check on the first owner as she is into the family ancestry. After some checking as we had the owners name and address when he purchase car. Found in the 1940 US Census his age calculated when purchased 1950 Packard at age of 68 and my Clipper at the age of 75. I had heard he was old when he purchased the 57. Also that he was a railroad engineer which is on the form and he had a 8th grade education and his house was paid for. Was married and two daughters. The above information on his age and other information I have learned makes me believe that the car only had a little over 30000 mile when I purchased it is correct.

I think it is interesting that, in the old days, someone with an 8th grade education could but two Packards while today we have people with advanced degrees in mathematics and engineering working at McDonalds and WalMart. This country is being run into the ground.

A Packard was something you worked your way up to. I see he was over sixty when he bought the first one. That is about when today's university graduates will pay off their student loans and be able to afford a new car.

Useless information is fun and interesting information.
Your original Packard owner most likely as previously mentioned, worked his way up to Packard ownership.
His first car may have been a second hand Chandler or EMF. Then a new Ford T or Chevrolet or even a Studebaker! Then by progression a Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile and finally a bright shinny new Packard!

Not only could someone with an eighth grade education eventually buy two Packards, they could sometimes do quite well without ever formally attending college.

Jesse Vincent, Packard's Engineering Vice President during WWII, who'd designed Packard's twin-six and Liberty engines, and later the twelve cylinder engine that powered PT boats, and who'd won a gold cup in marine racing in a boat powered by one of his designs, dropped out of school at the 8th grade.

According to The Packard Story by Turnquist, Vincent got his engineering education working in machine shops and through correspondence courses. He joined Packard in 1912 and by the 1920's was chief engineer. Vincent and his staff developed sixes, straight eights, V-eights, V-twelves, horizontal twelves and twenty-four cylinder W engines.

With the way companies rely on diplomas today, if he were a kid today and dropped out of the 8th grade to work in a machine shop and take correspondence courses, he'd probably be sweeping floors in the machine shop and working at Mickey D's part time to make ends meet.

I am sorry to say but too many kids today even with a degree are still dumb as dirt and Micky Ds is probably the best they can reasonably expect out of life. Schools claim they can't find good teachers and that is probably true but so many of the kids seem to have no desire to learn anything extra either. The sad part is even if the kids do learn the teachers and parents cannot seem to agree on a way to measure what or if they have learned enough to deserve the diploma. Give it to them anyway to avoid socially stigmatizing their psyche's seems to be the operative. Those kids will never be able to afford a fine car on salary alone.