Farewell

[Sebastian Gaeta]

Seabstian, there is no correcting you, you are entitled to your opinion just like I am. But I don't measure a persons' worth by what he may or may not contribute to the "Registry" particularly by minimizing what has been done. The Registry is only one of many ways supporting what we are all about: and that is Porsche 356.

Hi Roy,

I did not in any way mean to minimize what he has done, I am sorry you may have taken it that way. I fully agree it has no measure as to a person's worth. I just think any tribute to Steve is incorrect saying he was a major contributor to the Registry. He wasn't. To the Porsche world and the 356 model in particular through events he personally organized and books he independently published, yes. This is far, far more than most of us have done to be sure.

But to this organization, the 356 Registry, no, hardly at all.

That would be guys like Bruce Baker, Bill Durland, Tom Oerther, Vic Skirmants, Chuck House, Joe Johnson etc etc. Sorry for all the names that I missed, and those names tally in the hundreds. Steve's is just not one of them.

Yes, I am picking nits, but I took your statement as him literally contributing directly to this organization. His contributions to the Registry have been almost nil and that's OK. There are thousands of members perfectly happy to be just that, but it just cannot be said he made contributions within the actual organization. His supporters only want "facts", so let's make sure this trivial piece of info is clear to anyone reading it:

Everything he has done so far in our hobby has had HIS name on it, not the 356 Registry. This includes all event and books LONG before the unfortunate lawsuits. This is not a criticism, it is just a statement of fact. I don't think you would even get an argument from Steve himself regarding this.

Roy, I can now say we are always in 99.99999% agreement!

[Roy Lock]

Bruce, thanks for the memories and all you have done to help me and all of those on huh is forum.

Our friendship does not end with this post as we will continue to correspond.

[Vic Skirmants]

"I did not in any way mean to minimize what he has done, I am sorry you may have taken it that way. I fully agree it has no measure as to a person's worth. I just think any tribute to Steve is incorrect saying he was a major contributor to the Registry. He wasn't. To the Porsche world and the 356 model in particular through events he personally organized and books he independently published, yes. This is far, far more than most of us have done to be sure.

But to this organization, the 356 Registry, no, hardly at all.

That would be guys like Bruce Baker, Bill Durland, Tom Oerther, Vic Skirmants, Chuck House, Joe Johnson etc etc. Sorry for all the names that I missed, and those names tally in the hundreds. Steve's is just not one of them.

Yes, I am picking nits, but I took your statement as him literally contributing directly to this organization. His contributions to the Registry have been almost nil and that's OK. There are thousands of members perfectly happy to be just that, but it just cannot be said he made contributions within the actual organization. His supporters only want "facts", so let's make sure this trivial piece of info is clear to anyone reading it:

Everything he has done so far in our hobby has had HIS name on it, not the 356 Registry. This includes all event and books LONG before the unfortunate lawsuits. This is not a criticism, it is just a statement of fact. I don't think you would even get an argument from Steve himself regarding this."
Above quote from Sebastian.

Thank you, Sebastian. Couldn't have said it any better. And if I did, I'd probably get sued; oh, wait; been there, done that.

[Pete Archibald]

Bruce,

You're one of the best and will be missed in this forum, but I know you're still out there. BTW, I still owe you that autograph...

All the best!

[Jon Schmid]

I don't know which is worse, the what or the why. Either way, we are all poorer for it and, Bruce, I hope some day you can find a way to come back and share your wealth of knowledge to help ignoramuses like me. Either way, my heartfelt thanks for your many contributions to the Registry. It's not just the cars, it's the people that matter.

[Jim Neil]

I "know" Bruce only from his posts here and I'm sure he as have many others have trained this novice. I was trying to figure out the backstory, and as best as I can tell, it has to do ultimately with the lawsuit and the divisions flowing from that, though maybe also some discussions about the civility and/or other disagreements over postings here. In any case, it's sad to see him go.

I posted some comments early in the lawsuit thread, got some counter responses which I acknowledged as reasonable, and then left it alone.

I wish EVERYONE could just stop talking about the lawsuit (it's over). If it were me, I'd close the lawsuit thread, and maybe make a general announcement that the topic should be generally closed. Directly and indirectly it seems this mess is now permeating the forum (I've been reading weekly or daily for some years now and I really do feel the difference these days), and taking away from the reasons why we are here - love of 356's, and the friendships that flow from our shared interests.

Time to shake hands and make up and let bygones be bygones (and makeup sex is the best, eh?). Time to play with our sexy cars and screw 'em (together, correctly).

[James Davies]

Sorry to see you go Bruce. You've been a very valuable voice.

[Mark Pribanic]

Bruce,

Thank you for all that you have done & shared with us over the years. Finally got to meet Bruce while at the 2011 Porsche Parade in Savannah. Here is a foto of him holding his name badge. I too have taken a break from the Talk forum the last couple of years. Partly because of all the negativity on the forums, but also partly due to personal reasons.

Hope to see ya back on the forum sooner than later Bruce!

Mark

[Alex Mestas]

Thanks for all your help over the years Bruce. I'm not saying good bye since I still enjoy and plan on corresponding with you. I just wanted to publicly thank you for all your contributions to the Forum. You are one that always made a difference. I really enjoy your humor and writing style and I know we'll all miss your contributions here on the forum.

It was a real pleasure finally meeting you in Georgia in 2011 at one of the best "holidays" I ever attended. You made it enjoyable. Be well.

Alex Mestas

[Alex Finigan]

Bruce,
Sorry to hear Buddy, our loss.
I hope this is just a breather, and not for ever.
I joined the club in 1975, and have been richer for it.
Hope to see you at some event, we go back a loooong way.
Thanks for all of your contributions.
All the Best,
#6

[Charlie White]

If

[Steve Harrison]

No dog in the fight here, and surely don't know the entire backstory, but If you look at the members link and click on total posts you will see that Bruce, although not posting regularly for over two years now, is still the 11th most prolific poster with over 2000 posts,...and that's out of over 7,000 folks. Now THAT is a contribution to the registry. The long explations of how to repair a door skin, take apart a seat hinge, or any number of details learned through experience will be missed. Not taking away the contributions of any others,...far from it,...but I do think the stew here works best with all the potential flavors in the mix.

I for one will always miss the opportunity to include in one of my posts: "Insert Bruce Baker joke here" as a part of the fabric of this site.

[Doug McDonnell]

Bruce Thanks for loving 356s and being kind enough to share your hard earned knowledge. Your posts and advice helped me get my 356 back on the road. KTF