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SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 93 - January 8, 2009
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

Click On All Images For Larger View

Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
Eric 'Rick' Rickman Update, Bill Crites passed away, Bud Morrill passed away, Paula Murphy has been nominated for the Motorsport Hall of Fame,
Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster, 8th Annual B'ville NW Banquet will be held February 21, 2009, Arthur C. Tilton Memorial Sportsmanship (Pete Dean) Trophy, Legends of Riverside Racing Film Festival and Gala, Inductees to the Motorsports Hall of Fame, some random pictures and PDF’s.

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President's Corner:  
   I just finished up going through Jack Underwood's collection of Bonneville memorabilia that covered the late 1950 to early '60's. Amongst the cool stuff were a couple of old entry forms that had been filled out by the late Mark Dees. Attached to the form was a sheet explaining the class rules and a list of records in each class. In 1959 there were 48 car classes to run in as compared to today's 638. Being the nosy type I dug out the first SCTA program in 1938 to see how many were used at the beginning. They were-
A- 80 mph to 90 mph Stock Bodies
B- 90 mph to 100 mph Stock Bodies
C- 100 mph to 110 mph Stock Bodies
D- 110 mph and over Stock Bodies
E- 90 mph to 100 mph Modified
F- 100 mph to 110 mph Modified
G- 110 mph to 120 mph Modified
H- 120 mph and over Modified
   Eight classes were used at the beginning kind of. If you really look at it there were actually only two, Stock and Modified. It's kinda like bracket racing today, be top dog in one, go a tenth over and then you're at the bottom again. That's racing. Before the 1939 season started the SCTA did a little class shuffling thanks to a guy named Ernie McAfee and his 137.41 mph one-way pass. There were now three classes with records established. They were: Stock Body set by Eldon Haas at 113.50 mph with a four banger in a roadster, Modified Body set by the Spalding Brothers at 120.50 mph with power from a milled V8 Ford and Streamliner set by Ernie McAfee with a Model-A four banger at 132.89 mph. These records were set with two-way runs in '37. From then on to set a record you had to run over the existing record to qualify for a chance at a two-way and set a new one. To put McAfee's accomplishment into perspective I did a little comparison to see what advancements have been made. I chose the V4F lakester class as it is the closest to what Ernie ran in those days. The 2008 rulebook listed the Stewart Family & Creel in Gas Class with a record of 135.187 mph. The Fuel Class has a minimum speed set at 140 mph. 

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McAfee ran 137 in '38. What's wrong with this picture. I know they raced for a longer distance then but technology advancements should take care of the distance thing. Isn't it time for somebody to step up and grab this 70 year old carrot for bragging rights. Do I hear 150 mph? Happy New Year!
   Caption: This is the McAfee car in 1939 when Karl Orr ran it. The best he did that year was 125.35 against McAfee's record of 132 mph set the year before. AHRF/Giovanine Family Collection.

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Editorial: 
   In the last issue of the SLSRH Newsletter, I ran 4 lists of SCTA Award winners and I mentioned to you how amazing it is that I can only recall knowing a very small number of those honorees. Yet their names are familiar to me, by and large, and I know "of" them, but not "by" them. There is something magical about those names. Even early SCTA, Russetta and other timing association members who weren't honored have a mystical connection to our past. Once when I was up at Black Rock Desert, helping out the Breedlove team, a man walked into the office and asked for directions to the lakebed so that he could see the car. A few of the younger staff pointed to the road and said, "go north a few miles." But it was obvious that such terse instructions weren't enough for this elderly gentleman who had driven hundreds of miles to witness this event. So I went over and gave him a BLM map of the area and explained how far north he needed to drive to find the encampment where the car was located. Then I introduced myself to him and he said, "Hi, I'm Bud Abbott." I looked at him and said, "Not Red Abbott who raced in the SCTA in the late '40's!" Well, you could have knocked Bud over with a feather duster as he responded, "How would anyone know who I am?" If you live long enough, all your friends die off and truly, even the most well-known become forgotten. 
   We became friends again that day. If I knew Bud when he raced, I could only have been 5 or 6 years old, but it was very likely they saw this little kid running around back them. I introduced Bud to Jack Mendenhall and they started a friendship that saw Bud join the Gold Coast Roadster and Racing Club and serve until his death a year or two ago. There are still some of our early day heroes around who raced back then, "in the old days." Not as many as there once were, but they are still there and they haven't lost their love for the old land speed racing. Now Jim Miller and I have no problems going up to complete strangers and introducing ourselves and making friends. Believe me, making friends is important at Bonneville or the dry lakes, especially if your car breaks down or you are stranded and need a helping hand. But making friends is just as valuable if you happen to chance upon one of our old time heroes of land speed racing. Not only will you make these gents and ladies feel like they haven't been forgotten, but they will teach you more than you could ever think was possible about the sport that you love. First you have to learn some names, off the old programs or in the newsletter. Then the next step is to remember those names when you are introduced to new people.  Once you have made a new friend, invite them to join you at the club meetings or other racing events. Bring the old timers back into activity in your club and timing association. 
   Unfortunately, many have left us for the great racetrack in the sky and our only way to know about them and feel a partnership with the past is to meet their family and friends. Sometimes the "second" generation is very strong in their support of racing. When I meet "kids" from that original generation, I feel a special bond between us. Partly because our parents kind of neglected us to go racing and therefore we have this, "I earned the right," sort of attitude. Partly it is generational and we see eye to eye on so many things. But you will never know whom to ask the question, "Are you the person who raced in the '40's," if you don't know any names. There is also the importance of knowing just who these names were and what they did and how vital they were to land speed racing and hot rodding. Just what purpose did Eldon Snapp play in the SCTA. How important was Bozzy Willis and Thatcher Darwin to the survival and re-establishment of the SCTA in 1945? Was Ed Adams and Art Tilton the creative geniuses behind the development of the SCTA. What impact did George Wight and George Riley have on the formation of the SCTA. Was Wally Parks and the Miller Brothers the "behind the scenes kingmakers" of the original SCTA. Did the NHRA arise because of the unwillingness of the SCTA to evolve and change? They say you can't enjoy the opera or the play if you don't know the cast of characters. Well, the cast of characters in early land speed racing was as fascinating a list as you could find anywhere and yes, they were characters. Read the old programs and remember the names of those young hot rodders from a by-gone era and if you happen to meet up with them, make friendships.

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He is still in the convalescent hospital and will more than likely never leave. His health is very frail and mentally he is slipping away. You must always keep in mind that he is 90 years old and little more can be expected.  Micheal Rickman
   Mike: Thank you for keeping us up to date on your father. Eric 'Rick' Rickman is one of our heroes and there are many people in land speed, drag, oval track, sports car, boat and other kinds of racing that admire and love your father for all that he has done to make their sports more familiar to the general public. His photography set the bar for all photographers who came after him. Please let us know how we can contact or communicate with Eric and let him know how we feel.

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Bill Crites passed away recently. He was 68. He worked for the NHRA, National Dragster and other publications. He was also an art director and production manager at National Dragster and worked with Leslie Lovett, Teresa Long, Tom McEwen, Bill Holland, Dawn Mazi-Hovsepian, Dave Kommel, Tom Schiltz and Phil Burgess. He was good friends with Steve, Gloria and Cindy Gibbs. His brother, Ken Crites, informed the news that his brother died from a heart attack. Scrub Hansen

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 From Vice President Don Ferguson III, "I just got word from Bud Morrill's wife Tammy that he had just passed away from congestive heart failure. For those who don't remember he ran GMC's and flatheads in many different cars at El Mirage and Bonneville. He has been living outside of Dallas, Texas for the last 3 years with his wife and two boys. They plan on returning to El Mirage and Bonneville to spread his ashes."  Roy Creel

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Wendy Jefferies just posted that Bud Morrill passed away a few days ago. No other details available at this time. Glen Barrett

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I don't know much about him when he was racing. He married a much younger woman and started having kids instead.  Wendy Jeffries, Editor, Bonneville Racing News
   Wendy: I called Jack Underwood and he believes that Bud Morrill was a Rod Rider and started land speed racing around 1941 or '42. Jack knew him, but not well. I will look for anyone who might have known him and see if we can get a biography or obituary on him. Thanks for your help.

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Guess what, I have been nominated for the Motorsport Hall of Fame. That is a big WOW.    Paula Murphy
   Paula: No one deserves it better than you in my opinion. Isn't one of the reasons why people are honored due to their struggles and achievements in life? Hall of Fames honor those whose achievements are monumental in nature and not just above average. When they honor you they know who you are and what you did. Write your history and caption your photographs and leave a history of who and what you are. It is your struggles on your way to your achievements that have life and meaning to others who are struggling to cope with the world. Your life should be written and recorded so that others can take comfort in knowing that even though it often appeared dire, you persevered and won out. Before they nominated you for the award, you were already a Hall of Famer in my eyes. Deeds speak for themselves.

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We are on the Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster finally and we have a goal to complete by summer 2009. I am providing you with some information on the S-G Roadster and it was an incredible feat that took place during the 1948 SCTA racing season.

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 I would like any information and comments from anyone regarding what they remember of the Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster as it had quite a long run and it was one of the stars of the Albata Club. If there are any photos or historical information...it would be appreciated. I am going to have Tom Fritz do a painting as he is the ultimate master of the low orange yellow sun and swirling dust from the clay pan. Thanks and I will keep you updated. Ernie Nagamatsu

  Ernie: Great news on the discovery, purchase and restoration of the Spurgin-Giovanine Roadster. You truly have a gem, one of the all time great SCTA dry lakes cars and we will put out the word for those with photographs or memories of the car to write in and share what they know. It is one thing to have the car, it is altogether another thing to know its history. Is Tom Fritz the master? He's one of the best of a great group of hot rod artists. I joke with Tom that I should have bought one of his paintings when he was a "starving artist," but now he is far beyond my pocket book. He eyed me for a second and said, "Richard, I've got a lay away plan for you." Tom Fritz is one of the best racing, hot rod, dry lakes and motorsports artists around and will no doubt be represented at the upcoming Grand National Roadster Show in Pomona, California from January 23-25, 2009.

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Here is the copyright/trademark article. As you may be aware, I have been researching Bonneville, dry lakes and early drag racing history for the last fifteen years or so. I have been fortunate to be able to write regular columns and articles on a variety of subjects, but the old stories are my main interest. An extension to this has been my building a model of the City of Burbank streamliner (which has sold out), and recently reproducing old hot rod programs and decals from the early years. These interests almost immediately bring up the question of copyright. Copyright ownership is of a great concern to me for my artwork, writings and respecting other people's rights. All the items that I reproduce have hazy copyright/trademark ownership trails. I am not an expert, but I have researched this issue and would like to offer the following, as a discussion point if nothing else.
A copyright, as defined by the U.S. Government, is the ownership of an original work. That includes a wide variety of things, but essentially it means that anything that comes out of your head and is placed in a tangible form, is automatically copyrighted. There is no need to file any paperwork or attach that little "c" in a circle. With items created after January 1, 1978 the copyright duration is life of the author/creator plus 70 years or if the work was done for hire, the copyright is 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation whichever is shorter. Items created between implementation of the 1909 Copyright Act and the 1976 (1978 effective date) and 1998 revision dates, their work is protected in a similar manner with the exception being the initial protection lasts for 28 years and may be renewed for an additional 67 years, totaling 95 years from date of publication.
The terms "published" and "renewal" appear. Publication is the distribution of copies of a work to the public for sale, rental, lease or lending. From reading through the confusing verbiage, I think using the "c" in a circle or the word copyright/date/name, is an essential part of publication. Renewal is the extension of a copyright by the holder. Again the wording is fuzzy, but it appears that it refers to an extension of the copyright of a registered copyright. Registration with the Library of Congress is not necessary for a copyright to exist but I think it must be done to secure the renewal (extension). These two things require paperwork and fees.
Copyright and Trademark are different but often intertwine. Trademark is defined as any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination of these to identify goods sold or made. (If services are involved instead of goods, this would be a servicemark not a trademark, in 1992 or 1998 some amending legislation created servicemark and made it different from a trademark but essentially acts the same except dealing with companies who offer services instead of products). With our pedestrian knowledge in place, we might think the following to be true. Let's take the Russetta logo for example. The artwork that created the logo actually created a trademark. Even though it was a work of art, it was intended to be a logo, therefore it can only be protected by trademark law. This requires registration and fees, the term of a trademark is 5 years and requires renewal. This apparently opens the door wide for old logos like Russetta to be used without objection.
A big issue among historians is that of photographs. My understanding of the above law puts photographs under copyright protection if you are the person who took the photos, or if they were taken by someone under your employ. Establishing you as the copyright holder must be done for your protection. Dating the photos is important to start the copyright clock ticking. If you did not take the photos then you must establish copyright ownership before using them. About 5 years ago I bought 650 snapshots of the dry lakes and Bonneville starting in the thirties up through the mid sixties. They are first generation prints so I am not concerned that they have been previously published, but I cannot use. The person who took them has died, but the copyright was part of his estate and is therefore owned by whoever was beneficiary of such items. So I must track that person down and get a written assignment of copyright from them. Copyrights and trademarks can be tricky. The first suggestion from others concerning a quandary such as this is to see an attorney. That sounds expensive, and I think can be done without one. There is much information regarding searches on the government web sites. End. Don Pennington
Don: Thank you for your research.
Readers: As others have pointed out, if there's not much money to be made then owners simply don't defend their intellectual rights to their properties. I feel the same way about my stories that I write, some 400 articles and stories. I find pleasure in just making them available to people to read and enjoy and in some cases my articles and stories are picked up and used with or without my permission by people who are not aware of trademarks, copyright laws and other legal restrictions. Many people do the same with photographs. They aren't professional photographers and they are happy that someone wants them and that they won't end up in the trash. But eventually, someday, our hobby will attract enough of a market that profiting from our work may become a reality and a threat. Readers, be aware that the photos and designs that you use may not belong to you even though they were given to you and that the original owner and his heirs and their heirs can put forth a claim for their return. To protect yourself, have the givers sign a release or a transfer of title to you to establish your claim. Many people simply take photographs and when the owners pass away, assume they now have ownership. The truth is that the title to those artifacts are still murky and your ownership title is clouded. Not that very many people will know or care very much, but do the right thing and clear the title to those objects that you purchase or are given to you. Also, you can be given or buy the positives, but that doesn't mean that you own the rights to distribute. Even if you are given or purchase the negatives, you are not certain in the knowledge that you own the rights to publish. Always be clear with the person who gives or sells you photographs or memorabilia as to your "right to possess," and your "rights to re-publish or re-copy for sale."

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December 30, 2008. Ladies & Gentlemen: As we leave 2008 behind and roll into 2009, here are a few notes about last year. First, we actually have made significant progress toward announcing a date when we may go after the record. Second, we now have another competitor. Yes, it's Richard Noble and Andy Green, just like it was back in 1997 when we were fooling around with the American Eagle One. This time, we feel like we really have a good chance of beating them to the mark. You can never underestimate your competitors and you just never know who is lurking in the shadows (Rosco?). Even without the competitors pushing us, this project is technically difficult and financially draining, but you cannot take shortcuts. We have a great deal of technical support from companies that are helping us with just about everything we need but, of course, we are still struggling to find money. Every test session costs about $20,000 for travel expenses, lodging for the team members, fuel, insurance, permits, porta-potties and all sorts of other things that add up. We've conducted a total of 8 test sessions and 23 runs to date. Our next testing session will be met with great expectations of exceeding 400, then 500, with a speed limit of 575. We imposed this speed limit until we gather data from our onboard data acquisition system and matched that to the CFD analysis. If we feel we are on target, we will begin planning for our high speed runs with date and location yet to be determined. By that time, we will really be in need of a title sponsor to help us finance the run for the record. The entire team is champing at the bit (horse talk) to get rolling and show the world what we're made of. The innovation and tenacity of the team is an example of the good ol' North American "Can Do" attitude. The car is built, we have a fantastic team and we're so close we can just smell victory. Ed Shadle. Sent in by Jon M. Higley, C.I.O./E.A.D., Crew Lead/Webmaster, North American Eagle, Inc., http://www.landspeed.com.
Jon: Be sure to keep us informed of your progress. We're at www.landspeedracing.com.

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The 8th Annual B'ville NW Banquet will be held February 21, 2009. Location; Shilo Inn Portland Airport, 11707 NE Airport Way, Portland 97220. The cost for this year's event is $48.00 per person. After February 8th the cost goes up to $55.00. There will be a registration limit of 150. Registration cut off date is February 15, 2009. Admission will be by pre-registration only and there will be no at the door registration. There will be a flower and cash drawings for the ladies attending. PLEASE register as soon as possible as it will help me make arrangements with the hotel. Send check or Money Order payable to: Glenn Freudenberger, 11113 37th DR SE, Everett, WA 98208. If you have any questions send me an e-mail at [email protected], call 425-337-4558, or try my cell phone at 425-422-6944. I'll get back to you within 24 hours. Doors open at 5:00PM. The featured speaker will be Bret Kepner from ESPN TV. His interest in Bonneville is amazing. Plans are not completed yet for Friday or Saturday extra events. Reservations for the Shilo Inn can be made by calling 503-252-7500 or 1-800-222-2244. We will have a block of rooms held for us, after January 6th, at a reduced rate. I suggest you call the Portland location, 503-252-7500 and be certain to mention that you are affiliated with the B'VILLE NORTHWEST REUNION. This rate covers several days before and after the event. If you make a reservation before January 6th, I'll assure you that I can guarantee the reduced rate after you get there. Refund policy. Up to February 5th all but $5 will be refunded. I must have the written request in my hands by February 5th. After February 10th, no refunding. I would love to see you. Thanks, Glenn Freudenberger
Glenn: I received your email from my brother. Please put me on your group list so that I can get updates as soon as possible and can avoid having to wait for others to notify me. Any request for inclusion into the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter must be sent to me to add. If you have more announcements, please send them to me.

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Hall of Fame Neil Thompson 004
Hall of Fame Neil Thompson 005
Hall of Fame Neil Thompson 006

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Editor's notes: I had a nice conversation with Burke LeSage, one of land speed racing's all time participants and dedicated volunteer, who has spent his entire life helping others and promoting land speed racing. Burke is a Hall of Fame member of the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame. He has promised to write his biography and give us all his stories from the past. I told him that I already have friends on the other side, in the great land speed timing trials in the sky, and if I don't get his stories for publication, they will hound him for all eternity. The same is in store for the rest of the readers. As an editor I need your stories and biographies for the newsletter. What you have to say is very important in saving our history and heritage for future generations. Burke is a constant and faithful contributor to the SLSRH newsletter. I also visited with Jack Underwood and put him under strict orders to start sending us his memoirs. Jack is one funny guy. He's also a member of the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, the Pete Dean Sportsmanship Award and the Wheels of Fame Award. He was honored by the Dry Lakes Hall of Fame in the Historian category and there isn't much that he doesn't know or hasn't heard. He is also one of my main sources for tracking down people to interview. Roger Rohrdanz went with me to see Jack. Roger is another one of those individuals with an encyclopedic memory, but as he is a youngster, his expertise is the 1960's and '70's. Jack knows all the old history of the lakes and also the current affairs of the SCTA. His view is that we need to turn over the organization to the kids. If we find any kids interested in land speed racing we will refer them on to the SCTA. Jack calls the SCTA, "The Senior Citizen Timing Association," and says it is imperative that the group find a way to bring in a younger age level into their ranks. Other subjects raised was the NHRA fuel ban, Don Rackeman, Irwindale and Santa Ana Dragstrips and much more. Underwood opens his garage up to the general land speed racing community from 7am to 10am, Sunday through Saturday and you can learn a substantial amount of knowledge at "Jack's Garage."

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There seems to be much discussion of the name of the Pete Dean Sportsmanship award recently. Back in 1984 when I was the President of the SCTA we suffered the loss of Pete at the May event at El Mirage. Pete was well liked and possessed those qualities that make a man stand out from his peers. It was my idea to honor Pete with a name change to the trophy at that time. I believe that Art's name had been mistakenly removed from the award and that the trophy was simply known as the Sportsmanship Award. My board of directors did not correct me and approved the name change. The board included such names as Bob Higbee and Elmo Gillette. If I had been informed of the mistake I certainly would have taken a different route to honor Pete. I apologize for my error and hope that further research will help to correct the situation and that Art Tilton's memory will preserved.  Dan Warner
   Dan: Bob Higbee, Elmo Gillette and others in the SCTA have a long and respected career as volunteers and it isn't my intention to demean or to besmirch the reputations and names of those who made decisions in land speed racing. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians simply discovers long forgotten facts and brings them to the attention of our members.  Our goal is to recover, preserve and save history and it is being done by our members every day as they find artifacts, photographs and other memorabilia that was thought to have been lost. Sometimes we find out that what we thought was true really wasn't and vice versa. None of us knew anything about the Arthur C. Tilton Memorial Sportsmanship Award, though we should have known, because we could have seen it if we had looked carefully at the old programs and early Hot Rod Magazines. If fans, historians and collectors overlooked that bit of historical information, then how can we judge others for what we have overlooked for so long. The complete knowledge of the trophy is just coming to light and you have given us a critical piece of the puzzle. We first spotted this situation when we viewed the trophy at Jack Underwood's a few years ago and he pointed out that it looked similar to one he had seen in a program. The next clue came with the early minutes of the SCTA which my father had saved and had his secretaries transcribe onto disks, which my brother, David Parks, later had printed out and placed in a binder. We read and reread those minutes more than four times and frankly, a lot of my original assumptions about land speed racing and the history of the SCTA turned out to be false and I learned a great deal. I was in charge of an index and after months of work came up with 25 pages, which my father and brother demanded that I shorten. The next attempt dropped it to 16 pages and again they said such an index was too long. I finally came up with an index that was only 13 pages and flat out said that there was no way I could cut it down any more. That's how much information is stored in those original minutes of the SCTA from 1937 through 1948. There it was, photographs and text explaining who, when, what, and why the Award was created and the circumstances behind it. The next clue came from Bruce Geisler, who showed me the top of the original trophy, a roadster, and explained that the top kept falling off and that it was replaced with a top that was more stable and not as heavy. But we didn't know when the trophy was renamed for Pete Dean, although we did know why. As historians it is our function to continue to look and find out what happened, not to make any corrections. It is up to the board of directors to decide if they want to make any changes or continue with the award as it now stands. I have mentioned that I would raise the money to have a "new" trophy created especially for Pete Dean, because it doesn't do him any honors at all to have his name on a trophy that belongs and was paid for by the Tilton family. The SLSRH has also been studying the relationship of copyrights, patents, and other means to prove ownership. The trophy was created by the mother of Art Tilton, to honor sportsmanship among SCTA members, and while the SCTA is the guardian of the trophy, the Tilton family owns the "rights" to the naming of the award. It's a problem, but again, the SLSRH has only one function and that is to research the issue. To resolve any issues after that is up to the board of directors and the members of the SCTA. We don't hold you personally responsible for something that was purely an oversight. We know how things get misplaced, broken or lost from so long ago. The SLSRH is a consensus group of amateur and professional historians. We look at issues and come to a decision as to how we should label, name, record and coordinate our research. In this matter, we will refer to the trophy as the Arthur C. Tilton Memorial Sportsmanship (Pete Dean) Trophy. That takes into consideration the correct name and how it is called today.

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I am contacting you for Bill Bernstrauch, Norfolk, Nebraska. Bill would like to join the land speed historians society. Bill has made numerous Bonneville land speed videos from 1986 to present. They are very good to outstanding in quality and documentation, along with narration. He also helps as crew member for the Mackeichan and Shultz racing team from Lincoln, Nebraska. Please contact me at your convenience and I will forward your information. Thank you. Bob Dehaes
Bob: The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians is located on www.landspeedracing.com. Bill only needs to go to the website and sign in. There are no dues, duties or responsibilities. We would be honored to hear from him and we encourage Bill to write his biography and share it with the other members. If he has tapes that he would like to offer for sale, we will post notices at no charge. Our group's goals are to save as much of the history and heritage of land speed racing and early drag racing and hot rodding as we can. All correspondence is done by email and is sent to me at [email protected]. Newsletter issues are sent out weekly to the website owner, who then resends them to our members.

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Thank you. My brother has attempted contact with the person he supplied the photos to, but they have not responded to his request. Maybe your contact will be a different person. Sincerely, Kim Fleck
Kim: Let me know how things turn out. I'm also the editor of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians newsletter and while we aren't directly involved in Jalopy or oval track racing history, there is some cross-over from one sport to the next. One of our goals is to formulate rules for the lending and use of photographs and racing memorabilia. Most historians and collectors abide by rules that have become standardized and both the borrower and lender have had satisfactory exchanges. One of our rules concerns lending. There should be a stipulated time allowed before the return. The articles should be given back in the same condition as when they were borrowed. The original owners should be given credit as the owners of the photographs and if there are any profits made, it should be discussed and resolved between the two parties beforehand. We also have a service where we receive complaints or praise and people can write in and ask what the status is on potential borrowers of photographs and artifacts. We also adhere to another standard rule and that is this; lenders are equally responsible for the process of giving out their artifacts, just as much as the borrower. So often we receive complaints and when we ask these questions, we get blank stares; who did you lend the photos to, when, where, under what conditions and on what date are they supposed to be returned? Racers are a trusting bunch and they often simply hand their artifacts to a stranger upon request and they get nothing in writing. Many times it is the borrowers who come away with the idea that the artifacts are gifts, not loans. All transactions should be done in writing and the lender should get one or more referrals before lending his photos or collectibles. This way there is no confusion. I don't know exactly what happened, but I did get back the email that I sent to the borrower marked "unknown," so I checked around, found a phone number and called and spoke to the person that wrote the book. He gave me his new email address and I sent him a copy of our email correspondence and he said he would call or email and try and find out what happened. Let me know if this situation doesn't resolve itself with a proper result. Most of the time it is just confusion and it is easily resolved. Thank you for writing in.

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Editor's notes; We are working on an exciting new discovery, the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh Roadster and the restoration project and historical research into it. This is in response to a letter from Ernie Nagamatsu, the owner/restorer and Curt Giovanine, Bob's son. The complete list of emails, stories, research papers will appear in an upcoming issue of the newsletter. If the readers have any knowledge or memories of the car, please send them in to me to publish.
To Ernie, Curt and those involved with the restoration: You are all doing a wonderful job. I'm going to hold up the article and not post it in today's issue of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter (www.landspeedracing.com) until we review all the past emails and stories and bring them up to date. The fear on my part is that errors will creep in that will be hard to remove once they have been made public. Our publisher is very good at going back into past issues and updating and correcting errors, but often the original stories are copied and spread around and readers sometimes do not catch the corrections. This is a fascinating subject. I have to admit that the newsletter is often slanted toward the Road Runners, Sidewinders, Gear Grinders and a few other clubs because they are active and have historians who send me information. One of the goals that Jim Miller and I have is to find people who will become historians of these other clubs. One of the greatest of all of the clubs was Albata and they fought tooth and nail with the Road Runners for domination in the points chase. Other clubs who were on the next level to these two clubs were the Throttlers, Lancers, Gophers and other well known clubs. But it was the Albata who seriously challenged and set many of the records and were most feared as competitors. My father was very close to them all and admired them, even though he was a lifetime Road Runner. It is impossible to completely tell the story of dry lakes racing without having an Albata historian who will help us with that club's history. Another project is the publishing of Dad's book, “The Minutes of the SCTA, 1937 to 1948”, which my brother and I almost have completed. After that we want to scan and put on-line the racing programs and “Throttle Magazine”. Your project has revitalized interest in the Spurgin/Giovanine/Borgh roadster and in the Albata club. We are looking forward to seeing the new car and publishing more of its history.

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I just read the lastest issue and the bio on Ed. I have known Ed for several years as a part of Ron Main's team and never realized his background. He comes across as a humble and generous person, just one of the guys. If it wasn't for your bio project I would not have known of Ed's impressive background. I will pay attention the next time he begins to tell a story. Well done Richard, Dan Warner
Dan: Have I responded to you about this email? The readers now know the awful truth, that neither I nor Jim Miller can remember what we have done and what we have yet to do. I believe you are referring to Ed Rachanski and yes, I knew absolutely nothing, but look at the treasures that we can find in these biographies. Now when I get emails from the land speed and hot rodding communities and they don't BCC their lists, I grab all those email addresses and do group emails back to them telling them about our SLSRH project to write biographies and caption photos and Ed received one of those requests and he sat down and wrote his story. Now if only I could get the rest of you disobedient and stubborn land speed racers and hot rodders to do the same, my job as editor would be so much easier. There's nothing more crankier than an editor who cannot get people to fulfill their assignments and get them in on time and under budget. Which is why I hammer all of you to start writing your bios and captioning your photographs before I hear about another old timer kicking the bucket. I also hate it when the response that I get is, "But I'm just a nobody." There AREN'T any nobodies. You are ALL somebodies. My brother and I inherited a few of those HUGE ceremonial gavels that they gave to my father when he presided over meetings. On the metal plaque attached to the hammer it has something quaint like, "Quiet, or this end meets your forehead here!" Maybe I should bring the gavel with me when I come around to ask for more of these bios. So to all the readers out there, if you haven't written your bio, get busy, because I'm not going to quit until you finish it.

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Legends of Riverside Racing Film Festival and Gala, at www.legendsofriverside.com/newsletter1.htm. This year, the "Legends of Riverside" will be honoring the drivers of the "Times Grand Prix" of 1958 and '59, including Dan Gurney, Bruce Kessler, Carroll Shelby, Bill Krause, Joe Playan, Scooter Patrick, John Fitch, Sterling Moss, Peter Brock, Bob Bondurant, Andy Porterfield, Augie Pabst, Tony Settember and the Seattle Team Empire group of George Keck, Tom Meehan, Ralph Ormsbee and Pete Lovely. The Formula 5000 crowd includes 1968 Champ Tony Adamowicz and Eric Haga, Jerry Entin, Stuart Forbes Robinson, Davey Jordan and Skeeter McKitterick. And from the USRRC, Indy Car and Can Am ranks, you'll meet Jerry Grant, Bill Vukovich, Elliot Forbes Robinson, John Morton, Lothar Motschenbacher, Bob Bondurant and Oscar Koveleski, founder of the Polish Racing Drivers of America. For you Corvette fans, Hall of Famers Dick Guldstrand and Doug Hooper will be there. Other invitees, as yet unconfirmed, include George Follmer, Parnelli Jones, Sam Posey and Jay Leno. Plus authors, artists and photographers like Wally Wyss, Allen Kuhn, Rick Rucker, Dave Friedman, Pete Lyons, Will Edgar and Peter Bryant will be on hand showing off their art and photos or autographing their books. Films you'll see include Paul Newman's "Winning" with a special "Tribute to Paul Newman" from his racing friends, the Times Grand Prix broadcast with Phil Hill as commentator as part of "Phil Hill Remembered," Pete Lyons "Can Am Thunder," introduced by the legendary Can Am historian Pete Lyons himself, with a commentary by many of the drivers, "The Racing Scene," the James Garner documentary featuring Scooter Patrick and Davey Jordan and introduced by the writer, Will Edgar, "The Making of LeMans" from filmmaker Michael Keyser, "Gumball Rally," Hollywood's humorous depiction of the "Cannonball Run" and "Sound of Speed," the award winning Bruce Kessler documentary of a test session of Lance Reventlow's Formula One car. This is a limited attendance event, only 150 tickets are available and they're going fast. For complete information, ticket purchases and accommodation availability and a detailed schedule of events, visit www.legendsofriverside.com or call us at 951-369-6966, Riverside International Automotive Museum - 815 Marlborough Ste 200 - Riverside, CA 92507. Kathy Weida

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I really appreciate your networking help but could we stop the publication of my e-mail address? The Petersen museum did not hold these photos and referred me to a Ms. Noeth. I will get in touch with Wally Parks. Thanks again for your referrals, and for safeguarding my e-mail address. Roger Mola
Roger: I removed your email address. Our normal policy is not to run any identifying sources for the privacy of our readers, unless they tell us to do so. Where there is doubt, I send you an email with what I'm thinking of running that I believe to be in your best interest and wait for a reply. In this case you clarified what you wanted. Where readers tell me exactly what they want, I don't send them a pre-response. There are several recourses for you; one, readers will write in and I will publish their responses and you can contact them, two, I will give you all the contacts that I can think of, three, if you have names you are trying to locate, I will try and forward you what I know of their contact points or contact them myself and see if they wish to contact you. Check www.landspeedracing.com weekly, to see what's in the newsletter that applies to you. The Petersen owns the Green Monster. The Arfons family is in Indiana and you can google their address. Mrs Noeth has moved east, but you can google her address at http://www.landspeedproductions.biz/. Wally Parks is my father and he passed away in September of 2007, but the Motorsports Museum is named after him and they have records there that might help you. Our President of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians is Jim Miller and he gives his phone number to the public. It's 1-818-846-5139. Jim is very knowledgeable, call him. He also volunteers for the AHRF, or the American Hot Rod Foundation and there is a good chance that you can find out what you need from Jim at the Foundation. As you run into dead ends, don't hesitate to email or call us.

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Inductees to the Motorsports Hall of Fame. The categories are air racing, at large, drag racing, historic, motorcycles, open wheel, powerboats, sports cars and stock cars. Notice how many of the honorees have had some land speed racing experience.
2007 Leo Mehl, Ronnie Sox, Buddy Martin, Jim Rathmann, Bubba Shobert, Jim McGee, John Fitch, and Bill Elliott.
2006 Tom Carnegie, Chris Karamesines, Curtis Turner, Jeff Ward, Nigel Mansell, Elliott Forbes-Robinson, and Hershel McGriff.
2005 John Holman, Ralph Moody, Tommy Ivo, Troy Ruttman, Jay Springsteen, Tom Sneva, Danny Foster, Hurley Haywood, Benny Parsons.
2004 Shav Glick, Joe Amato, Johnnie Parsons, Don Vesco, Bobby Rahal, Geoff Brabham, Bill France Jr.
2003 Bill Simpson, Ed Donovan, Tommy Hinnershitz, Gary Nixon, Mel Kenyon, Ted Jones, Bob Bondurant, Darrell Waltrip.
2002 Paul Mantz, Fred Offenhauser, Eddie Hill, Gaston Chevrolet, Eddie Lawson, Gordon Johncock, Brian Redman, Dale Earnhardt.
2001 Tony LeVier, Andy Granatelli, Tom McEwen, Earl Cooper, Freddie Spencer, Emerson Fittipaldi, Mira Slovak, Ken Miles, Fred Lorenzen.
2000 Cook Cleland, Smokey Yunick, Danny Ongais, Ray Harroun, Bob Hannah, Sam Hanks, Tom D'Eath, Peter Gregg, Wood Brothers.
1999 Lyle Shelton, Frank Kurtis, C. J. Hart, Harry Miller, Frank Lockhart, Bart Markel, Jimmy Bryan, Bill Seebold, George Follmer, Tim Flock.
1998 Steve Wittman, Clint Brawner, Don Nicholson, Tommy Milton, Jimmy Murphy, Carroll Resweber, Rick Mears, Carl Kiekhaefer, Denis Hulme, Buck Baker.
1997 Darryl Greenamyer, Colin Chapman, Art Chrisman, Fred Duesenburg, Jim Davis, Tony Bettenhausen, Bob Nordskog, Briggs Cunningham, Ned Jarrett.
1996 A. J. Watson, Bill Jenkins, Henry Ford, Mauri Rose, Malcolm Smith, Johnny Rutherford, Betty Cook, Peter Revson, Lee Petty.
1995 Roger Penske, Keith Black, Rex Mays, Louis Chevrolet, Peter De Paolo, Rodger Ward, Chip Hanauer, Bruce McLaren, Glenn Roberts.
1994 Bill Falck, Chris Economaki, Malcolm Campbell, Bob Glidden, Eddie Rickenbacker, Roger DeCoster, Bobby Unser, Bernie Little, Jim Hall, Cale Yarborough.
1993 Jacqueline Cochran, George Bignotti, Craig Breedlove, Wally Parks, Louis Meyer, Dick Mann, Ted Horn, Ron Musson, Al Holbert, David Pearson.
1992 Amelia Earhart, J. C. Agajanian, Parnelli Jones, Connie Kalitta, Ralph DePalma, Joe Petrali, Bill Vukovich Sr., Bill Cantrell, Carroll Shelby, Bobby Allison.
1991 Roscoe Turner, Art Arfons, Tony Hulman, Don Prudhomme, Wilbur Shaw, Joe Leonard, Al Unser Sr., Dean Chenoweth, Dan Gurney, Junior Johnson.
1990 Glenn Curtiss, Mickey Thompson, Shirley Muldowney, Kenny Roberts, Mario Andretti, Jim Clark, Gar Wood, Mark Donohue, William France Sr.
1989 Jimmy Doolittle, Barney Oldfield, Don Garlits, Cannon Ball Baker, A. J. Foyt, Bill Muncey, Phil Hill, Richard Petty.

2005 Bob Snook
29 ROADSTER
Christmas 2008-Rajo T- 4x6 L
SCTA-Plaque
4df6f

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Caption: The 2005 Jim Lindsley Trophy. Awarded by the Gear Grinders Car Club to Bob Snook.

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Caption: Jack Underwood's 1929 Roadster at the dry lakes. This is the way they used to race roadsters.

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Caption: The Lou Falcon Rajo T, 3/4 size Big Car, raced on half-mile dirt fairground tracks in the Eastern United States, circa 1932-33. (Bob Falcon collection)
 

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Caption: I was told that the image may be the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster. Is this correct? (Ernie Nagamatsu collection)
Ernie: There were several cars that had this configuration, but the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster has a close resemblance. The artist could have been Eldon Snapp and if he were alive, which he isn't, we could possible answer this question for you. The artist could also be Gus Maanum, because it has his style. Check out the programs and maybe they will give you a clue.

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Click on the image to see a PDF of a couple of word documents sent in on Spurgin/Giovanine.
 

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Land Speed Racing Websites:
www.hotrodhotline.com, www.landspeedracing.com

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Members:

Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena, Henry Astor, Gale Banks, Glen Barrett, Mike Bastian, Lee Blaisdell, Jim Bremner, Warren Bullis, Burly Burlile, George Callaway, Gary Carmichael, John Backus, John Chambard, Jerry Cornelison, G. Thatcher Darwin, Jack Dolan, Ugo Fadini, Bob Falcon, Rich Fox, Glenn Freudenberger, Don Garlits, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, Andy Granatelli, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Ken Kelley, Mike Kelly, Bret Kepner, Kay Kimes, Jim Lattin, Mary Ann and Jack Lawford, Fred Lobello, Eric Loe, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Bob McMillian, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Bob Morton, Mark Morton, Paula Murphy, Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth, Frank Oddo, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks (in memoriam), Eric Rickman, Willard Ritchie, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Ed Safarik, Frank Salzberg, Dave Seely, Charles Shaffer, Mike Stanton, David Steele, Doug Stokes, Bob Storck, Zach Suhr, Maggie Summers, Gary Svoboda, Pat Swanson, Al Teague, JD Tone, Jim Travis, Randy Travis, Jack Underwood and Tina Van Curen, Richard Venza.

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