A Michiana Life in the Spotlight: Andrew Beckman

When the love for automobiles is as deep as Andrew Beckman’s, even a $500 racecar can be a thing of beauty.

Beckman, an archivist at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, believes that passion and profession do not have to be mutually exclusive. Whether he’s with a couple of buddies building broken-down cars into competitive vehicles or preserving the history of one of the most prestigious brands in North American automobiles, it’s all a part of his interests.

“I grew up in a family of Studebaker owners,” Beckman says. “I’ve been around Studebakers since I was a toddler because my dad had five of them. Those were our family vacations, to various car shows and events in our old cars.”

Beckman was also interested in the history of cars, though he hadn’t considered that it was something he could make a career out of. While on a tour of historic automotive sites in Detroit, organized by the late Studebaker owner and curator of transportation at the Henry Ford Museum, Randy Mason, it occurred to him that the pursuit of automotive history was a legitimate endeavor.

“I was blessed that my mentor in this business was a gentleman by the name of Matt Short. He was the curator of transportation at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum, and a director at the R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Michigan and the Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Matt helped steer my career, and he’s been a really great friend.”

Beckman grew up in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, right on Lake Michigan. He studied history at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay (home of the Fighting Phoenix, he notes with pride) and migrated to South Bend for his position at the Studebaker Museum in 1999.

In his position as archivist at the museum, Andrew has a thorough knowledge of the Studebaker brand, including their extensive history as the foremost name in horse-drawn equipment before the automobile became a mainstay.

“The tale of the Studebakers is very much married to the local area,” Beckman says. “It’s been a part of South Bend since the town’s infancy. We hold the largest collection of presidential carriages anywhere, including the carriage Abraham Lincoln took to the Ford Theater the night he was shot.”

Cataloguing and maintaining the archives for a century and a half of such rich history might give anyone else the urge to pursue hobbies outside of the industry in their free time; however, Beckman says that his work is only one end of the spectrum when it comes to his automotive interests.

“A lot of my hobbies deal with the internal combustion engine. My two friends and I own a very clapped-out race car as part of the 24 Hours of Lemons racing series.”

24 Hours of Lemons (a play on the internationally known 24 Hours of Le Mans racing event) involves cars worth no more than $500 competing in an endurance race. Beckman says it’s the most fun to be had when racing on a budget.

“I also have two Studebakers of my own, and I’m blessed with a wife who doesn’t mind summer trips in non-air-conditioned vehicles.”

When he absolutely cannot be in a car, tinkering with a car, or studying cars, he sometimes picks up the trombone or guitar, just for some variety.

Beckman is proud of the work he has done as an archivist, and he urges people both locally and outside of the area to visit the museum, especially this time of year.

“Come up and check out the museum. We’ll be open throughout the holidays, only closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. You’ll come away learning lots of things you didn’t know before.”

For more information on the Studebaker National Museum, visit studebakermuseum.org.