NEWSLETTER 2 - October 18, 2007

EDITOR’S NOTES: The group is growing and many are saying that they like the name The Society of Landspeed Racing Historians best. The newsletter will post letters, stories, histories and whatever business you would like to bring up. If the length exceeds 3 regular email screens then I will create a Word document and you can read it as an attachment. If you cannot open attachments or prefer not to, then just ask me and I will send it to you as a long email. I hope to make it a weekly newsletter, but for the time being it might go out on an irregular basis depending on what material has been received and how timely the information is. The following have joined our group; Henry Astor, Warren Bullis, Ugo Fadini, Robert Falcon, Glenn Freudenberger, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, William Hoddinott, Walt James, Wendy Jeffriess, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Mark Morton, Louise Ann Noeth, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks, Erich Rickman, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Charles Shaffer, JD Tone and Jack Underwood. As for dues and responsibilities, there aren't any. Jim Miller is our acting President, which means he gets to call the meetings and events and I'm the acting Newsletter editor. I receive the letters, stories and news from the members and post it to the newsletter and send it out to the list on a timely basis. If there is something urgent, I will send news as a special issue. The only way to deliver the newsletter will be by email. Those that do not have email are asked to find family, friends or neighbors who will download the messages for them. The President will be responsible for setting the agenda that allows a vote by the members on the by-laws and election of officers and other business, if he or you want to get that involved. For the present, our group is very flexible. So far we have not decided on when the next meeting will be, whether an election is necessary or how long the term will be for officers to serve.

Please put me on the list. I hold the class F Production record at Muroc with my Ford Taurus SHO. We set it at the second event in 1997. We drove the car up there, raced it, and drove home...just like the old dry lakes days! Bob Falcon
Bob: Welcome aboard.

 "Chuck Abbott is under a doctor's care. A card or letter would cheer him up." Abbott was part of the Eagle Rock group that I hung out with in the 1950s. Our paths crossed many times during the 30 years when I worked at Halibrand Engineering. Can you provide me with the hospital details so I can contact him.  Bob Falcon
Bob: Sadly to say, I received confirmation of Chuck's passing after you had written to me.
Here is his funeral information from Evelyn Roth's website www.oilstick.com: Chuck Abbott, Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame member, passed away August 12, 2007. Funeral services are at Eternal Valley, 23287 Sierra Hwy, Newhall, CA. 3pm, Saturday, August 18, 2007. The funeral is posted on the website (This site by E. Roth has many posted obituaries) of: http://www.oilstick.com/rparks/obit/index.htm.

I'd like to be a recipient of news and notes from this group. Thank you. Tom McIntyre
Tom: Welcome. Tom McIntyre is a tireless worker for the Petersen Automotive Museum (PAM) and a major repository of the landspeed history. The PAM is one of our favorite museums to visit.

The Morton story is great. You did a fine job of telling his story. Here are some numbers I found for members. Most of the guys have been to all the local Museums, The Petersen, Joe's Garage, Nethercutt, Justice Brothers, NHRA etc. It might be nice to also visit some racers garages. You know like Jim Travers who has some old cars and parts or Jim Lattin's. Or even Underwood's garage. It would be more informal. Some of the newer hot rod building shops might be another place to meet. Since these guys are the ones carrying on the tradition with a mix of old and new. Another option is to go to some Mfg. company's like Engle, Isky or Enderle, Cook Machine, Arias, etc. Talking shop and seeing how things are made "the old fashioned way are always interesting. Getting around is always a problem in this town so picking a good location will help the attendance. Jim Miller
Jim: Great ideas. Shops and businesses are living museums. Bruce Geisler has a fabulous place in Huntington Beach with a fascinating collection of landspeed and dry lakes history. Jim Lattin has a wonderful, private museum. We're ready, set the schedule.

George Rubio passed away recently. He and Bob Morton formed a team to race at the dry lakes, Bonneville and the early dragstrips.

Rosie Roussel passed away at 10pm, Wednesday night, August 8, 2007. Rosie was a long time friend. He and his wife Sherry managed a race track and they were active in the WRA and CRA. Rosie's beautiful track roadster was on display at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum for many years.

Hi Richard, this is a worthy project! Living in Virginia as I do, it won't be possible to join the group for monthly meetings, unfortunately; but I look forward to participating as much as I can. Anyone who has been reading Bonneville Racing News the last eight years has seen my interviews with the veteran racers. My specialties have been the Ardun and motorcycle streamliners but I hope to interview more of the high achievers in all the Bonneville classes as time goes on. I would welcome any leads and contacts for this purpose, because it takes networking. Best regards, Bill Hoddinott.
 Bill: Please send us a report on the BRN and its predecessors and what you have written and your future projects.

Editor's Notes: The Parks family Reunion spent the day at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California. We also toured the race track. I bought the last three books of Don Montgomery's series of 8 books and my set is complete. As soon as possible I will do book reviews on #6, #7 and #8 for the websites www.hotrodhotline.com and www.oilstick.com. I also have Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth's book, Tom Medley's and Wally Parks' book. If you write, let us know so we can add your book to our collection and let others know. Hotrodhotline is a website owned by Jack and Mary Ann Lawford in Boise, Idaho and is dedicated to hot rodders and has supported us generously. Oilstick is a website owned by Evelyn Roth in Santa Maria, California and is the home site for the Gas-Up Party and Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, in Buellton, California. Evelyn has supported Landspeed racing on her site since it opened. Please go to their sites and support them whenever you can.

Thanks for the alert about Chuck Abbott. I followed-up with a call to learn which hospital was handling stuff...when I called them, they informed that he had just been released...so another call to the alternate number you supplied and the Oilstick lady returned my call. We had a long and rather nice conversation, especially about my rescue tool. Bob.
 Bob: Perhaps you can write something on "Red" as a tribute that we could post at the two websites that run our material. Plus a report on your rescue extraction tool.

Bonneville Racing News is a commercial tabloid paper established 17 years ago by racers Wendy Jeffries and her late husband Doc Jeffries. I know of no predecessor. It is published in Hemet, CA ten times a year and sold to several thousand internationally by subscription and by sales at the meets. Bonneville racers tell me it is "important" to them. BRN has a website, if anyone wants to contact them. I understand that Wendy is just about to receive an award from the Dry Lakes Racers Association and be installed in their LSR Hall of Fame as a Historian, at the up-coming "Gas Up." As you know, your dad Wally reads it and has sent us some complimentary letters on the content. He is the one critic I prize above all others! BRN reports on the results of all the Bonneville and El Mirage meets, as well as East Coast Timing Assn and Texas Mile speed trials events, and features technical articles and 'color' stories about well-known racers. Since '99 I have published many interviews and other 'monograph' articles in it. The very first was with the late, great Clem TeBow of C.T. Automotive, the next was Elmo Gillette of the Lattin and Gillette team, and it has gone on from there. If anyone requests it, I can provide a listing of them. Best regards, Bill Hoddinott  
Bill: If the articles are on the website, then please send in a listing of your articles. That is not to infer that if you have written on someone that we can't have other writers do an article on the same people, because each writer has an unique way of covering a story.

The Newsletter was not sent last week due to Speed Week at Bonneville.

I'm just back from Speed Week. Yes, put me on board too. Sounds like an eventual website for the group would be nice. Wendy Jeffries, Editor Bonneville Racing News   
Wendy: A website is something that we want to do sometimes soon. Volunteers to run a website will be most graciously accepted. Welcome to the group.

Hi Richard, very nice to hear from you! yes, of course I would like to join in the new Society and receive the newsletter. Many thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate. Will see how I can contribute, but will certainly be happy to! Well, thanks very much for your continued support and all the best from Italy. Ugo Fadini  
Ugo: Welcome to the group. Write in and tell us what you know and the sources for landspeed racing in Europe, especially in your native land.

While I am not director (American Hot Rod Foundation-editor) any more I will still be doing things for the foundation, such as interviews. The foundation continues to do its work in preserving the history in the form of interviews and photos that are being put up in the photo gallery. What is the Landspeed Historians group all about? How do we get to join? Is there a web site? Sounds like great stuff. Let me know, Henry Astor  
Henry: Welcome to the group. I'll send you newsletter number 1 which will explain our goals and organization. In some regards we are very much like the American Hot Rod Foundation. Our goals are to preserve landspeed racing history in all of its variations and to find a museum to house the photos, records and memorabilia that would otherwise be thrown away and lost to posterity.

Rosie Roussel and I were great friends. I spoke to him several months ago after I learned of Sherrie's passing. Rosie was one of those old-timers who taught me to drive midgets. In '89 he towed my rig to the SCCA run-offs in Atlanta. I will always have found memories of his family. (Richard) Schroeder and I also go way back, he was a great promoter. (Joe) Mondello and I go waaaaaaaay back to our high school car club. Mary has kept us all on the info line. Good to know he has recovered. On the subject of "The Society of Landspeed Racing Historians" forming and producing a newsletter you can surely guess my interest. Please count me in --- or whatever your plan may be. I would very much like to know who the principal participants intend to be. Stan Goldstein   
Stan: Welcome. The members are listed on the masthead. An email directory will be created if everyone thinks it is a wise idea.

Many thanks for the newsletter and...too bad I will not be able to attend the meetings too frequently! Maybe we could consider a meeting on the web, with Skype or the like, at some point? By the way, thanks VERY much for what you say about my work: you describe quite exactly what I aim to do by choosing sometimes not-so-popular subjects, even if that makes business tougher! Knowing that the message does reach at least some people like you, and not just the collector who buys everything just because it exists and fits the scope of his collection (good and bad, that is) is quite reassuring. At this point, I wonder if you can help me with something. After modeling two of the Dean Batchelor designed streamliners (Hill-Davis and Shadoff), the obvious step was to make the So-Cal streamliner, which I already did (the master is at about 80% stage), but I realize that, the So-Cal company still being in existence, I would better check with them if they have any objections...The So-Cal streamliner has never been modeled, except for a chrome "sculpture" like model they currently offer on their site and would definitely deserve to be made in true scale form, and it would complete my Batchelor trilogy. Any help or suggestions you may provide would be very much appreciated! Thanks again for everything and let's hope the Society of LSR Historians catches up - hope to have news soon! All the best. Ugo Fadini  
Ugo: I will contact Pete Chapouris and Alex Xydias and let them know that you want to build a model of their car.

Members:

Henry Astor, Warren Bullis, Ugo Fadini, Robert Falcon, Glenn Freudenberger, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, William Hoddinott, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Mark Morton, Louise Ann Noeth, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks, Erich Rickman, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Charles Shaffer, JD Tone and Jack Underwood.

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