Added July 2024 ….A Satellite View Of The Location Of Alexander Henry McGregor’s Welding Shop, And Surroundings.
…And At Right, Is Shown A Photo Of This Shop. As Seen From Rogue River Road.
…Mr. Blue Nelson, said that Alexander Henry McGregor’s shop, is at 3100 Rogue River Road, which along this road is about 1.2 Miles East of Grants Pass Oregon. ********************

***** o0OOO0o *****

AN EXPLANATION FOR The FOLLOWING ~37 PHOTO INTERLUDE: =>

On July 22, 2024, David Matos & Henry Gurr, Arrived At The Welding Shop Of Alexander Henry McGregor.

This Welding Shop, Is With Near Certainty, The Place The ZMM Narrator Says =>
… “Down the street I find a welder’s sign and enter.
Cleanest welding place I’ve ever seen. Great high trees and deep grass line an open space in back, ”

AND, WHAT WAS FOUND, IS SHOWN IN THE *** NEXT ~THIRTY SEVEN *** PHOTOS.
…Which In Many Ways Is A Photo Essay Of => The Life & Times of Expert Welder Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor: The Gruff Scotsman Who Welded The Chain Guard of Robert Pirsig’s Cycle In Grants Pass, Oregon.

***** o0OOO0o *****

*********************

…In Case You Are Interested =>
RightClick, And Ask For A NewTab, And You Browser Will Bring Up A The /\Above/\ Satellite View Of This Location. After you have studied the “scene”, you can click for a Google Street View.
*********************

A Historical Note Concerning The Name “Rogue River”, Which Is Itself A Rather Ordinary River, Not In Any Way Rogue:
…The name apparently began with French fur trappers who called the river La Riviere aux Coquins because they regarded the natives as rogues (coquins).
…[HSG Adds This => We can suppose that the French Trappers wanted or demanded things from the.Native Americans, which did not want do & naturally resisted. After all, they had a life of their own. So why should they do the demands of someone else? No surprise, but still the French held it against the Native Americans.
Click Here For Above Excerpt From Wikipedia. And More Information About This River And Surrounding Areas.

File = ScrnCapt GoogSatt LocAlexanderHenryMcGregorWeldingShop&Surroundings01

Added July 2024 …Google Street View Of Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor’s Welding Shop.
…This Shop Is Located (See Strip Map), Where The Rogue River Road Rt-99, Is Very Near The Rogue River Itself. This is Somewhat To The Right Of The Red Pinpoint For The River Park RV Resort.
…To Drive To Here, David Matos & Henry Gurr, Going West On I-5, Soon After Passing Medford. Oregon, & Gold Hill, Oregon,
…Started Looking For A Way To Go Under The I-5 Bridges (Seen Above), And Soon Cross Over The Rogue River, Get On The Rogue River Road Rt-99, To Be Able To Drive To The McGregor Welding Shop.
********************

DAVID MATOS’S FACEBOOK POST July 23, 2025, GIVES THIS OVERVIEW =>

…Back in 1968, before departing Grants Pass, Oregon, the ZMM Narrator stops at a welding and repair shop to fix the chain guard on his motorcycle. Thanks to Blue Nelson and Bill Quaccia, we believe we've found what is probably [with near certainty] the shop Robert M. Pirsig actually patronized in 1968, one belonging to a Mr. Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor, an expert welder and an excellent motorcycle repairman with a shop a few miles down the main road from Grants Pass.

In Correspondence With ZMMquality’s Henry Gurr, Phil Newton of Murphy, Oregon, Confirms The Location And Tells Us More => …
…“I knew Sandy and worked for many years with his sweet and patient friend Ms Marvel Lorenz
…He was a master welder -- and also an accomplished motorcycle roadracer. Because of childhood polio effects, he could walk only with difficulty and with Canadian Crutches.
…But, judging by old pictures of him on those bikes, he could fly once he was on wheels
… It was well-known that Sandy was the welder in Mr. Pirsig's book. He spoke of it often.”

A Good Friend Of Welder McGregor, Bill Quaccia Tells This Story.
..“Around 1980 I wanted to repair the steel rear fender of 1956 Triumph. Dave Lorenz said, Let’s take it to Sandy. ... OK. … I unbolted the fender and started to clean it up. Stripping the paint off it I notice that it had previously been repaired with brass. … It had been brazed. … Dave took a look at that and said, Don’t take it to Sandy, he will have a fit if he saw it had been brazed. .. I found another fender and sold the brazed item at a swap meet."

This Of Course, Is A Great Story, And Gives Us A Real Life Glimpse of the personality of the welder who was probably the model for the laconic welder described in Chapter 29 of the novel “ Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance /i>”.
…This welder, who is no fan of brazing either, as reported by The ZMM Narrator =>
…"Aren’t you going to braze it?" I ask.
…"No," he says. Talkative fellow.”
.
… For David Matos Full Post on = Facebook/ZMMquality. DAY 16: July 23, 1968. Welder's shop, Grants Pass, OR. Has 4 Relevant Photos. Click Here.
********************

Anyone Who Has Additional Stories Like Bill Quaccia’s -> “Sandy Hated Brazing Weld Jobs Please send an email to HenryG__USCA.edu
…Or do you know anything about (and photos of) Sandy’s High Speed Cycles (Trophy Bikes): Do you have any information about his bikes being pioneering & attention getting? Or do you have other stories to tell?
********************

NOTE: David (Dave) Lorenze, is the son of Marvel Lorenze => Who was the good friend of Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor, and during his last years, his caretaker.
… Forthcoming Photos, have considerable information about Marvel Lorenze.

File =
… You May Go To The Above Google Street View, And Conduct Your OWN ClickDrag Exploration. Click Here.

Monday, July 22, 2024: … Framed Photos, Which For A Long Time Have Been Displayed In Home Of Welder Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor.
…Lower Right Is Photo Of Mr. McGregor.
********************

In Searching For More Information About Mr. McGregor, Henry Gurr Found =>
….A) .Genealogy Family History Sites, that tell where the Scottish name McGregor came from and list some example family trees.
… One such listing of 92 McGregor’s, there were 55 Alexander’s, and 33 Henry’s. … ….Another such listing of ~16 McGregor’s, there were 6 Alexander’s, and 11 Henry’s. ….And in this searching, found at least 6 Sandy’s, as nickname.
Thus we conclude => Mr. McGregor’s given names are common in his clan,
…..and even the nickname Sandy is common.
….B) Extensive effort to find Mr. McGregor’s Obituary, using Both Ancestry.com & Google failed, but.in the process, the following was found =>

Name.Alexander Henry McGregor
Age ,, 90
Birth Date .. 19 August 1916
Death Date .23 May 2006
Death Place ..Grants Pass, OR. Josephine, OR.
Spouse ,,.Ruth

….B) In Ancestry.com, A Search for Alexander Henry McGregork, found in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 Click Here,. Which Gave The Following =>

Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor
Gender .. Male
Race .. White
Birth Date ..19 Aug 1916
Birth Place ,, Bakersfield, CA
Death Date .. 23 May 2006
Father .. Henry A McGregor
Mother ……..Catherine Zerle
SSN .. 555098297
Signature on SSN Card .. Sandy McGregor
Relationship of Signature: Signature name differs from his name.
NOTES:
…Mar 1937: Name listed as ALEXANDER HENRY MCGREGOR; Jan 1969: Name listed as SANDY MCGREGOR; 31 May 2006: Name listed as ALEXANDER H MCGREGOR.

….D) Google search for Mr. McGregor’s friend …. Ms Marvel Lorenze …. found WebSites like UsPhonebook or Reverse-Address-Lookup,
…Which showed her living at the address of Mr. Sandy McGregor’s shop & house, thus confirming information from Phil Newton. See more of Mr Newton discussion under the 22nd photo forthcoming.
*********************

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A Second View Of Framed Photos, Which For A Long Time, Have Been Displayed In Home Of Welder Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor.
…Lower Right Is A Photo Of Mr. McGregor.

…(Photo Thanks To Blue Nelson.)
********************

On the phone Mr Bill Quaccia Said =>
……“Sandy talked lots about the ZMM Book. He was a cranky guy, and worked on all the ‘impossible’ things, and especially all the local area cycle repairs.” … “There are Family Photo Albums, and I will scan some of these.”

To Which Henry Gurr Adds This =>
…As his name suggests, Mr. McGregor is a FULL Scotsman! AND The “Cranky Guy” also fits the ZMM Narrator’s descriptions =>
.. ”he looks at me disdainfully” —
.. "I’m not taking it off for you. You’ll have to take it off."
.. "It’s full of grease."
…"There’s some solvent in that pan over there.”

Henry Gurr Continues =>
…But To Counter The “Cranky Guy”, Sandy Clearly Had Lots Of Virtues. Mr McGregor Was =>
…1) A very good motorcycle mechanic & machine shop operator. From Mr. Nelson or Mr. Quaccia we heard that Sandy built Very High Speed Cycles (Trophy Bikes), for record setting speed runs at places like the Bonneville Flats. We would like to hear more about this.
…2) Mr. McGregor had an excellent ability to do these really, really, tough repair & welding jobs, especially the exceedingly tricky torch & steal filler-rod, welding of very thin steel sheet metal, without brazing which is lumpy-ugly and inferior weak..

File = DSC03832 (1) Resize533x400

A Third View Of Framed Photos, Which For A Long Time. Have Been Displayed In Home Of.
…Lower Right Is A Photo Of Mr. McGregor.
……Especially Notice => Above The Photo Of Mr. McGregor, Is His Calling Card & Stylized Signature.

…(Photo Thanks To Blue Nelson.)

********************
Other Information Found:
…Marvel Lorenz, lived with Sandy and cared for him till his end. (It would be misleading to call her his girlfriend, or cohabitant.) And because of her good care, and since Sandy McGregor had no descendants, he gave her his estate. This was all his property from the highway to the Rogue River, including his house and three buildings. Upon Marvel’s death, all this went to her son David. He is a really private person, and really does not want anyone coming around this property.
********************
… Sandy’s father built one of those cotton cloth, stick, & wire airplanes (similar to Wright Brothers), back in about 1910’s. This was the first in Bakersfield, California. Sandy’s first years were in Los Angeles, California, and he spent several years in a Polio Hospital Ward: Thereafter the effects of polio made walking difficult. For example Sandy had to daily drive his old Ford Pickup, from his house to his shop. In fact this old Ford is still in the garage by Sandy’s house.
…When Sandy die, there was a Wake held at Pierce Pearce Park complete with a Scottish Bag Pipe Player, which fit Sandy’s Scottish McGregor heritage. For more information, and obituary, look at the Grants Pass Courier Newspaper, but nothing related was found.
;;;The worthless, no air-conditioning, Fintail Mercedies Car that Blue Nelson got from the back of Sandy’s shop was not Sandy’s. It had been left there by someone else, long after Sandy’s demise.
********************

File = DSC03840

To Show The Extent Of What Can Be Found These Days, By Diligent Search =>
…The /\Above/\ Shows Mr McGregor’s World War II Draft Card, AND Even Its Handwriting Supplied As Digital Text! As Shown Below.

AND DITTO FOR “VOTER REGISTRATION” AND “US CENSUS” SEEN FURTHER BELOW:

********************
Ask Ancestry.com AI: Detail Source:
Alexander Henry McGregor
Gender .. Male
Race ,, White
Age .. 24
Relationship to Draftee Self
Birth Date .. 19 Aug 1916
Birth Place .. Bakersfield, CA
Residence Place .. Bakersfield, Kern, California, USA
Registration Date .. 16 Oct 1940
Registration Place ,, Bakersfield, Kern, California, USA
Employer .. C L Stancliff
Height ,, 5 7
Weight .. 125
Complexion .. Light Brown
Hair Color .. Brown
Eye Color .. Hazel
Next of Kin .. Henry A McGregor, Father.
Household Members (Name) .. Relationship
Alexander Henry McGregor .. (Head)
Henry A McGregor .. Father

********************

Alexander H McGregor, In The California, U.S., Voter Registrations, 1900-1968.
Alexander H McGregor
Residence Date ,, 1948
Street Address .. 705 N Central av
Residence Place ,, Los Angeles, California, USA
Party Affiliation ,, Republican

****************

Alexander H McGregor, In The 1950 United States Federal Census.
…Ask Ancestry AI Detail Source.
Alexander H McGregor
Age .. 33
Birth Date ,, abt 1917
Gender ,, Male
Race ,, White
Birth Place ., California
Marital Status .. Married
Relation to Head of House . Head
Residence Date .. 1950
Home in 1950 .. Monrovia, Los Angeles, California, USA
Street Name .. Grand
House Number .. 19130
Apartment Number .. ?anda
Dwelling Number .. 34
Farm .. Yes
Questionnaire Number .. 10
Occupation .. General Machinist Engineer
Industry .. Machine shop
Occupation Category .. Working
Hours Worked .. 50
Worker Class .. Own Business
Household Members (Name) .. Age ll Relationship
Alexander H McGregor .. 33 .. Head
Ruth L McGregor .. 44 .. Wife

File = AlexanderHenryMcGregor U.S.World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947

PLEASE BE AWARE =>: Very Few, Of Even The Best Gas Torch Welders, Can Do This Exceedingly Tricky Torch & Steel Filler-Rod, Welding Of Very Thin Steel Sheet Metal.
…And thus, among any other very good “fits” to the ZMM Narrative, this thin sheet metal welding skill, selects with near certainty => Mr Sandy McGregor as the Grants Pass Welder!!
…Especially, since the ZMM Narrator make the specific points that => “I wonder if he’s actually going to try to weld that thin metal. Sheet metal I don’t weld. I braze it with a brass rod. When I try to weld it I punch holes in it.”


The Functionality Of Mr. Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor =>
… It doesn’t take for very long, before one realizes how he was a highly functional and well-put-together human being! This conclusion came to me, Henry Gurr, after being around the facts about him and seeing his welding shop. His shop was well organized, & well laid out, with all the different kinds of equipment and cabinets and work benches, needed for welding, machinery fabrication & repair. Nothing fancy. And evident thoughtful & prudent choices of equipment, that could be found used, rather than new & more costly.
… Mr. McGregor functionality is most especially shown in => The very fact that had completely mastered the highly difficult and tricky torch & filler rod welding of thin sheet metal, shows his high degree of intelligence, and long diligent practice, practice, that makes perfect, to achieve this valuable skill.
… Torch & filler rod welding of thin metal is VERY tricky…And, there are very few welders that can do this (especially since must be near Grants Pass, Oregon), and indeed rare, who can make a “beautiful” weld, in words of Author Robert Pirsig. …All together, these facts tell us, with near certainty, that Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor, is indeed the welder of the ZMM Book. =>
… “He sparks the torch, and sets a tiny little blue flame and then, it’s hard to describe, actually dances the torch and the rod in separate little rhythms over the thin sheet metal, the whole spot a uniform luminous orange-yellow, dropping the torch and filler rod down at the exact right moment and then removing them. No holes. You can hardly see the weld. "That’s beautiful," I say.”

Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor’s Welded Chain Guard, On Author Robert Pirsig’s Honda, Is NOT To Be Found!
…Author Robert Pirsig’s 1966 Honda Super Hawk Motorcycle (discussed in his novel “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” ), is now on display at The Smithsonian Institution Washington DC), And ZMM Enthusiasts, who have seen it there =>
Tell Us That =>
…The Chain Guard welded in Grants Pass, Oregon, is no-where to be found, despite considerable searches for it.
. Apparently Mr. Pirsig replaced it with a new one, perhaps because the old one was still too wrinkled when it got caught in the moving chain, and with the heat of the weld, had lost its black paint.
…Thus, what is REALLY need a good photo of some other of Mr. McGregor’s torch & filler rod welds in thin sheet metal. If you can help, please contact by email HenryG__USCA.edu.
********************

File = Fm YesWelder.com ExampleTorchWeldThinMetal.jpg

A View Of The Front Of Welder Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor’s Welding & Repair Shop, As Seen From Rogue River Road, Rt-99.
…The Vehicles Seen, Are By A Big Rear Service Door, As Is Shown Next Photo.

File = DSC 0647 Resize602x400

Looking Into The Big Rear Service Door Of Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor’s Welding Shop,
…We See (L>R): Blue Nelson, David Matos. And Bill (Kodiak Bill) Quaccia.
********************

AS AN INTRODUCTION TO MR..BLUE NELSON & MR. BILL QUACCOA
…. HERE IS A July 8, 2019 EMAIL, FROM MR. NELSON =>
“Hi Henry
“I hung out with Bill yesterday at the Vintage Oregon Motorcycle Meeting. He felt the same, a great conversation.
“He told me he had no idea that there could be such a following and dedication for the book, and all of your in-depth effort.
“We are both impressed.
“I hope that my name can be squeezed in there somewhere, as I would be honored since that book had quite an impact on me as well, plus my very livelihood is dedicated to the research of rare cars and their ownership history which is how I found the shop and Bill in the first place.
“Hope you meet you some day as well. I live in Gold Hill just minutes away from the shop in question so you are welcome to visit anytime. Blue.”

AND HERE IS A July 9, 2019 EMAL, FROM MR QUACCIA.=>
…”The house way back from the welder’s shop (not abandoned) was welder Sandy ‘s house, lived in currently by Marvel Lorenz. Sandy gave her his estate. [My] Photo of boarded up welding shop has addresses of shop 3100 and of house in the rear 3108. … When I search google map for 3100 Rogue River Highway, Grants Pass. I get the welding shop. Go to map view, put cursor on the two buildings between shop and river, switch to street view to see Sandy’s house and garage.”

...For More About Mr. Sandy McGregor’s friend and last years caretaker, Ms Marvel Lorenz, See 12th & 17th Photo Next.

File = DSC 0622 Resize602x400

In Alexander Henry (Sandy) McGregor’s Welding Shop Is Seen (L>R): Blue Nelson, David Matos. And Bill (Kodiak Bill) Quaccia.
…On Workbench Are Framed Photos, Views Of Which Were In 3 Previous Photos.

File = DSC 0621 Resize602x400

A General View Into Sandy McGregor’s Welding Shop. From Left to Right =>
…Gray Tool Box, Three Hydraulic Jacks, Very Tall Grey Frame With Big Round Long Push-Down Rod Used To Apply Large Forces, Framed Photos, & Sandy’s Well-Used & Smoked Up Electric Arc Welders Face Shield, And Sandy’s Tan Suburban Automobile.
…Next Photo Shows Deeper View To Left Of Suburban.

File = DSC 0623 Resize602x400

A Deeper View To Left Of Tan Suburban Automobile.

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General View Into Sandy McGregor’s Welding Shop. From Left to Right =>
…Heating Furnace & Vertical Smoke Pipe, Red Roll-Around Tool Box, Doorway & View Into Shop Building West Wing, White Folding Chair.

File = DSC 0626 McGregorShop1 PhotoSetOfHenryGurr Upload Feb 8 2025 #4 Resize1141x400

Photo From A Linde Power Supply SVI-300 User’s Manual:
…This Is A Good Illustration Of Sandy McGregor’s Yellow Linde Arc Welder Power Supply Type SVI-500: At Top The Two Electricity Gages Show Voltage & Current Output, When Welding. Just Above Center Height, The Two Grey Disks, Have Crank Knobs To Adjust Respectively Output Voltage & What Is Called “Slope” Of Current Verses Voltage. To Left Of The Two Grey Disks, Is A Vertical Up-Down Adjustment Handle. Two More Are On The Right Side.

File = LokLkMcGregor manualzz.com%docT777576%esab-linde-sv-300--sv-500-welding-power

At Right, You See Sandy McGregor’s Yellow Linde Arc Welder Power Supply Type SVI-500:
…[REPEATING PRIVIOUS PHOTO => ] Which At Top Are Two Electricity Gages That Show Voltage & Current Output, When Welding. Just Above Center Height, The Two Grey Disks, Have Crank Knobs To Adjust Respectively Output Voltage & What Is Called “Slope” Of Current Verses Voltage. To Left Of The Two Grey Disks, Is A Vertical Up-Down Adjustment Handle. Two More Are On The Right Side.

…Left Of Center, Leaning Against The Wood Post, Is A Grey Metal, Heavy Duty Lift-Up Tool, That Has An Arm Pushed Up By A Shiny Hydraulic Cylinder Push Rod, (Which In This Photo Isn’t So Shiny), And Seen Extending Up And To the Left, From The Somewhat White Hydraulic Cylinder, Seen In The “Vee” Formed By The leaning Pieces Of Wood.
… The BOTTOM Of This “Heavy Duty, Lift-Up Tool”, Is Shown NEXt Photo.
…Left Of The Wood Post, Covered By Paper, Is Sandy’s Metal Cutting Lathe, Which Will Be Shown SECOND Next Photo.
…At Left, Leaning Against Another Wood Post, Is A Smooth, Shiny Cylinder, Which Probably Holds High Pressure Welding Gas.

File = DSC 0624 Resize602x400

A Yellow Push Under Automobile Lift Up Jack.
…And Above The Yellow Jack, You Also See, The Bottom End Of The “Grey Metal Heavy Duty Lift-Up Tool”, Shown In The Previous Photo.,
-
File = DSC 0653 Resize602x400

A View Sandy’s Blue-Grey Metal Cutting Lathe, With Small Paper On Top Of It .
…Above, The Large Blue-Grey Disk, Is A Flat Leather Belt Pully, Rotated By An Electric Motor.
…This In Turn Has Flat Leather Belt Pulleys That Pull A Second Leather Belt, To A Second Pulley, To Rotate The Lathe Spindle.
…The Tall Shiny Cylinder Leaning On Wood Post, Is Likely A High Pressure Tank, With Welding Gas.

…(Photo Thanks To Blue Nelson.)

File = DSC03812

Sandy McGregor’s Electric Motor-Driven Metal Clean-Off Tool, Which A. On One End A Round Stiff Wire Brush, And B) On The Other End, A Fine Powder Abrasive Flexible Polishing Belt, Running Between Two Flat Pulleys.
…At Left, The Orange Is An Open Car Door.

File = DSC 0643 RotResize400x602