texarc,
I think Bill has some good advise concerning your partner. I have found what he said to have worked for me in times past. Some of these "older gents" in our shop have a lot of info tucked away for recalling, if you are willing to invest the time to listen. And like Bill said, be prepared to listen to "all" of the stories to get to the ones you are particularly interested in.
Just my two cents,(Bill deserves credit for the other 98 cents worth)
John Wright