Studebaker Corp. workers leave the factory at the gate on Sample Street on Dec. 9, 1963, the day the company announced the South Bend plant would close. What the government did to keep Studebaker afloat for years beforehand -- and then later for its unemployed workers -- might offer some lessons for today. South Bend Tribune file photo
Studebaker Corp. workers leave the factory at the gate on Sample Street on Dec. 9, 1963, the day the company announced the South Bend plant would close. What the government did to keep Studebaker afloat for years beforehand -- and then later for its unemployed workers -- might offer some lessons for today. South Bend Tribune file photo

By ED RONCO, South Bend Tribune Staff Writer

eronco@sbtinfo.com

SOUTH BEND - Lester Fox knows what it looks like when a major U.S. automaker fails. A lot of people in this town probably do.

When Studebaker closed its doors in late 1963, thousands of people found themselves out of work, and government representatives found themselves at the White House asking for help.

They got it.