NEWSLETTER 51 - March 26, 2008 |
President's Corner: By Jim Miller. |
Mousie Marcellus was admitted to Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, yesterday (March 18?) to undergo hip replacement surgery. The surgery went very well and Mousie is resting in great spirits. His recovery stay there is expected to last 3-5 days and will return home thereafter. More to follow as information becomes available. If you would like to send your get well wishes to him, you can mail them to: Mousie Marcellus, c/o Ken Williams, P.O. Box 293, Cypress, California 90630. Roger Rohrdanz |
Ralph Foster, member of the Gear Grinders, is in the hospital. He's in room 229 at West Anaheim Memorial Hospital. |
Dry Lakes Hall of Famer Neil Thompson just got out of the hospital. Neil got into the Bonneville 2 club in the mid-1960's. |
Eric Rickman was in a car accident and he and his wife, Virginia, were banged up pretty good. Rickman is a Hall of Fame photographer and has been active since the '40's. "Disaster: on way to docs. Virginia ran a red light. CRASH totaled her car. Broke her knee cap, much chest bruising. Broke my left wrist, arm in cast (hunt and peck) brought on gallstone attack, total agony. Virginia's grandson here, male nurse he is helping us. Love to all. E. Rick" |
Did I miss something, I could not find the Pictures (in issue #49)? Ronnie Gram |
I read Land Speed Louise's article on the organization and would like to become a member. I am a member and officer of the Juggers Racing Team, based in Northern California and founded in 1953. We have several members who were land speed racing back then, and our best known current member is Dave MacDonald, a member of the Bonneville Hall of Fame. We should be able to interview several of the members who raced a long time ago and gather some of their photos. If there are any other suggestions as to how our club can help, please let me know. Sincerely, John Lewis, Go 4 It Racing |
Re: the SCTA meet in 1945. As others have probably told the first official SCTA lakes meet after the war was on October 21,1945 at Rosemont lake. Apparently it had originally been scheduled for October 7, 1945, but it was actually run on the 21st. The program listed Boswell Willis-President, Mel Leighton-Treasurer and Thatcher Darwin as Secretary. It also stated that SCTA would run under the 1942 rules for the 1945 season. There were about 100 or so entries. Without looking it up I believe Don Blair's time of 134 mph was the top time. Comments I heard said the lake bed was very poor. Several pictures in my books were taken at that meet including the ones of Tommy Lee's Talbot-Lago and Alfa Grand Prix car. Probably Jack Underwood has more on this and a peek at Veda Orr's SCTA News may also answer questions about the thinking of the SCTA Board. Best regards, Don Montgomery |
The pictures are all on the online newsletter. First sentence of the newsletter says, "To See the newsletter with photos go to www.landspeedracing.com. " Mary Ann Lawford |
You told me once that you know Bob "Indian Red" Nichols .... what would be the chance of having you stop by his place sometime and do a story? He is such an icon in the Motorcycle field and racing so would love to do something more on him for both MC site and HRHL. Let me know if you think you could find time to do this. Thanks, Mary Ann |
Fred Lobello called here looking for you today...he does have your phone number...but he wasn't sure it was your number...I told him I would email you with his number in case he didn't reach you. What a great guy to talk to...Mary Ann Lawford |
There were no pictures attached from El Mirage/Fossett car (in the newsletter). Paula Murphy |
On your landspeed web site (and thank you for having this) you have a list of members including the likes of Landspeed Louise, and many others who I know and some I don't. I have been a racer for many years and would like to join this list. Please let me know what I need to do to join this list. Thank you. John Backus LSR record holder and former fuel dragster driver. |
I'm sure I was at that Rosamond meet but I can't recall the details of any related controversy. It was right after the war, we were axious to get going again and we were probably long on enthusiasm and short on organization! Now that Don Montgomery has brought it up, I do have a vague recollection of some organizational glitch about that first meet. It was probably just a lack of coordination. I remember now that there was also some question about safety as the lake surface was not as good as usual. As for your father's being "angry" with Bozzy, if that were the case, I'm sure it was very temporary. He and I and Bozzy were all very close friends (Funny - I don't remember Bozzy being SCTA president - must have been only for a short time. I always thought of him as V.P.). Mel Leighton was a wonderful guy - fun to be with, as were the Millers, Cannons, Seely and so many others! About Karl and Veda - that was something else! They weren't exactly team players. Karl was cantankerous, Veda was very prickly and they tended to be hard to get along with. I remember Karl's referring to Bozzy contemptuously as "that old gran-maw, Bozzy Willis!" When I last saw your father at the WinterNationals, we still joked about that! They had their own little clique of friends and were what we would now term "loose cannons!" (That metaphor didn't come into use until much later!) I wish I could be more helpful, but after 60 years the details of some of these events have grown hazy! Thanks to Don Montgomery for bringing that first post-war meet back to mind! Thatcher Darwin |
As far as I can tell there was no offer to sell my tapes. I left a message for the complainant to tell me where he saw anything about selling tapes and he never called back. So I think the case is closed. My conversation with you raised interesting questions about what information is available, on what basis, about whom, in what media … and a bunch of other things that I bump into during my research, and I suppose you do too. The computer has put us all on display. Not much we can do about it. It’s a new World with new, unwritten rules … and advancing and changing so fast that rules will never catch up. One hopes that some form of civility will survive! Keep in touch. Ken Berg |
On Saturday, March 22, 2008 the Gear Grinders (EST.) 1938 had their 70th anniversary held at the NHRA museum in Pomona. The turn out was large and the food great. The display of LSR cars and the display of memorabilia much of which was part of Wally Parks collection plus what many racers have loaned to the museum can take a few hours to absorb. Take your camera. Cars on display are the Mickey Thompson Challenger, Al Teague's Speed-o-Motive streamliner, Jim Kougaz Modified Roadster, The Cummins-Larsen stream liner and Modified roadster and several others. The old SCTA timing stand built in or around 1948 and used until 1993 is also on display. The first car over 300 mph at El Mirage, the Carr-Kaplan lakester hangs on the wall above. This is a must see display before some of the vehicles are removed. The Gear Grinders have been involved in the timing venue for 60 years. Over the years they have worked with J.Otto Crocker as well as other timers at Bonneville and at the lakes, drag races 1/4 & 1/2 mile, Muroc Dry lake. This club has supported all of the events since it joined SCTA in 1941. Glen Barrett, Asst Timer 1983-1993, Chief Timer 1994-2004. |
At your convenience would you be kind enough to add me to the Land Speed Historians membership list? Pat McInturff |
The Fabulous '50's road course racers are having their annual Paramount Ranch Reunion on April 26, 2008 at 11am-2pm, Paramount Ranch, Agoura Hills, California. Take the Coast Hwy to Kanan Dume Road to Mulholland to Cornell. From the 101, take Kanan Road to Cornell. There is no charge to attend, but bring your own lunch. |
The family of Ralph Foster, Gear Grinder car club member and 1940's Midwestern Sprint car champion, is having a super garage sale of automotive racing parts, tires, photographs, 5 vehicles and parts from famous race car drivers, including Lloyd Ruby and Louie Unser. The date is Saturday, March 29, 2008 from 9am until 3pm, at 9312 Florence Lane, Garden Grove, California 92841. Also included are tools, spray guns, photographic equipment, books, old photographs, aerial photographs, tapes, magazines and collectibles. For more information call Ron at 949-650-6865. |
Aimee Snyder is trying to locate anyone who knew her grandfather, Ernie McAfee, so that she can learn more about him. If you know anything, or have any friends who knew Ernie, please let the editor know. |
Did you see the new video at Hotrodhotline? See www.Hotrodhotline.com/videos. It will not work well unless you have a high speed connection though. Debbie Baker had the first Hotrodhotline blooper...HA. Mary Ann Lawford |
As I recall (but may be totally wrong!) it may have had something to do with the SCTA/AAA safety effort Wally and the SCTA was working on to cast "hot rodding" in a more positive light. I looked through my books but could not find the picture, but like I said, I'm pretty sure I have seen it somewhere. Anyway...When I blew the picture up to add to the website, I noticed something very interesting. The second car from the left on the front row looks like the #55 27 "T" that Don Baker has been describing. I sent the picture to him and asked him to ID it and if it was their car, who was in it for the picture and what the circumstances were. Don was very happy and surprised to see the picture and did, in fact, identify it as their car. Here are the responses I got back to a couple of e-mail inquiries: |
Editor's notes: The newsletter is sent out once a week, on Wednesday's, unless no news or relevant information is received. If I receive a large amount of issues, events or news, I may send the newsletter out more than once a week. If an important event comes up, such as a death or funeral and word needs to be sent immediately, a special edition of the newsletter will be sent. |
Members: Jonathan Amo, Brett Arena, Henry Astor, Gale Banks, Glen Barrett, Mike Bastian, Lee Blaisdell, Jim Bremner, Warren Bullis, 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, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Don McMeekin, Bob McMillian, Tom Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Bob Morton, Mark Morton, Paula Murphy, 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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