SOCIETY OF LAND SPEED RACING HISTORIANS
NEWSLETTER 120 - July 16, 2009
Editor: Richard Parks [email protected]
President's Corner: By Jim Miller (1-818-846-5139)

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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
 President's Corner, Editorials, Jack Underwood just informed us that Bob Snook (Road Runners, 1939-1946) passed away this morning Thursday July 9 2009, Mari Palash health and spirits have improved considerably and she is now walking, Editor's notes: I received word from one of our readers that Sig Erson (the cam grinder) passed away, Funeral Services for Bob Snook, El Mirage Results/Club Standings, Bob Senior had major surgery (June 10, 2009) and spent two weeks in Swedish Hospital and two weeks in a Rehab facility, Mary Parks (the first wife of NHRA founder Wally Parks) recently broke her hip and will be having surgery soon, I've not been receiving the newsletters for several months, Can anyone help this gentleman?, I met with Ernie Nagamatsu and took a look at the liner they were working on for the Ventura show, KEEPER OF THE FLAME; the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster, Terry Baldwin has all of the minutes of the Albata Club and I overheard him saying to Kent Borgh that his father was mentioned in the very last minutes recorded as the "last man standing" sort of statement or something related..., Here is a link to the photos from yesterday's (Spurgin - Giovanine Roadster Reunion) event, My family and I just got back from Ventura and we're overjoyed to finally see and touch my father's car for the first time, Mark Weida has been in the racing business for 30+ years, Ernie - we had a good photo of your car in the local paper, Grand Opening Chet Herbert's new shop this Saturday (July 18, 2009), My Fiat (Pinocchio) has no history at all., I am starting to research a story (maybe a book if this idea gets some traction) on women who are currently active in land speed racings as well as note the achievements of ladies who may have contributed big mile stones in the past, Autobooks-Aerobooks 3524 W. Magnolia Blvd Burbank CA 91505, There are new posts 24 days to Speedweek, Checkered Flag 200 Car Show and Family Fun Day Petersen Automotive Museum August 30, I'm working on an article about stock car road racing in Southern California during the 1950's, I am looking for the following items for my Hall of Fame Museum, Editor's notes: The following is a correspondence from Michael Brennan to Jim Miller and the SLSRH, We are going to press tonight with the reprint of Throttle magazine originally published by Jack Peters in 1941, Jack Peters was born Jack Jerrils in Oklahoma and arrived in California two years later (about 1923), Do you have any historical data on Meb Healy, Good article, gives a lot of background, I can tell you spent a lot of time going through your father's old club newsletters and meeting minutes and including those quotes makes it really come to life, Gone Racin'...To find Meb Healy (article by Richard Parks and photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz), I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to sign up for this but look forward to receiving the Newsletters, Thank you so much for your support - Anything that you can do to help get the word out would be highly valued, Unfortunately - I do not have a bio on either, I am printing out your guideline questions for my dad to read, I follow www.HotRodHotLine.com and receive their weekly newsletters, "Landspeed" Louise Named 2009 Goodguys Woman of the Year, Random Pictures

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President's Corner:  
   Last weekend was the last El Mirage meet before Bonneville. It was hot as usual the car count was down somewhat because a lot of competitors are saving their rides for the big shoot-out at the salt in August. It just so happened that at the same time we were rolling around in the dirt at Mirage a former S.C.T.A. Championship car made a reappearance up in Ventura. The hard part about the whole thing is I couldn't be there to see it. For the past few months a group of us whacked out car guys have been doing research, locating friends and family and shagging for parts and info on the famous old Spurgin/Giovanine car. It's looking nice but a lot of stuff is still missing. Without the help of lots of folks the car couldn't have got this far or even happened. That's why it's so important for you, our loyal readers, to get all that old junk you have stuffed in boxes out and make copies of it. You never know who's going to find the next significant car and be at a loss when it comes time to restore it because you have that one piece of info that will answer a hundred questions. We've found a lot of old timers and gotten their stories, but there are still a lot out there that we need to get and that's your job. Within the next few years there won't be anybody around to answer our questions about the good old days so I implore you to get to work.

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Editorial:   
   Recently a famous TV celebrity raced at El Mirage and claimed a record. This set off a round of recriminations and attacks. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians is a serious group of researchers and historians, some professional in that they earn a living by their photography and writing and some who are amateur historians, who do this as a hobby. I am an amateur historian in that I do not receive money for what I do, but I am a university history major with a degree in the subject and qualified to comment on what it is to be a historian. The newsletter is not a blog. It is supposed to be a studious effort at finding, saving and preserving the history and heritage of land speed racing, hot rodding and early drag racing. I do some editing, as little as possible, but it is part of my job. If I don't, then misspellings occur and facts are sometimes distorted and copied. I also want you to present your facts and your conclusions drawn from records, but not in a manner that injures someone else or causes them to leave our group.  A small percentage of the letters and emails that I receive are edited and some content is removed. Where I add material it is usually in parenthesis. To be fully accurate I should use the words that our contributors use and then add (sic) meaning "in the original hand of the author." However, our readers are hot rodders and how much of this academic jargon they wish to learn is moot. Therefore I do what I do and I tell you, so that you will know how I edit this newsletter. If the writers to the newsletter see a change in their correspondence to me that goes beyond good editorial changes, then they should write to me and ask for an explanation. All letters received are subject to being published if I think they have historical and current importance, unless you tell me the contents are PERSONAL or CONFIDENTIAL. 
   Jim Miller will tell you that I edit his material as well. Jim spells Daytona as Datona and finally I discovered that Datona is simply a misspelling and not the Spanish version of the word. But I checked all my early maps from the Spanish colonial period just to make sure that I was right and Jim wasn't. When we are dealing with a subject that is ten years old or older, the passions have abated and we can reason in a better mood. When the arguments go back a century, there isn't anyone left alive who remembers the fight or what happened and it is a rather amusing sidelight to history. But when the disagreements are days or weeks old, we tend to scream and shout and hold grudges and our language is rather nasty. Then the old blue pencil comes out and I edit what you write with a vengeance. I spoke to both parties involved in the recent brouhaha at El Mirage and I'm convinced there is common ground. It is a misunderstanding about what an official record is and isn't. It isn't grounds for allowing bad language and anger into this newsletter. We stand ready to report modern as well as ancient racing history, but it has to be academic, reasoned, rational and polite in its context. There have been remonstrations and harsh allegations made, some of them towards me. I'm a tough editor. I won't let you get away with behavior like that in the pages of the SLSRH. There is room for all sides. 
   No libel or slander is allowed in the SLSRH Newsletter and we will remain civil. We will report the news fairly and honestly and adhere to all manner of civility. If a member/reader cannot abide by this and decides to leave, then we wish that person well as they seek to locate some other source for straight-line racing history and news. I have heard land speeders use words like; murder, lynching, and curse words so vile that they would melt steel. This anger is unjustified, no matter what the underlying cause may be. Is this anger a recent occurrence as so many social scientists claim? No, the old programs, minutes and other written correspondence from the early decades of the 20th Century tells us that anger management has been a continuing problem in all genres of racing. Some would say that such language is just the way they talk, write their articles or is their character. That's fine, except that such behavior just isn't tolerated here in the SLSRH. We expect everyone to treat everyone else with respect and civility. If we fail, then the proper thing to do is realize where we have gotten out of line, apologize and start over again. We don't ask that you like each other, but we do require that you get along in public. We have a job to do and that's to save the history of our sport. Useless anger doesn't help us work together to resolve these historical and current issues. We have a fine group and you can use the newsletter in any way that you wish to get the word out or to promote your research and work. You just have to do it civilly. Because if you don't, you have to answer to me, your editor and my blue pencil is a mighty fierce weapon.

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Jack Underwood just informed us that Bob Snook (Road Runners, 1939-1946) passed away this morning, Thursday, July 9, 2009. I have no other information or details at this time but will pass along the info when available. I also just learned that Road Runners Charter Member Joe Reath was recently hospitalized for three days and then moved to a nursing home for eleven days. He is home now but currently requires round the clock care. More info as I get it. Joe's address in listed on the roster on our "Member's Only" page if you would like to send a get well card. Jerry Cornelison, Road Runners - SCTA (est. 1937) See http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners.
Jerry: Do you have a bio on either of the two men?

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Mari Palash has moved to a new apartment in Newport Beach. Her health and spirits have improved considerably and she is now walking. I know she'd love to hear from you.  Andrea Palash
   Readers: Mari Palash was a long-time friend of my father and step-mother and Harvey Palash was a board member for many years with the NHRA. We wish Mari continued improvement and good health.

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Bob Snook passed away this morning (Thursday, July 9, 2009). He has been a Gear Grinder since the mid-1940's. He was a great historian and help in the club over the years. His many stories about the lakes were always good and his collection of pictures and articles he shared at the meetings always drew full interest. God Speed, Bob Snook. Glen Barrett
   Glen: I'm sorry to hear of Bob's passing. There was some cranial bleeding that the doctors couldn't stop and Jack Underwood had forewarned us that it was serious. I only met Bob on a few occasions and he was a gentle person and always offered to help people and to share his knowledge of the past with us. Bob was the type of person that we always wanted to talk to and who was so generous with his time. He was a lot like Chuck Abbott and we will miss them both. If anyone has bio material on Bob Snook, or personal memories of him, please send them to me to publish in the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians newsletter.

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Editor's notes: I received word from one of our readers that Sig Erson, the cam grinder, passed away. Does anyone have any further information on this and if so a bio to share or dates of the services?

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Funeral Services for Bob Snook; Closed Casket Viewing: Friday, July 17 2009, 5 -7 p.m. Rose Hills Memorial Park, 3888 Workman Mills Rd., Whittier, CA 90601. 605 Freeway to Rose Hills, turn right on Workman Mill Road, turn right at Gate 17. Funeral Services: Saturday, July 18, 2009. 1 p.m., Hillside Chapel, Gate 18, 605 Freeway to Rose Hills, turn right on Workman Mill Road, turn left at Gate 18. The Snook Family. Re-sent by Jack Underwood

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El Mirage Results/Club Standings: July Road Runners El Mirage results and current Club standings are now posted on our Results, Points, Standings webpage. September start positions are pending and will be posted as soon as available. Jerry Cornelison, Road Runners - SCTA
(established 1937) http://www.ussarcherfish.com/roadrunners.
Jerry: Thank you for the update. I hope to see you at the funeral for Bob Snook. Jack Underwood sent me the time and place and it will be in this week's newsletter.

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Bob Senior had major surgery June 10, 2009 and spent two weeks in Swedish Hospital and two weeks in a Rehab facility. He got home on July 2nd and is now rehabilitating at home and exercising. Bob will get back to his Hydroplane work soon and will be at Tri-Cities and SeaFair this summer. We wish Bob a speedy recovery and a great racing season

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Mary Parks, the first wife of NHRA founder Wally Parks, recently broke her hip and will be having surgery soon. Mary is the mother of the Newsletter's editor. Her other son is David Parks, a long-time member of the SCTA and member of the 200 MPH club.

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I've not been receiving the newsletters for several months. Have you changed the distribution? Been busy putting the finishing touches on "Pinocchio" and haven't been keeping track as close as I should. I was motivated by the likes of Flamin' Frank Pedregon, Pete Millar, Don Hampton, etc. Rich Venza
Rich: The newsletter started out as an email sent to each member, but as the size of the newsletter grew and the numbers of members grew, the spam filters began to stop the newsletter from reaching the readers. About the time you mention, the website owners began to send out short emailed notices letting people know that the current issue is available and to go directly to www.landspeedracing.com to read the latest on-line. Since I haven't missed a Wednesday deadline in quite some time, there has been a new issue each and every week. Usually the website operator gets the latest Wednesday issue up on the internet by Friday. Since the last time you have viewed the newsletter, we have added 90,000 words to the archives of The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians newsletter. Please give us some background history on the "Pinocchio" and the people that have worked on and raced the car. I have a story on Pete Millar, but not one on Pedregon or Hampton yet.

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Can anyone help this gentleman? Your help is appreciated. Evelyn Roth at www.oilstick.com.
"Hello! I'm writing from England in the UK, in the hope you may be able to put me in touch with Roy Creel, a former Dry Lakes racer. Reason for writing is that I've just purchased a 1930s Ford hot rod that Roy bought and raced in, I think, 1957. The car came to the UK as a kit of parts in 2000 and was reassembled by Peter Stevens, the car designer (ex-Lotus etc), and I've just bought it from him. It's based on a Model T chassis with an OHV Alexander-converted Model-A engine. I see from your Dry Lakes Hall of Fame that Roy was still with us in September 2008, so I'm hoping he might be able to fill me in on some of the car's history. Thanks for your time, and best wishes. Mark Dixon, Deputy Editor, Octane magazine, [email protected] ." (Dennis Publishing Limited - A Sunday Times Top 100 Best Company, 2007/2008, Registered office: 30, Cleveland Street, London, W1T 4JD)
Mark: I'm sending your message to Roy Creel today at the last email address that I have on record. Let me know if there is no response within the next week and I will find a phone number and call him to make sure that I have his correct mailing address. I am the editor of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians newsletter at www.landspeedracing.com. Roy is the current president of the SCTA, if I'm not mistaken, and very much still with us.

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I met with Ernie Nagamatsu and took a look at the liner they were working on for the Ventura show. He had some of the family members from each of the relatives involved sign a few 3 X 5 handouts that they had available and asked me to get them to you. I got a couple from Jim Miller too. Now how do I get them to you guys? One more point. It was pretty moving to have Kurt's current LSR car on the grass next to his Father's old car and in a couple of pits over, if that were the case, Sandy Belond's lakes roadster. The Belond and Rufi/Spurgin/Giovanine car haven't been that close to each other since they competed together over 70 years ago. Michael Brennan

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KEEPER OF THE FLAME; the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster. Racing swiftly in the swirling dust from the clay pans of the Dry Lakes of Southern California in the SCTA racing season of 1948, flashed the blue sleek and innovative Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster which was the Albata Club Dry Lakes racer that established one of the most incredible records in Dry Lakes racing. It was the little Chevy 4 that thought it could and it did. The Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster/Borgh Mothersills Special/Cano Snoot update.
   Priceless? There was a rare convergence of energy and efforts for everyone at the Ventura Motorsports Gathering on Sunday, July 12, 2009. There were such proud moments of accomplishments for the team of Bill and Will with the challenging restoration project along with our Dry Lakes Curator Emeritus Terry Baldwin. There were moments to share old memories for all of the families (name them). There were endearing moments to capture on film by the great film crew (name them). There were moments of feeling like a team in a singular endeavor which was to pay tribute once again to some unsung heroes of the greatest period of Dry Lakes Racing ever, the 1940's. There were moments to bring old tattered scrapbooks with faded photos and original timing documents and entrant sheets. There were rare moments of seeing the newer "Tribute" Bonneville Race Car presented next to the original Spurgin/Giovanine as Bob Giovanine had a hand with both cars. There were moments of tears as Karin Edla Spurgin read the letter by Bob Rufi to her father during the filming session as it reflected a long-time friendship long after the historic record breaking year of 1948. It was a moment of remembrance by Karin and Curt Giovanine, recalling how Chuck Spurgin was hurt with 2nd degree burns from his Propane work and broken leg from falling off the car at the Dry Lakes testing late at night. Chuck Spurgin had said to pick him up later after testing and there was no way to find anyone in the pitch dark with dim lights in the Dry Lakes. There were times to recall stories of Babe Ouse, Bob Rufi, Ralph Schenck, Duke Hallock and the special others who were proud Albatas. It took all the Albatas during the 1948 record breaking season to help the Spurgin/Giovanine team break the record at each and every SCTA meet during the season. That year saw the highest average dry lake's list of entrants ever, with 445 cars registered for each meet during the 1948 racing season. There were touching moments of placing all of the many historic and original trophies in front of the Spurgin/Giovanine roadster, brought by Curt Giovanine. It was special to have the original Albata jacket at the cockpit of the car. The spirit of teamwork and camaraderie of yesteryear was alive and well once again. It is that historic car doing the honors of gathering that Albata spirit for all of us that had the opportunity to be at the Ventura Motorsports Gathering.  Ernie Nagamatsu

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Terry Baldwin has all of the minutes of the Albata Club and I overheard him saying to Kent Borgh that his father was mentioned in the very last minutes recorded as the "last man standing" sort of statement or something related... and Kent showed a great photo of a huge script painting of the name ALBATA across the rear deck lid. I just called Curt Giovanine to find out what he "called" the car for Bonneville. He said - "the Curt and Bob Giovanine 557 Roadster," a V4 (vintage - 4 cylinder) FMR. Curt had a lot of photos that he brought Sunday of the building out of the car and Chuck Spurgin also helped with the car. I think Bob Rufi also, but Curt has a lot more information. It is interesting as the "Legends" came together once again for the 557 to race again. Bryan Somen sent photos of the Ventura Motorsports event and I like the one with key people standing in front of the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster, a little behind the front wheels and pictured L-R; Curt Giovanine, Craig Rufi, then the roadster, Kent Borgh, Karin Spurgin, Ernie Nagamatsu. Then the restoration experts for the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster; L-R, William Erickson in red shirt and Will Kalbermatter and Ernie Nagamatsu standing. Photographs courtesy of Bryan Somen.  Sent by Ernie Nagamatsu

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Here is a link to the photos from yesterday's event; http://picasaweb.google.com/photosomen/SpurginGiovanineRoadsterReunion. I picked what I think were the best images and put them in the web album. I didn't include any captions yet. Let me know if you have any problems accessing the images. Bryan Somen
Bryan: Thank you for the photographs. I am going to send them to www.landspeedracing.com and have them posted to the web with your permission. Please let me know if you would prefer that I didn't do that. Please let me know if you want your email address to go public or not. We would like to give you a little PR if you have a business, but we don't want to impose on your privacy.

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You certainly have my permission to use the photos from the Ventura event on your website. I'd like having photo credits. I'm a software engineer by profession and really enjoy photography, but it's more of a hobby at this time. My photographs just help to tell the story behind the cars and the people who built and raced them. Thank you for using my photos and hope to meet you sometime soon. Bryan Somen
   Bryan: Thank you for the photos. Send us more on land speed and straight-line racing and we will be glad to give you credit.

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My family and I just got back from Ventura and we're overjoyed to finally see and touch my father's car for the first time. Ernie is doing such an honorable job with the car and it's so wonderful that he's including all the families involved in the car. I got to meet all of them that showed up and they treated me like an old friend. I was a little emotional when I first saw the car and I thought it was neat that Ernie left the original paint that my dad had put on the car towards the bottom roll pan. The longer I stayed there the more comfortable I got. I took about 35 pictures of the car myself. We finally got to meet Ernie and Elaine for the first time and they treated my family and myself like old friends. They're wonderful people and I really admire how they are preserving the car and all the history that goes along with it. Thanks for everything.  Kent Borgh
   Kent: All the people involved with the roadster are first class people. Ernie Nagamatsu is that rare owner/restorer who values the history of the people as well as the car. Ernie goes to great lengths to provide an accurate history. Many car restorers simply like the feeling of ego that they get by owning a famous "name" car and they put it away, hoarding it for their own private collection. Ernie is not a "collector." He is a person consumed by the attempt to rescue and save history. He enjoys finding, researching and restoring the past. Then he shares it with everyone. He doesn't control the car like others. He opens his heart and lets the world come in and be a part of the experience. I met Ernie only thru email until a short while ago, but it seems like I have known him all my life. What we attempt to do with Ernie is give him new projects, because we know that sooner or later he will catch the fire and restore another old racer and we can't wait to see what he's going to do next. What we need from you is a bio on your father, yourself and your family. We have Ernie's story, but we don't have yours. Below is a bio outline to use and I will help you put it into a story format.  
   We encourage each and every person to write their biographies and to caption their photographs. Below is an outline for you to use for your life story and share it with us. Send it back to me and I will edit it for you and then post it on-line.
a) Where did your family come from; your parents and grandparents and what did they do for a living?
b) Where were you born and where did you grow up? What elementary, junior high and high school did you attend?
c) Did you take any shop classes, while you were in school? Name your friends, especially those interested in racing.
d) Did you join any car clubs or work on or own a car, or a race car, or work as a crewman on a race car while in school?
e) What kind of jobs did you have as a young person while growing up? What kinds of hobbies and interests did you have?
f) What did you do after graduation? Did you join the military? Were you drafted? Did you fight in the war?
g) What kind of racing did you get involved in? Did you own a racecar, drive a racecar or work as a crewman? 
h) Who were some of your friends that were involved in racing with you? Name and describe them.
i) Tell us about your family, your wife and children. Were they involved in racing?
j) What kind of work did you find after you left school? Was it racing related employment?
k) Are you retired from racing? What are you doing today?

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Mark Weida has been in the racing business for 30+ years. If you're looking for an extra hand, mechanical, in shop car build or assembly, car set up, at track race engineer, weekends, full or part time; give Mark a call. Thanks. Kathy Weida, [email protected]

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Ernie, we had a good photo of your car in the local paper. It is a color shot and it calls the Spurgin/Giovanine the main attraction. I saved you a copy. Attached is a photo of the paper article. Will Kalbermatter
Will: Thank you for the photograph. Ernie Nagamatsu has been diligently recovering the history of the car and people involved.

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Grand Opening Chet Herbert's new shop this Saturday, July 18, 2009. Car show, Cacklefest and deals on parts! 8AM to 2PM. Herbert Performance Parts Centers, 15298 El Prado Road, Chino Hills, California. Store phone number; 909-393-4597. Directions; 71 Freeway to Sequel Canyon Parkway, north to El Prado Road (1/2 mile), turn Right, store on right.  Sent in by John Ewald

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My Fiat (Pinocchio) has no history at all. I built it as a tribute to all the comp coupes from the glory days of drag racing. I have been accumulating photo of comp coupes for several years. Actually since 1961 when I first saw the Pacers Auto and Custom Auto Body Fiats at the NHRA regional championships at Atco, NJ. When Pat Foster called to get a body for the Pedregon recreation, I said to myself, "Self...you have to build one too." As a retired senior citizen on a fixed income, a hemi car was out of the question. Try as I might, I still went over budget, but I'm very happy with the end result. We started with a 178" Woody Gilmore chassis that had been run with an injected BB Chevy and a '23 T roadster body. The current power plant is a 358 SBC with forged pistons, Carrillo rods, Crower cam & kit, Weiand 6:71, Hilborn 4-port linked to a shorty glide and a 8 3/4 Mopar rear with vintage H&H disc brakes. Of course it's a Rod 'n Race Fiberglass body and grill shell with a hand formed aluminum nose. All construction was done by EJ Kowalski in Reading, PA. EJ's a long time Bonneville racer who will be there this year with his injected flathead powered modified '27 roadster. Rich Venza
   Rich: Thank you for the history of Pinocchio, but every day and every event that Pinocchio goes to will develop a history for the car. Are you running it in nostalgia races? Also, send us more info about the '27 Roadster that EJ Kowalski runs at Bonneville.

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I am starting to research a story (maybe a book if this idea gets some traction) on women who are currently active in land speed racings as well as note the achievements of ladies who may have contributed big mile stones in the past. If you can offer names and contact info to improve
the list I put together below, it would be greatly appreciated. I am looking for drivers, riders, mechanics, fabricators, any lady who is actively involved with the technical aspects of land speed racing. Also, if there is someone who you believe I simply MUST talk to about a particular lady, please that info as well. I like to do complete research in order to really get to the heart of each subject. 
   Current List as of July 14, 2009; Connie Beavers, Heather Black, Margaret Bryant (??? Tom's wife), Lee Breedlove Frank, Charisse Buchta, Juli Burkdoll, Betty Burkland, Paula Burns, Cathy Butler, Inez Carlson, Erika Cobb, Karlee Cobb, Keiko Costella, Karen Davis, Celia Dean, Debbie Dross, Amanda Ferguson, Susan Fisher, Anne Fyie, Wende Greenleaf, Irene Hanchard, Tanis Hammond, Sandy Haslam, Katrina Herbert, Kathy Hickey, Marcia Holley, Erin Hunter, Wendy Jefferies, Carla Johnson, Jerry Kelly (D), Laura Klock, Jerilynn Kugel, Pattie Lindsley, Phyllis Lindsley (D), Pam Manghelli, Miriam Macmillan, Michelle Mielke, Jayne Millington, Samantha Morgan, Trillium Muir, Paula Murphy, Kitty O'Neil, Veda Orr (D), Gail Phillips, Leslie Porterfield, Jeanine Pflum, Zofia Proffit, Susan Robertson, Dixie Rossi, Carolyn Sager, Evelyne R. Scholz, Tricia Shaffer, Cris Shearer, Judy Sights, Vicky Spring, Jeanne Talbot, Valerie Thompson, Donna Timney, Mary True, Tonya Turk, Allison Volk, Belen Wagner, Nancy Wennerberg, Mary West, Ellen Wilkenson, Kristeen Wright, Linda Wortman, Katie Young-Cortez, Pat Zimmerman. Please reply directly to: [email protected]. Include contact info for each lady and a bit of background info in you can. Thanks. "LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth
   Louise: Excellent subject and I wish you all the very best in your research.

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Autobooks-Aerobooks, 3524 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505. 818 845-0707 Tina Van Curen

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www.goldenhawk.ca, or http://goldenhawkproject.blogspot.com/. There are new posts, 24 days to Speedweek. All the parts are here and the final push is on. Thanks to Dr. Glenn Dyck Surrey Optical Centre, Gregg Cummings of Cummings Trailer the transporter is here! Randy Pierce

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Checkered Flag 200 Car Show and Family Fun Day Petersen Automotive Museum, Sunday, August 30, 2009 11 a.m.-3p.m., 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036. See www.petersen.org.  Chris Brown

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I'm working on an article about stock car road racing in Southern California during the 1950's. There were two races at Paramount and one at another location, I think perhaps Pomona. I have dates on the two Paramount's, but not the other, also promoted by JC Agajanian, I think. Do you have any info? Do you have any photos? Thanks, Art Evans, Phone 310-489-5330.

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I am looking for the following items for my Hall of Fame Museum, which will open late this year in Auburn, Indiana. I need information on anything speed equipment or cars built by Grancor Automotive Specialists (Granatelli Corporation) like Ford Flathead motors, heads, manifolds, etc. Also, looking for any racecars I owned or built, including Indy cars, street rods, Bonneville cars or a Fordillac. I would like to have any information on the whereabouts of any of the above. I will consider a loan, a donation or I will purchase the items. No matter what, I would like to know what's out there. Contact Andy at [email protected]. Thank you. Andy Granatelli

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Editor's notes: The following is a correspondence from Michael Brennan to Jim Miller and the SLSRH.
   The 100 MPH Club or The First 100 Men to Exceed 100 MPH (160.934 KMH). Jim: I'm creating a list similar to the NHRA 6 or 7 second clubs. It will list the first 100 men to exceed 100 MPH (160.934 KPH) regardless of class. Basically just the first 100 guys that attempted an outright speed record and they were fortunate enough to exceed the century mark. I'll be using 4 categories since there was a time when some record were not globally accepted, I feel those guys made it anyway. Drivers will only be recorded into the list once. This list will be strictly for 4 wheeled earth going vehicles. No aircraft, boats, motorcycles or locomotives, such as trains, but steam powered cars will be included. A driver will be included regardless of the class the vehicle was entered into so long as the vehicle exceeded the 100 MPH/160.934 KPH criteria.
Category 1. Pre-WWI, anyone to have traveled faster then 100 MPH in an outright speed attempt, regardless of the run up distance or length of the timing traps.
Endurance runs maybe included but will be foot noted.
This category will end prior to the 1914 Brooklands two way standard.
Category 2. The Brooklands period of 1914 to the beginning of the First World War where the two way average standard was globally accepted for land speed records. Drivers posting a one-way speed exceeding the criteria will still be included so long as the attempt was for a land speed record.
Category 3. American war-era records will be accepted.
Category 4. Early post-WWI, This is an era of global uncertainty and realignment in regards to land speed records. This category will end with the first globally accepted record run of 150 MPH
From this point on all out land speed records are either dry lakes or beach courses. Best Regards, Michael Brennan
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THE 100 MPH/160.934 KPH CLUB
Category 1
The first man over 100 mph was Louis Rigolly, 103.561 MPH, 100hp Gobron-Brillie', Ostend, Belgium, July 21, 1904
Paul Baras, 104.530 MPH, Darracq, Ostend, Belgium, November 13, 1904
Arthur MacDonald, 104.651 MPH, Napier 6, Daytona Beach, FL. USA, January 25, 1905
Bowden, Mercedes Benz 109.75 mph, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1905
Victor He'me'ry, 109.589 MPH, Darracq V8 Special, Arles, France, December 30, 1905
Fred Marriot, 121.573 MPH, Stanley Steamer, Daytona Beach, FL., USA, January 26, 1906
Sir Algernon Lee Guinness, 121.57 MPH, Saltburn Sands, Yorkshire, June 28, 1908
Barney Oldfield, 131.267 mph, Mercedes Benz, Daytona Beach, FL., USA, March 3, 1910
Bob Burman, 141.732 MPH, Mercedes Benz, Daytona Beach, FL., April 23, 1911
Percy Lambert, 103.84mph, 4.5 litre Talbot, Brooklands, February 15, 1913
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Category 2
1914 land speed rules established at Brooklands, accepted globally, must have two way average speed to be a record.
L.G. Hornsted, 124.095 MPH, Mercedes Benz #3, June 24, 1914, Brooklands, First Official Land Speed Record
WW I records racing is suspended in Europe. American records are not globally accepted during this period
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Category 3
By 1920 land speed cars would be a breed of their own but at the beginning of the decade the fastest cars in the world were highly developed racing cars; the fastest came from America, although before 1920 records set in the USA were not accepted in Europe. The L.G. Hornsted record of 1914 stood as the global record but Americans such as:
Ralph DePalma, 149.875 MPH, Packard, Daytona Beach, FL., February 17, 1919, unofficial
Jim Murphy, over 150 MPH tune -up run for T. Milton, Duesenberg, Daytona Beach, FL., USA, 1920
Tommy Milton, 156.047 MPH, Duesenberg, Daytona Beach, FL., USA, April 27, 1920. First man to exceed 150 mph
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Category 4
Kaye Don, 134.2 mph at Brooklands one-way average speed, early 1920's
Kenelm Lee Guinness, 133.70 MPH, 350 hp Sunbeam, Brooklands, Great Britain May 17, 1922, First globally accepted record post- WW
   I. This is also the last land speed record on a closed course.
Joe Nikrent 108.24 stripped down Buick 5/ 1923
Rene' Thomas, 143.21 MPH, Delage La Torpille, Arpajon, France, July 6, 1924
Ernest A.D. Eldridge, 146.01 MPH, Fiat Special Mephistopeles II, Arpajon, France, July 12, 1924 Last all out land speed record set on a  
   public road.
Tommy Milton 151.26 Miller race car 1924
Malcolm Campbell, 150.9 mph, 350 hp Sunbeam, Pendine Sands, South Wales, July 1925 Official record of first man over 150 mph
From this point on they are either dry lakes or beach courses.  Michael Brennan

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We are going to press tonight with the reprint of Throttle magazine originally published by Jack Peters in 1941. Our version will be a hardback reprint of all 12 issues. It was down to the wire, but we solved the Jack Peters mystery, and even located his grandson who has provided some more photographs of Jack's from the Throttle magazine days. The Rodder's Journal staff really appreciates your help, and the help others have provided in solving the mystery of what happened to the publisher of Throttle magazine, Jack Peters. Peters disappeared from the Southern California car scene after World War II. Over the years The Rodder's Journal has talked to as many of the people who knew Peters, or was around in 1941 when Throttle magazine was published. No one had heard from Peters after 1942. The last record we found of Jack Peters was a voter's registration list for the 1942 election. Jack listed his address as 4704 � South Cimarron in Los Angeles.  The same apartment was listed as the offices of Peter's magazine. Naturally it was assumed Peters had died in the war when no one ever heard from him after the war. He did serve in World War II, but under the name John E. Jerrils. He came home with an interest in journalism from his magazine days, but the needs of a family, or other interest led him to not revive the magazine.  Dick Jerrils, his brother and a contributor to the magazine, served in World War II but died in 1946 of Pancreatic Cancer.
   Jack was born in 1917, in Oklahoma to Merl and Margaret Jerrils. In 1923 the Jerrils moved to California and his parents divorced before 1930. Merl appears to have left California for the Midwest. Mrs. Jerrils remarried a Stavro Peters in 1933. Jack's stepfather died in 1937, and it appears Jack was not sure what name to go by as a young man. He used both Peters and Jerrils for a while, not for any dishonest purpose. Jack Peters/Jerrils was very involved in his community throughout his life.  While publishing Throttle magazine, Peters was a great advocate of automotive racing safety. Jerrils, as he was known after 1942, served on the Carson, California, city Council in the seventies, and wrote a history of Carson in 1972. The Rodder's Journal will have an in depth article about Jack Peters and Throttle magazine in its upcoming issue. Copies of the old magazine are very rare; however, you can see excerpts at The Rodder's Journal website.  I read for the first time all the issues earlier this year, and the magazine holds up after nearly seventy years pretty well. The impressive thing is Peters produced a high quality magazine for its day at the young age of 24. We had the good fortune to find the Grandson of Jack Peters/Jerrils and he was able to provide photographs not seen in the magazine, as well as provide a lot of information about his grandfather. The book will be shipping this summer and can be ordered through The Rodder's Journal.  Thanks to all who have helped.   Don Coonan
   Don: It is the staff of The Rodder's Journal that deserves all the praise. I reviewed your magazine for www.hotrodhotline.com and rated it superior. The photography is better than Arizona Highways and the research is on a par with National Geographic and The Smithsonian.

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Jack Peters was born Jack Jerrils in Oklahoma and arrived in California two years later (about 1923). The reasons for the aliases are not clear. He got married as Jack Jerrils and named his kid Jerrils all while printing Throttle magazine as Jack Peters.  Don Coonan
   Don: We are waiting for the next issue of Rodder's Journal in order to see the fine research that the staff of RJ has done to find the true history of one of land speed racing's true pioneer.

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A few people that were early Bonneville racers and still around that might have some information on Meb Healy; Alex Xydias, Bob Snook, Harold Johansen, Julian Doty, Bill Burke, Burke LeSage, Duane McKinney. Hope this helps. Glen Barrett
   Glen: I have made phone calls and emails to Mike Waters, Alex Xydias, Stu Hilborn, Mike Cook, Bruce Geisler, Warren Bullis, George Callaway, Otto Ryssman, Julian Doty, Jim Miller, Jim Travis, Mike Stewart, Jack Underwood and JD Tone. Bob Snook is in the hospital. Do you have any more potential contacts?

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Do you have any historical data on Meb Healy? I just know that he died volunteering at Speedweek Years ago. Gail at the Gold Coast Roadster & Racing Club has to create a bio on the man; maybe you can help. Or you can ask some of the old boys who are left. I am going to look into my dads CT Racing News and SCTA Racing News I have in binders of prewar and post war era. I also have two issues of Throttle Magazine I will check out.  Bob Sykes Jr
   Bob: I've sent your request on to about 10 others who may hold the answer to your question and perhaps they can send it on to their email lists and hopefully we'll find some people who knew Meb personally. He's mentioned in the minutes of the SCTA and so I know that he goes far back to the origins of the SCTA and Dry Lakes racing.

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(To) Bob (Sykes Jr), since you handle the SCTA Banquet - do you have any information on the Meb Healey Award? I know the basics of who Meb was and why the award is given out in his honor. But Meb is being inducted into the Hall of Fame as a deceased person and no one has info on his past and how he got involved in volunteering for SCTA-BNI before his death. We also don't know exactly what year he passed away, was it 1953 or 1954? I know the first Meb Healey Award was given in 1955 to Bob Higbee. I thought there might be a standard paragraph of information that is read at the Banquet when the award is given out to the annual deserving volunteer. If you know and could scan it or type it or put me in touch with someone who might have that info I would be eternally grateful. I'm going to have to write the Bio on him with the sketchiest info and I want him to get the recognition he deserves.   Gail Philips
   Gail: Jim Miller and I have been working on a project to do bios on as many of the dry lakes guys that we can find, but it is slow going as the men just don't like to brag and they don't like to write. We have a list of all those who have been given awards, thanks to those like Evelyn Roth who typed them into the computer and posted the results on the web. I'm working on a super 26 page index for the minutes of the early SCTA, but it isn't finished or published yet. We have sent around a request for information and will make it available in the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter. Unfortunately, we never indexed the newsletter. To index all those back issues is just beyond our limits, but if a volunteer comes forth who would like a worthwhile job, we will try to get the job done. In the meantime, please speed read through our newsletters and see if you find any reference to Meb Healey.

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I wish I had been able to tell you more about Meb Healy, but I think he passed on before I was involved in the scene. A suggestion for those who may be able to help; Bill Burke, Alex Xydias, Phil Freudiger, Bob Brissette, Gene Winfield, Harold Johansen. The list is getting shorter each year. I hope you can find someone that remembers. I would like to know more about him myself.  Tom Bryant
   Tom: In this issue is a story that I did for Meb, with help from all of you and extra research by Jim Miller. We are still looking for Meb's obituary and I understand that Mike Stewart has seen a newspaper or magazine story on Healy.

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All I know about Meb Healy is he was a course worker at Bonneville in the 50s (maybe 1953) and he died from heat stroke on the salt. He was the guy who gave his all, thus the Award is named after him for the person who dedicates himself unselfishly to the sport. I'll look around at some of the old stuff I have and see if I can find anything more. You might also ask Miller and some of the older guys who were around then.  George Callaway may know something so I'll cc him on the response. Looked a little and didn't find anything. Whenever I want to know something about the past I always ask Julian Doty. Julian was originally in 1938 a Miler. I'd be interested to know what you find out and the whole story.  Mike Stewart
   Mike: There are a lot of us who would like to know more about Meb Healy. The land speed racing community may lose a member here and there, but we will never forget them.

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Good article, gives a lot of background. I'm going to guess he was in his 30's when he passed away. Another guy who may know something is Cliff Wheeler (he makes the trophies for SCTA and BNI). He was around then too. And if you could find an old member of the Lancers they would surely know. Somewhere in amongst all the stuff I've collected over the past 42 years (my first trip to Bonneville was 1967) there is a picture of Meb Healy and I believe a story on him. Problem is where is it (my stuff is not organized) and usually when I look for something I don't find it. It's when I'm not looking for it that I find it. I'm getting ready for El Mirage right now, if I have a little time I'll poke around, and when I get back I'll look some more if I don't find it before I leave. And I'll nose around a little too at El Mirage this weekend to see if I can find out anything. If the LA Times has any records going back that far they might have an obit on Meb Healy. Nice job on the Harold Johansen article. I've known Harold since 1972 and found out more about him reading your article than I did knowing him for 37 years. Mike Stewart
Mike: Thank you for the nice compliments. Harold Johansen was an easy story to do and he has a wealth of information. His story is found at http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/guestcolumnists/, if our readers would like to see his bio. The Meb Healy story is going to go to the website soon, but I'm running it in the SLSRH Newsletter because I'm hoping that it will jog some people's memories and they will let me know. The great thing about the Lawfords', who own both www.landspeedracing.com and www.hotrodhotline.com, is how nice they are about letting us have all this space and then helping us to edit it on-line. If one of the bios or stories that Roger and I have done needs to be corrected, amended, shortened or lengthened with new information, the staff at the websites is so supportive and kind in removing the old story and replacing it with the new and revised story. Send me Cliff Wheeler's email address and phone number and I'll contact him. Print out the articles and pass a few around at the lake bed. Maybe that will create some interest and one never knows where that will take us.

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I can tell you spent a lot of time going through your father's old club newsletters and meeting minutes and including those quotes makes it really come to life. I hope you will give the Gold Coast Club permission to reprint most of it for the Hall of Fame program. It will need to be edited down to one page (Louise & I will do that for you). I will arrange with Louise to have this be the last Bio to be ready for printing so in case any other details of interest show up at the last minute they can still be added. Thank you so much for taking on this enormous challenge! I'm sure you know that you have lifted a load off my shoulders. Gail Phillips, Gold Coast R&R Club, 2009 Gas-Up Event Secretary
   Gail: You have our permission to re-use the story for the Gas-Up Program. I'm sure that whatever small effort we expended to help is miniscule compared to the work that you, Louise and the others in the GCR&R club have done. It's a lot of work and the GCR&R club deserves all the credit for their hard work and planning.

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Gone Racin'...To find Meb Healy, article by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz.

Meb Healy is being honored by the Gold Coast Roadster and Racing Club at this year's (2009) Gas-Up Party. Meb will be inducted into the Dry Lakes Racing Hall of Fame. I've talked to a lot of people over the years, trying to find out more about Meb. My father told me what Meb stood for, but I wasn't paying attention at the time. Meb Healy was one of those tireless workers in the SCTA who took on jobs because he loved the sport of land speed racing, but few people know much about him. To a person, the people who knew "of him," but not necessarily about the man, told me that Meb was most deserving of the praise heaped on his shoulders. But the more that I inquired, the more mysterious the man became. To be able to tell you who Meb was, I've got to tell you about the people who met him, even if they can't tell me much more than "Meb was a hard, loyal and dedicated volunteer, who died at Bonneville from heatstroke while working in the registration trailer." That's it, the total amount of a man's life, written in one sentence. A man whom everyone said was special and yet that's all they know about him. The first person I called was Alex Xydias. "I should know more about Meb, because at the time I was active in the SCTA and even a Vice-president of the association for awhile," said Xydias. Alex remembered seeing him at Bonneville, but exactly who Healy was, he cannot say. Those closest to Meb are gone, such as Jim Lindsley, Chuck Potvin, Ak Miller and others. I talked to Mike Cook, Bruce Geisler, George Callaway, Otto Ryssman, Jim Miller, Jim Travis, Burke LeSage, Mike Stewart, Jack Underwood, Ed Losinski, Leslie Long, Bob Brissette, Glen Barrett and many others and came up empty. LeSage told me that he thinks Meb Healy was very conscientious about keeping the registration forms in good order. "I think that Meb was from the San Fernando area and knew George Hill," he told me. While most of the people I spoke with told me that their memories of Healy were faint, they were all impressed with the dedication and work that Healy gave to the SCTA and BNI.
Healy was teaching me more about the men and women of the SCTA than he was about himself. He represents the tireless work ethic of men and women in motorsports, who demand no attention, ask for no pay, seek no glory and require no praise. Men like Art Tilton, Thatcher Darwin, Warren Bullis and many more, who work for the common good of the group. Still, we cannot let the story go. We have this human need to know about the person and understand the motivations that caused them to do what they do. Meb Healy after all, gave his life for land speed racing and that's a sacrifice that cries out for those of us who care to discover his story. The best that I can do is offer a few facts and a lot of supposition and guesses. They are educated guesses, but at least there is a little bit of knowledge behind it. We spell his name Meb Healy, but in the minutes that my father was making into a book, the spelling is also Healey. Meb is apparently a nickname and the early SCTA guys loved nicknames and they loved to show a rebellious sacrilege for all things serious. I assume that Meb was a member of the Lancers, for he represents the club at a board meeting just after the end of World War II. I don't know when Meb joined the Lancers, it could have been in the late 1930's or shortly before Pearl Harbor, but he definitely was an SCTA member by May, 1941. On August 15, 1938 the Lancers requested membership in the SCTA, but the motion to accept them was tabled and they were given "guest status" to race at the dry lakes instead. Perhaps the club was too small and this was the first year of racing for the new organization and other issues were more pressing. After several efforts to join, the Lancers were accepted into the SCTA on October 3, 1938 and it is a fair assumption to believe that Meb might have been a member at the time.
Research by Jim Miller, President of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians, yield these facts. "The Lancers were probably formed in 1938. The team of Healey-Dries ran roadster #324 at the lakes on November 17, 1940. It had a Ford V8 with filled heads, but there is no info on chassis, club or speed. Meb entered a roadster #290 at the June 15, 1941 lakes event and this car had a Chevy 6 in it. Meb was a Lancer and his speed was 100 mph," according to Jim Miller. From a series of SCTA programs of that era, Miller provided more facts; "The records are incomplete, listing only the members of the Lancers who ran a car at the dry lakes, so Meb Healy might have been a member in 1938 or joined later." Miller told me that the records for 1938 haven't been correctly indexed yet, but he did show the following members of the Lancers who were listed in the SCTA programs for 1939. "Fred Krohe, Merle Nichols, Fred Hayashi and the Colvig-Baughman team raced under the Lancers car club in 1939," said Miller. "In 1940 the following members of the Lancers car club ran a car at the lakes according to the programs. They were Doug Hartelt, Lynn Baker, Frank Braddock, Robert Cox, Chauncey Crist, Joe Eggert, Charles 'Chuck' Potvin, Howard Fall and the Healey/Dries team, the Allen/Daniel team, the Karft/Eggert team and the Mueller/Kendrick team. Karft may be a misspelling of Kraft," commented Miller. "In 1941 the Lancers who were listed as racing a car on the dry lakes were George Yanase, J.E. Starr, Paul Stratton, Conrad 'Connie' Wiedell, Willie West, Chuck Abbott, Dick Kraft, Jack Gastel, Howard Hamburger, A.J. Lawley Jr and Meb Healey," Miller concluded. Meb Healy therefore can be said to have joined the club in 1940 and possibly earlier.
The minutes of the Board for May 5, 1941 state, "Meb Healey (sic) asked if it would be allowed to fill in the rear fender panel on a roadster after the fenders had been removed." There was no reply in the minutes and we do not know if this was his roadster or he was asking the question on behalf of another member of the Lancers. Several people have told me that he did have and race a roadster. Meb shows us another side of his character at the July 3, 1942 board meeting. The secretary states, "Meb Healy pointed out that the members are all making better money now and being too busy to cooperate should be willing to pay a larger entry fee." Those men that were not in the military service were working overtime in the war plants and factories and for the first time in more than a decade were earning more money than they ever dreamed of, but it came at the price of the volunteer work that they gave to the SCTA. It also indicates that Healy may have been a member of the entry form committee. The SCTA, according to the minutes, placed a great importance on the entry forms and fees. It was a way to control the dry lakes racing, bring order to the chaos of the classes and generate the money that they desperately needed to continue racing at the dry lakes. It might not have been the most glamorous committee to serve on, but it was an important one. On September 4, 1942 the minutes of the board state this, "The Bond Committee board of directors were Bozzy Willis, Al Wrigley, Vic Edelbrock, Lowell Lewis, Bob Quisenberry, Meb Healey, Nick DeFabrity and Ed Adams (chairman)."
What they mean by the bond committee is the group of men who raise funds to buy war bonds on behalf of the SCTA and hold them until the war is over. The SCTA continued to race during the 1942 season, even when other racing groups had shut down and disbanded, but they were aware of the fact that Americans would consider the association to be disloyal. Some of the SCTA members, like Karl Orr, held the view that they had the right, living in a free country, to race when they wanted to and it was lunacy to tell them to stop. Others like my father felt that the overall good of the SCTA meant that they should put aside their urge to race and disband until after the war was over. Rationing of gas, oil, food, tires and just about everything else caused people to be resentful of racers who used up needed war materials for the thrill of speed. Movies, posters, radio shows and other governmental media announcements asked the American people to conserve so that the war effort would have the means to fight towards victory. It was seen as disloyal and un-American to waste anything and racing was considered wasteful when our men and women were dying overseas. By September of 1942 only the rebels in the SCTA were still racing on the dry lakes in unsanctioned meets. The SCTA formed committees to show their patriotism. One of them was the bond committee, for the government could not raise enough money through taxation alone to win the war, they had to sell government war bonds in amounts never seen before. The SCTA also donated money to the military auxiliaries to help with R&R programs. The SCTA wanted to show their loyalty to the country.
Look at the men that Meb would have known and associated with. Bozzy Willis was an SCTA president and so was Ed Adams. Vic Edelbrock was a towering figure. DeFabrity was the secretary. Lewis, Quisenberry and Wrigley were pioneers of the association. My father worked with all of them and he knew Meb and liked him. On December 4, 1942, during the darkest days of WWII, the secretary writes in the minutes, "The subject of the buying of the defense bonds was brought up and upon checking the list of board members it was found that Meb Healy had been lost to the armed forces. A motion was made to place Vince Cimino in his stead on this board. Motion was seconded and passed. This board will meet in the near future and sign up the necessary papers and purchase the bonds." This is a curious way to say this, unless you read all of the minutes. Vince Cimino had attacked the board for not removing Vic Edelbrock from the bond committee on the grounds that Vic was spending more time with the circle track guys. My father came to Vic's defense. Many of the SCTA members "went into the war," but here we see that the board is sorry to have "lost" Meb Healy to the military. They truly felt the loss of Meb. Shortly after that the SCTA disbands, the funds in the bond committee, general funds and hospital committee are held in trust until the war is won and the members can be discharged and allowed to return home.
I don't know exactly which branch of the service Meb served in, but he returned home safely and rejoined the SCTA. The minutes of November 5, 1945, state that Meb Healy, Charles (Chuck) Potvin and Chauncey Crist represented the Lancers at the board of representatives meeting, held at Clifton's Cafeteria in Hollywood. He was one of the first to be released, many of the 12 and 1/2 million men and women in the service continued to see duty until 1946 and later. I only have the minutes of the SCTA up through 1948, so I can only guess that Meb returned to the same jobs that he held before the war and served diligently. Sometime in 1954 or '55 he suffered heat or sun stroke and died at Bonneville while on duty. Some say he died in the trailer, but Jim Travis thinks he must have died somewhat out on the salt in the sun. I contracted heat stroke at Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada during the Breedlove/Noble/Green attempt to set the land speed record. It is an insidious disease. I drank lots of water and craved potato chips, but slowly, in the heat of the desert, the sodium and potassium salts leach out and one's health deteriorates. I can remember stumbling around, asking for my laundry, while others just ignored me. If it hadn't been for one of our volunteers, who knew the symptoms, I probably would be dead too. He mixed a glass of water with a cup of salt and gave it to me to drink and I remember that it tasted just like sugar and I craved more of it, though it was as thick as watery mud. Perhaps Meb went the same way and there was no one who saw the symptoms. Meb was that sort of invisible man whom we all take for granted and fail to recognize when they too need help.
Maybe the last thing that can be said about Meb is the kind of people whom the SCTA/BNI chooses to honor in his name. Looking at those people may be the best tribute that we can give Meb Healy. So here they are, as best as I can find them. "Meb Healy Memorial Trophy, as a memorial to Meb Healy who lost his life due to a sun stroke while working at Bonneville, this award is presented each year to a man or woman who contributes more than his share of work for S.C.T.A." 1955-Bob Higbee SDRC, 1956-Bill Davis Lancers, 1957 Bob Brissette, 1958-Harry Woerner Sidewinders, 1959-Jerry Eisert Wheelers, 1960-61 Emil Grissotti Road Runners, 1962-Bruce Geisler Rod Riders, 1963-Burke LeSage Gear Grinders, 1964-Roy Aldrich Lakers, 1965-Jim Lindsley Gear Grinders, 1966-Jerry Tucker SDRC, 1967-Bill Saderup Sidewinders, 1968-Otto Crocker SDRC, 1969-James Koehler Lakers, 1970-James Travis Gear Grinders, 1971-Mel Chastain Rod Riders, 1972-Multy Aldrich Lakers, 1973-Wayne Harvey Rod Riders, 1974-Mike Stewart Milers, 1975-Ken Walkey Sidewinders, 1976-Bill Taylor SDRC, 1977-Ron Cohn Sidewinders, 1978-Lionel Wynn SDRC, 1979-Julian Doty Sidewinders, 1980-Gary Cagle Gear Grinders, 1981-Dan Warner Sidewinders, 1982/83-Multy and Vera Aldrich Lakers, 1984-Werner Schwarz Sidewinders, 1985-Don Riepe Milers, 1986-Jerry Bates Rod Riders, 1987-Chuck Kalbach Rod Riders, 1988-Glen Barrett Gear Grinders, 1989-Kent Cowgur LSR, 1990-Dennis Dalton SDRC,
1991-Henry Louie SDRC, 1992-Paul Stanley Sidewinders, 1993-Werner Schwarz Sidewinders, 1994-James and Allen Rice Gear Grinders, 1995-Mike Manghelli Sidewinders, 1996-Earl Wooden Sidewinders, 1997-Gregg Waters Super Fours, 1998-Monte Warnock High Desert Racers, 1999-Billy Hodges LSR, 2000 Jim Jensen SDRC, 2001-Duane Kofoed Super Fours, 2002-The Barbee boys Super Fours, 2003-Jim Miller Sidewinders, 2004-George Callaway High Desert Racers, 2005-Greg Carlson Milers, 2006-Butch Reynolds High Desert Racers. There you have it, a tribute to Meb Healy by those who were honored in his name.
Gone Racin' is at [email protected] .

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I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to sign up for this but look forward to receiving the Newsletters. I was a ThrustSSC team member and we met a couple of times at Black Rock and then at the Bonneville 50th dinner where Louise Anne kindly took me along as the ThrustSSC team representative. Prior to working with RN (Richard Noble), I founded the Speed Record Club and produced their own club mag for 3 years. Robin Richardson
Robin: Greetings. It's good to hear from you again. Black Rock was a fabulous experience. The Society of Land Speed Racing Historians (SLSRH) Newsletter is completely on-line. The emailed messages that come out weekly from www.landspeedracing.com are merely intended to let our members know when another issue is on-line. The website is owned by Jack and Mary Ann Lawford, who also own www.hotrodhotline.com. They are avid hot rodders and give us the space and also provide clerical support staff to make our lives easier. The SLSRH charges no membership fees and there are no duties or obligations to be a member. Our goal as individuals is to save and preserve as much history as we can of hot rodding, land speed, early drag, and other forms of straight-line racing. Many of our members also belong to other groups, websites, clubs and association. We try and assist their groups and endeavors. Everything that is on our site is shared with the public, with the exception that if anyone wants to re-use it for commercial purposes they must ask permission. We have published 119 issues so far, generally one a week and I send out a new issue every Wednesday. We used to send them out as an email, but now that we are up to an average of 9000 words per issue, going to 500 readers, the spam filters are stopping them, so Mary Ann sends out an email notice and the members must go to the website to read all the current and archived newsletters. We don't have an index yet, which is a problem. We have photographs and captions as well as historical texts. Anyone can write for the SLSRH newsletter and we encourage you to use the newsletter to tell us everything that you know. We would love to have more European land speed racing history. We have been one-sided on dry lakes racing since most of the current members come from the Southwestern United States. But our goal is to save all land speed racing history, the decade of the 1950's in drag racing and hot rodding knowledge in general. This letter will appear in the newsletter. Jim Miller is our president of the Society and a first rate historian. I am the editor. All subjects on land speed racing are welcome. We are not a blog and I edit wherever there is a blur between news and gossip. We aim at being a scholarly newsletter, though we are hot rodders at heart so we have a folksy way of reaching that goal. We take no advertisements, but we welcome news from our members. We want to know about car restorations, car projects, reunions, car shows, Ugo Fadini's models, writers, photographers, authors, new books, works of automotive art and anything else our members are doing. We also do bios and obituaries. We encourage all our members to write a short bio of their life and I have a guideline that I send out to help our members do that. They quickly, about 20 minutes, write it out and send it to me to edit and then I return it to them with additional questions. In this way they write their own bios with my help and we publish them at www.hotrodhotline.com, guest columnist, Richard Parks. We also ask our members to caption their photographs, for an uncaptioned photo is nearly worthless. We suggest using peel-off stickers. Write on the stickers the; who, what, where, when and owners name, then peel the sticker off and attach it to the back of the photograph. We are glad to welcome you to our group and please share what you know with us, especially your Black Rock experiences.

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Thank you so much for your support. Anything that you can do to help get the word out would be highly valued! We've received a pretty good response so far that gives some very good indicators in regard to pulling this thing off. By the way, at the beginning of this year I spoke with several individuals that oversee Pomona because I was interested in putting on a race there…it seems that it is very hard to do anything there with the Fairplex etc! How come? What happened to the good Old Days? Moldy (http://www.savelacr.org)
Moldy: You raise some excellent questions, just the sort of questions that need to be raised in our kind of newsletter. What is happening today is similar to what happened in the past and yet the reaction is different. The good old days are still with us. We are always in the good old days; it's all a matter of perspective. Yes, environmental rules, laws and regulations are tougher and people today are more litigious, suing at the drop of a hat. In the past, when a hot rodder was caught, he shrugged his shoulders and the biggest decision he had to make was to pay the $3 dollar fine or spend 3 days in jail. Almost always they spent the three days in jail, because the $3 was much too valuable to waste by giving it to the courts. I looked at your website and it's very well done. You have a cause and it's one my father fought for all his life, to bring sanctioned and safe drag racing to communities and to fight against illegal street racing. He did his fair share of street racing when he was young, but he came to realize that illegal street racing would eventually destroy the sport of land speed racing and he converted to a new cause, the one that you are espousing. He formed the NHRA as a defensive measure, an attempt to reduce the violence on the streets and bring order from chaos. The communities across America have forgotten what it was like when daily there were street racing accidents that took the lives of our youth and innocent by-standers.
Every time a dragstrip or oval track closes, the volume of illegal street racing increases. NHRA is tied into a complicated formula of racing schedules with the Fairplex commission, and the cities of La Verne and Pomona. They have certain dates that they can use, approximately 3 event dates, each totaling four days. They used to have Junior drag racing at Pomona, but had to send the program elsewhere when told that they would have to use one of their event dates for Junior drag racing. They use one of the dates for the Winternationals and one for the World's Finals. The third date is used for Super Chevy's, Goodguys or another such big group. The noise issue has been worked on for some time and the stands and walls were constructed to send noise upward where it dissipates and not outward. There is another issue at Pomona which cannot be solved and that's traffic congestion. After a race the traffic is miserable for the local citizens and yahoos just have to go street racing up and down the community's roads. Some people just cannot be taught that such behavior destroys it for everyone else. If it weren't for the political power of the Fairplex and the County of Los Angeles, there would be no drag racing at Pomona and they demand a huge price. The Fairplex gets all of the parking fees, the food and beer concessions and a percentage of the gate. There are far cheaper places to race at than Pomona. But it's a wonderful drag racing facility in a great place, so they stay. Pomona will never be an option for the non-Pro racing leagues. I've written articles on the legal and monetary aspects of how to get a drag strip going.
Why was it so easy 60 years ago to create a dragstrip, while today it is nearly impossible? Most people will say that it is environmentalism that is at fault. Or they will say the land is too valuable. Or they will say that the local towns don't want the noise or traffic congestion. Or that people think that drag racing is for yahoos and Neanderthals. Maybe they are right, but after studying the problem for 5 decades, this is what I believe; hot rodders have changed. It's as simple as that. In the past the kids came together in a group and their cohesive group loyalty meant that they acted as one. Not just a dozen, or a hundred, but in the thousands they assembled to fight for what they wanted. And they came to the town hall meetings with the Sheriff, police chief, fire marshal, their staffs, and other interested community members. The young men and women brought their parents, their wives, their friends and neighbors and they descended on city hall and they demanded a local dragstrip. At that time the entire community saw the urgent need to get the kids onto a safe and sanctioned drag strip or oval track and away from the streets. What do you have today? Yes, one hundred people came to the Irwindale city council meeting and opposed 6 rather intimidated local citizens and they won the right to race at Irwindale about 8 years ago. But Irwindale had already approved the drag strip and that was an easy victory. Most communities are not as enlightened and they don't see a hundred people descending on their city doorsteps demanding a drag strip. You have to give something in order to get something. What is that? In a word; POWER. You have to give or take away power; it's as simple as that.
How do you do that? You gather your supporters, their friends, their neighbors, your family and everyone you can and you vote in a bloc. That may mean that Republicans have to vote for an...ugh...Democrat, and…ugh… vice versa. You send your representatives back to Antonovich and you say this, "We would like your support, both financially and politically, to get a dragstrip in our area. We would be very grateful to the person that helps us." You never threaten and you never corrupt the official, but you ball up your fist in a mass of a thousand or more people and hold it out there for all the politicians to see that your votes go to the person that understands your needs. That's exactly what they did in the past, the steel fist gloved in velvet. I've seen photographs and heard stories about how they won over the political establishment and how they kept their dragstrips safe from predation. But over the years drag racers felt their victories were secure and they became individualistic and stopped supporting their cause and today you don't have unity among all the drag and oval track racers. They all act as individuals and their loyalty to the group has faded away. They let other groups win the battles; environmentalists, gays, developers, lobbyists of all sorts. These groups have the fire and the will to stick together and fight for their causes and the politicians listen, because they fear for their jobs. If you want a dragstrip in the Antelope Valley, then show us 1000 men and women who will march to city hall. Or 500 will do in a pinch. You've got to have organization. You've got to have leaders; men and women who will spend 12 hours a day, month after month, year after year. That's what it took in "the good old days."

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Unfortunately, I do not have a bio on either. I never had the privilege of meeting Bob Snook. I had hoped to be able to get Bob and John Welchel together at our last annual Road Runners BBQ, however, Bob's health prevented it and John had a last minute schedule change. According to a recent article in (I think it was Rod & Custom) one of the pictures showed Bob Snook's Roadster that John and Snuffy Welchel had sold him. I did meet Joe Reath at El Mirage three or four years ago. I hope we can get Joe and John together since they were both Charter Members of the Road Runners.  Jerry Cornelison
  Jerry: Your site on the Road Runners is one of the best on the old car clubs of the SCTA. I'm hoping we can find a younger generation of land speed racers who will take over as historians of those old clubs and do for them what you have done for the Road Runners.

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I am printing out your guideline questions for my dad to read. I did get a chance to ask him about Meb Healey and he thought about it but could not remember anyone by that name. I'll get back to you on the other questions. Edris Snipes, Hilborn Fuel Injection
   Edris: Thank you. I'm looking forward to seeing his bio. We've done 80 bios so far and hope to expand that number.

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I follow www.HotRodHotLine.com and receive their weekly newsletters. I am Familiar with the www.Landspeedracing/com site but I haven't been able to find the articles that you are referring to about the Government sponsorships etc. Can you send me a direct link to that specific area? thanx, Moldy
Moldy: In my favorites, the articles that Roger Rohrdanz and I write under the Gone Racin' by-line for www.hotrodhotline.com is listed as http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/guestcolumnists/. You can also find it on their menu listed on their front page and it will look like this:
2009 Show Coverage] [Barn & Field Cars] [Blast to the Past] [Book Reviews] [Build Articles] [Buyers Guide] [Classifieds] [Club Directory] [Event Listings] [From our Friends] [Garage Shots] [Guest Columnists] [HotRod MD][New Products] [Newsletter Archive] [Order a Catalog] [Our Heroes] [Press Releases] [Rodders Forum] [Rodders Row] [Shop Tours] [Vendor Directory] [Young Rodders] [Advertising Information] [Modern Rods] [Site Map] [Celebrities] Copyright 1999-2009 All Rights Reserved HotRodHotLine. No Parts May Be Used Without Our Written Permission. Contact Us: Toll Free 877-700-2468 or 208-562-0470. 230 S. Cole Rd, Boise, ID 83709. If you have any questions or comments please e-mail us at [email protected].
The menu has links to these subjects and the one that has the Guest Columnist has my stories. The book review link has 80 reviews of books that I've done. I believe there is also a new link to biographies that I have helped car guys write. The articles go into www.hotrodhotline.com and the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter goes into www.landspeedracing.com. Both websites are owned by Jack and Mary Ann Lawford and they cross link to each other.

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"Landspeed" Louise Named 2009 Goodguys Woman of the Year. Columbus, Ohio. Renowned author, historian and columnist "Landspeed" Louise Ann Noeth was named 2009 Goodguys Woman of the Year at the 12th PPG Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. A veteran of motorsport and land speed racing journalism, she accepted the award in front of a packed house during the event awards ceremony. Noeth has fueled her passion for high speeds with a wide-ranging palate over several decades. After years of racing a 250mph jet dragster she joined Petersen Publishing Company in 1979. She was Petersen's first female automotive editor-in-chief of any of the firm's automotive publications. While working at Petersen, she produced Hot Rod Industry News, SEMA Show Daily, contributed to Hot Rod, Car Craft, Motor Trend and many specialty publications as well as serving on the development team for the Hot Rod Nationals and Car Craft Nationals. On the federal regulatory level, she has served on SEMA committee's for tires, emissions and suspension helping protect enthusiast's rights across the nation.
   In 1984, she founded Land Speed Productions offering a variety of creative disciplines including writing, photography, graphic design, PR and advertising. With her insatiable desire to write, photograph and talk about fast machines, she became active in the world of land speed racing in the 1990s teaming with Craig Breedlove's "Spirit of America" streamliner. During his most recent land speed record run at Black Rock Desert in 1997, she covered the event for Sports Illustrated, USA Today, CAR&DRIVER, Chicago Tribune, London Daily Telegraph and CAR Magazine. In 2001 Noeth served as a crew member for Team Vesco's "Turbinator" streamliner which set the current world land speed record for wheel-driven vehicles at 458MPH at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Most recently, she was team member of Steve Fossett's world land speed record bid. An accomplished author, Noeth wrote the definitive book on land speed racing, "Bonneville: The Fastest Place on Earth" (now in its seventh printing). In addition, she's been a columnist focused on land speed racing for the last 20 years for a variety of publications including the popular "Fuel for Thought" appearing monthly in the Goodguys Goodtimes Gazette.
   When she's not writing about land speed racing, she stays busy designing brochures, ads and logos as well as completing photo assignments for clients around the globe. About the Goodguys Woman of the Year: The Goodguys Woman of the Year award is presented annually in honor of the late Karen Bloechl (who was instrumental in the formative years of the Goodguys Association) and recognizes a female industry executive who serves to preserve the integrity and growth of the hot rodding industry. Past recipients of the Goodguys Woman of the year include: Margie Popp (1991), Ginny Lobeck (1992), Sue Brizio (1993), Maryann Harmon (1994), Karen Doe (1995), DeEtte Crow (1996), Jane Callison (1997), Gayle Stutts (1998), Judy Mullins (1999), Debbie Walls (2000), Jeannie Daly (2001), Donna Smith (2002), Debbie Lewis (2003), Jeanette Ladina (2004), Joyce Smith (2005), Barb Davison (2006), Stacy Tucker (2007) and Lynn Nace (2008).
John Drummond, Communications Director, Goodguys Rod & Custom Association, P.O. Box 9132, Pleasanton, CA 94566.

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Random Pictures.

Team Manager, Matt Candy, says: "There's a lot of work to do before we can make the record attempts. We have to set up our communication system, check the radios, assemble the fuelling rigs, unpack the tools, get the fridge working and put the toilet in place. It's a bit like an Everest expedition but in baking heat rather than the freezing cold!"
One of the most nerve-wracking tasks was to check for any damage to the British Steam Car during transit. Fortunately, and this was largely because of the special shipping container which was made for it, the car arrived just as it had left the UK 21 days earlier.
Because of the high temperatures, the team has been working from before 5am. After 9am, the heat is unbearable. This will affect the timing of the record attempts too.

On 11 July, the team's test driver, Don Wales will arrive and begin dynamic test runs.
Candy says: "We are aiming to make the record attempts before the 24 July. Potentially, each run could be an attempt on the record but to qualify as an official record we have to turn the car around and make a run in the opposite direction within 60 minutes.
"Obviously, if a first run is not at the required speed we shan't attempt to go for the record. Instead, we'll wait and make another attempt to get a fast first run”.

It turned out that a sensor in one of the gas tanks had failed during shipment, so the technicians had to strip it out and replace it! This took most of the day. The temperature was really cooking by midday well over 100f and its forecast to get hotter over the next few days.

Our plan is to carry out more checks tomorrow and hopefully to get some steam going. Early to bed again tonight! Will keep you posted on our progress. Don Wales

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Captions:
Photographs are of the Spurgin/Giovanine Roadster, owned by Chuck Spurgin and Bob Giovanine. The team won the 1948 SCTA Points Championship setting a new record in their class at every meet throughout the racing season. In the photos are the various people who have had a hand in the car, including the current owner, Ernie Nagamatsu. Karin Spurgin is the daughter of Chuck and Curt Giovanine is the son of Bob. Also in attendance was Kent Borgh, son of Carl Borgh who bought the car from Spurgin/Giovanine and raced it as the Mother's Sill Special. Photos courtesy of Bryan Somen

The Pictures Below do not enlarge

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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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