Chris:

Thanks for the information.  I really would like to have an Oliver musuem someplace.  Having grown up in Iowa I think Charles City would be a great place, but everything Oliver is gone from there, so South Bend with its buildings used by the corporation is fine with me.  

I would like to be at the winter meeting and meet you guys working on this project, but I won&#039;t be able to be there.  Will the board make a final decision as to whether or not the project will go forward at the winter meeting?
  
When you start talking about preparing a budget and hiring someone to do it (that is well qualifiied) it seems to me the club is committing itself to start spending some significant dollars.  I know June is fast approaching, but a rough order of magnitude budget won&#039;t do, especially when it comes to fixing up the buildings.  

Has AGCO expressed any interest in helping to support the musuem.  I think a pitch could be made to them that displaying current ag equipment and information  along with the Oliver items and information could have a significant benefit to them. 

After all us old guys that grew up farming with Olivers and the people that are collectors will not be enough to keep a musuem going for the long term.  We are going to have to have something that will get people to pull off of the Indiana turnpike and spend a few hours.  I think it will be to our advantage that Notre Dame,  the Studebaker Musuem and the College Football Hall of Fame are in South Bend.  Although I think you could get people visting those places to visit an Oliver musuem, I don&#039;t believe there will be a lot of them do it on there own.  We would have to work hard at making the musuem a place that draws visitors.  I think AGCO could help with that.  

I know you are probably thinking, &amp;quot;Man this guy is a pain where you sit,&amp;quot; but I really am interested in a musuem.  Being in Virgina it is a little difficult for me to physically contribute much, but I will help out to the best of my ability if you think there is anything I could do.<!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->