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Some Names To Look For In This Newsletter:
President's Corner, Editorials, Letters of condolences were received for Mary Mant Parks, Impact Racing has submitted proof to the SCTA that their products met the SFI specifications for the year 2009 and 2010, The street racer program is a chapter in the book We developed a 2 track system in part to get the kids a lot of runs to wear them out, I have a few die cast cars that I am going to sell, Chop Shop Customs is holding a 2010 Open House, Ed Stuck and I were talking about this and we are interested in doing something to help out one of the best friends of racers over the years, This is a great video showing the first assembly lines at the original Ford auto plant, Pictures will be sent tomorrow, This just in WSCC Corvette Drag Racing in 1956, It was great seeing you again at Hila Sweet's car racers reunion, Gone Racin'…Every Sunday Drag Races Orange County Airport,Santa Ana, Gone Racin'… Winners are Driven a Champion's Guide to Success in Business & Life by Bobby Unser, Speedway Bike racing video, Speedway Long Track Spring Classic Perris Auto Speedway, Photos and text of Athol Graham's City of Salt Lake Streamliner
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President's Corner:
It's fun to look back at the old stuff and the pre-war S.C.T.A. programs are no exception. 1940 is a good year so let's look at them. The attachment shows five program covers from the racing events held that year. I've also included one advertisement from each one to illustrate how simple things were in the good old days. Wally Parks and Eldon Snapp were the big dogs behind the early programs that are treasured today. Eldon was the pictures and Wally was the words most of the times and thanks to them we know a little bit of the pre-war happenings. Besides club news, entries, times etc. we had comments in the "Excuse my Dirt" section such as this ditty - "Wonder who the nice looking auburn haired Babe was with Vern Hurst at the same event." All this stuff gives us a great insight into the workings of our founding S.C.T.A. member's lives. I also like to read the ads. In January '40 Duke Hallock was selling his Cragar B for the grand sum of 150 bucks. It was complete with manifolds and carbs. Oh yeah, he also included a supercharger, tranny and diff with 3:27 gears. What a deal.
Even more fun was seeing who advertised in the News. I've taken one ad from each program to illustrate the players. In May Sta-Lube was my choice. These guys were players for many years. Who can forget to gooey hand cleaner that worked like a charm. I've even got one of their empty cans collecting dust in the garage. In June Sandy's Muffler Shop gets the nod. The Sandy is Sandy Belond who went on to fame post war and even won Indy with Hanks in '57 and Bryan in '58. Not bad for a lakes guy. In August a little speed shop down in Bell advertised. Back then George Wight ran the place. A young kid by the name of Roy Richter worked in the back building race car and ended up buying the place after the war and built it into an international company. For October Vic Edelbrock had just introduced his new intake manifold. His company under his son's stewardship is a giant today. The last ad is for Eddie Meyer's shop. Guys like Ray Brown had their early training at his shop. I'm working on putting all the old stuff on the web as soon as I fill a couple of holes. Meanwhile I was at the Riverside Raceway shindig and the California Racers Reunion the last couple of weekends seeing how many land speed guys were cross-overs. There are a bunch, but that's another story. On a sad note we just lost the mother of our editor Richard, and his brother David. My condolence goes to them and their families.
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Captions:
SCTA 1940's covers and ads.jpg ... Pre-war S.C.T.A. programs from 1940. Jim Miller collection.
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Editorial:
Part of today's editorial concerns the passing of my Mother, Mary Parks, at the age of 93. She was never as deeply involved as my step-mother, Barbara L. Parks, in racing. Yet, in order to understand some of the events that made land speed and drag racing important in our lives, we should examine her life as well. It can be said that no one is unimportant. Each of us contributes in a small but important way. The accolades and honors usually go to only a few men, but they know, if they are humble people, that their success depended on the work and help of so many other people. My father knew that and he told us repeatedly that he had good men and women helping him achieve his goals in life. He couldn't have achieved what he did without these dedicated men and women of land speed and drag racing. In the past I have told you about the contributions of Barbara Livingston Parks and how much work and love she put into building up the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). She used money from her savings to pay salaries during the darkest hours when it looked like the NHRA would collapse. We have mentioned Dick Wells, a man highly honored by SEMA, NHRA and other groups, but largely unknown by the general public. We have mentioned Jim Lindsley, Julian Doty, Ak Miller, Bozzie Willis, Thatcher Darwin, Art Tilton and many other men and women who helped make the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) what it is today. We talked about Bud Coons, Chic Cannon, Erich "Rick" Rickman and Bud Evans and the role they played in the early days of the NHRA as they toured the country with the Safety and Drag Safaris; teaching young people how to set up drag racing groups. Our goal at the SLSRH is to find and create a biography or history on every single individual that we can who was involved with straight-line racing and hot rodding.
Mary Parks married Wally Parks in December, 1935, after meeting him at a diner where she worked in 1934. That was a critical time, for the Great Depression was at its worst, jobs were scarce, pay was meager and Wally had just lost his mother the year before. Often they had to borrow other people's cars and Mom would tell the story about going on dates with Dad and Jack Henry; maybe to chaperone, but more likely because it was Henry's roadster. Dad was 22 and Mom was 18 when they met and later married. Muroc Timing Association was the promoter of the dry lake racing at Muroc Dry Lake. There were other groups who used the playa for racing, some organized and some not. George Wight and George Riley, along with a few others were in charge and a car club provided the volunteers. Dad and Mom went to these time trials and when Wight and Riley backed out, a group of young men in seven different clubs formed the SCTA. The wives and girlfriends weren't allowed to attend the club meetings; it was an all-male fraternity in those days. By 1937 Dad was actively involved in the Road Runners club and as a club representative at SCTA board meetings. He did everything; from putting out a monthly newsletter to heading up security details. But while the women were excluded from certain duties, they must be given credit for the unseen chores that occurred constantly and which if they didn't provide would have made the tasks much harder for the men. The wives and girlfriends prepared food and water and made sure that all the volunteers were fed at the dry lakes. The ladies worked in the timing and registration areas. At home they took phone calls and did secretarial duties. Their impact at the beginning was slight, but important and over time the tasks that women would take on would increase and today they are equals and partners in land speed racing.
Mary Parks was a great host. She made everyone in Dad's world feel comfortable and important. For about half a decade she was the first lady of land speed racing as my father held the position of president and later General Manager and secretary. It was at this point, from 1946 to the end of the decade that Mom's contributions were most felt. Dad would support Ak Miller, a close family friend, who would continue to pursue the goals in the SCTA that my father felt was important in land speed racing. Together they would put on the Hot Rod Exposition and the Bonneville time trials. Ak was as easy to get along with as Mom and Dad were and the events, including the socialization went very smoothly. Men sometimes forget how important women are to them. Many times I've seen angry men settle down when a woman entered the room and helped with the reconciliation between the combative parties. I've never seen any lady who had a better effect on civilizing the rough manners of men than my mother could exert. She simply made things easier for my father. She knew many celebrities of the time, including Robert E. Petersen, George Putnam and others in the racing, media and entertainment industry. She was vivacious and beautiful, with the figure, smile, looks and charisma that movie stars have.
The sad part was that the sport of land speed racing was evolving into drag racing and Dad was pulled in a direction that Mom would not go. It was a world that demanded from Dad long hours on the road away from home and I can still remember her loneliness and tears. I asked Ak Miller about his many marriages and the effect of his racing on them. He told me that his wives deserved better. I think all the racers felt that way. Racing can be hard on families, even those where wives and children go on the road with their racing father. Eventually, in the mid-1950's it was too much to bear and they separated, but Mom never stopped loving him. That's one area, the impact of women on racing and the impact of racing on women that I stress as editor. You get a lot of that information from me when you probably are only looking for facts, speeds and racing trivia. I enjoy dissecting the sport and looking at all the angles and areas of racing, for racing does not exist in a vacuum. There are wives, children, jobs, bosses, taxes and other life experiences that intrude on racing. It's also important not to forget the contributions of our wives, children, family and friends. And if you forget, I'm here to remind you.
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Mary Parks passed away today, Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 4:50 pm at her home in Corona Del Mar. Her family assembled and was there when she passed on peacefully. She was 93. Mom was born on January 6, 1917 in Pocatello, Idaho. Her parents were Newton Osborne Mant and Myrtle Howells Mant. She grew up in South San Gabriel, California during the Great Depression. It wasn't a very pleasant time for most and her stories show just how desperate people were. Yet they were better off than some, for they had a home and her mother raised chickens and sold eggs, a ready source of cash and barter. Homeless men would come by the house, hungry and dejected, but Myrtle would tell them to go and cut some wood and she would prepare a meal for them. Mom learned, for she always had a can of soda or a sandwich for anyone who looked like they could use a bite of food. She taught us to be generous as well. We had a name for Mom; Mimi. Her oldest grandchild couldn't pronounce Mom or Mary and so called her Mimi. She liked that and so it became her nickname. Mom was the second oldest child in the household. Her eldest sibling, Fanny, died of diphtheria when Mom was about 3 and so Mimi became the elder statesman in the family. Her sister Helen came next, followed by Bob, then Virginia and finally the surprise baby, Carol. If ever there was a family blessed with personality and character traits, it was this family, but they got along and they loved each other.
Mimi was working as a waitress at a restaurant when a man walked in to order a hamburger. She told the story to us and to her grandchildren many times. A premonition came to her that told her, "This is the man that I am going to marry." She married that man, Wallace Gordon (Wally) Parks in 1935 and they lived in the South Gate/Huntington Park area of Los Angeles. For Mom this was what she always wanted, a loving family, with children and grandchildren. Her first child was Richard and he came along just a few weeks after her birthday in 1944, during World War II. At that moment, most Americans weren't sure that we would win that war or that our soldiers, sailors and airmen would ever make it back home alive. Dad had left to go into the military and was fighting in the South Pacific Theater of Operations at that time. He sent pictorial postcards with cartoons that he drew and a few words of love. After the war Dad built a garage house in Downey, California and Mom finally had her home and her family. She also attended the Downey Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints and this was one of the happiest times of her life. Mimi was there in the beginning when Dad was elected as the president of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), then became editor of Hot Rod magazine and finally founded the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA). She was proud of what her husband had accomplished and told everyone about him. Dad would take us out to the dry lakes to see the cars race; it was an all-day trip over dirt roads to get there. He also took us to see the boat races and sometimes to see his brother Kenny Parks run his Jalopy on the oval tracks.
We moved to a new tract home in Pico-Rivera in 1950 and soon thereafter in 1952 her second son was born, David, in March of that year. She named him David after a beloved uncle of hers and also because the name David means "Beloved," in Hebrew. Our parents separated and Mom made the decision, aided and abetted by her sister Helen, to move down to Corona Del Mar, a lovely beach town, in 1956. She loved the beach and the bay and often had vacationed there with her friends, sisters or children in the summer. At that time it was a very isolated little town and far from the Los Angeles County area where we grew up. She bought a pretty little yellow house and in 54 years never changed the color; the brightest yellow I've ever seen. Mom attended church in Laguna Beach and made life-long friends there. She also loved to play bridge with her friends well into the night. She lived on a hill, just a half block from a supermarket and told all her friends, "That will be good exercise for me to walk to the store and back with the groceries," she said. She never did walk up that hill, but she drove down to the beach to watch the ocean constantly.
In 1967 she welcomed into the family her first daughter-in-law, Epi, who would be a constant help in her life. Epi and Richard gave her three sons; Scott, David and Michael Parks. Scott would marry Stacy Rauch and give Mom a great-grandson, Brock Parks. David would marry Michelle Corbin and give Mom two great-granddaughters; Allison and Jennifer Parks. Michael would marry Tara Hafen and give Mom a great-grandson; Trevor Parks. Mom's youngest son would marry Barbara Coddington and they would have two wonderful daughters; Mari and Tamara Parks. Mari wed Matt Bell, another six and a half footer, for it seems the Parks' are tall people. Mom's health began to wane and a caregiver was called in to help her. This lady's name was Delia Asuncion and she became as close to her as if Delia was her own daughter. Mary Parks lived to be 93 and saw Fanny, Helen, Bob and Virginia pass on before her. Bob's widow, Olga Mant, and Mom's sister Carol Mant Eves are still with us. Her life wasn't always easy and there were many trials and tribulations, but her friends and family remember the times when she whistled and sang and called people on the phone to wish them a happy birthday. In fact, so entrenched was this "Western Union Birthday-gram," that we all looked forward to our birthdays so that we could "get the call." The phone was her life; she could use it to chastise or to praise and when she lost her voice, the link to the outside world and her many friends began to close to her as well. At her passing she was surrounded by loved ones and I think the hardships and misfortunes in her life drifted away and she found peace at last in another world with those who have gone before her. Rest in peace, Mom, we love you very much.
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The following letters of condolences were received for Mary Mant Parks.
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I am very sorry to learn of your loss. We will include your mom, Mimi, in our prayers this evening. Bill and Deb Bader
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Our thoughts and prayers are with you and David and your families. That was a wonderful story you wrote. RIP Mary. Glen & Carol Barrett
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Very nice Bio on your wonderful Mom. I am very sorry for your loss. Having recently suffered a loss of my own, I know what you are going through. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family and David and his family. Sincerely, Jerry Cornelison
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I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother. At any age, we are never prepared to lose mom. I read every word of the tribute and Mimi sounds like a wonderful woman who lived a full life. Thanks for sharing her story and please accept my sincerest condolences. Mark Brinker
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So sorry to hear about your Mom. I remember meeting her in the parking lot of Trend Publications in 1953, along with you, who was about 8, and David, who she was holding in her arms. I can picture that meeting to this day. How appropriate for such a wonderful woman to be with God on Easter. My condolences to you and her family. Chic Cannon
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My thoughts are very much of you at this time of sorrow. Your mom was very much like mine. Vic Enyart
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What a wonderful accounting of a great lady. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family today as you morn and also celebrate 93 wonderful years. God Bless! John & Annika Buck
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Fond memories, and well said, are a tribute that is all too rare. Jack Dolan
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It is always hard when you lose your parents. I lost mine 3 years ago. Dad was 94 and Mom was 95. They had a very good life. It was time for both of them to go. It's a small world; I was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho, like your mom. Scrub Hansen
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Please accept my sincere sympathy. My mom was a month short of 98 when she passed last December and although it was something I thought I was prepared for, I wasn't. Bill Junge
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I am very sorry to hear that your Mom passed away she sure sounds like a great Mom to you and all your loved ones. James Drew
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Thank you for sharing such wonderful memories of your lovely Mother with us. We're so sorry for your loss at this time, and know there is little we can say except that our hearts and prayers and wishes are with you and your family. Please let us know if there is anything we can do. Mary Ann & Jack Lawford
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Well written Richard, it appears you provided your mom with a good life...good for you. May she rest in peace. John Ewald
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Sorry for your loss. Stan Goldstein
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Richard and family, I am so sorry to read that your mother has passed away. In the story it tells about Wally walking into a restaurant to order a hamburger. That is so funny. That is why maybe Bob and Wally were so close because that happened in my life also. On the day that Bob got discharged from the Navy he drove back to Marysville, Ohio where we both lived in his Navy Uniform and walked into a restaurant for a hamburger and a thin Vanilla Milkshake and I waited on him. He took me home the next night and we were together for almost 56 years. Maybe he and Bob talked about this, but I never had heard the story. It is so special to me. I miss Bob and Wally with all my heart. We both loved Wally as if he was our father. He was one special person in our lives. We all had a lot of wonderful times and laughs in our life. Take care. Again I am so sorry. The last time I saw her I knew she was not in the best of health. That was when you brought her out to Pomona a few years ago and she was in the suite. Eileen Daniels
Eileen: I heard that story from my mother. She told it to all her children and grandchildren. I never heard this from my father. It is a special memory that woman normally share. Guys don't seem to like the mushy stuff. But as a historian it is important to collect these stories, because they tell us important information about people and the times that they lived in. Now you have expanded on this genre of stories and made it more real to us. If you haven't written Bob's and your biographies, start on them today. We have about 60 on file and they are priceless.
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My condolences to the entire family, I hope you have all found peace knowing your mother lived a long and fruitful life. Thanks for the story most who knew your father didn't really know much about your mom. Nice to know she was a kind and loving person. However knowing you and your brother I figured she must have been a nice lady since the both of you turned out so well. Stan Adams
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God rest your sweet Mother's Soul! I read every word of your tribute and I have to say she must have been a wonderful Mother, I detected the note of sadness in your words at your Dad and Mom's separation, and it brought a tear to my eye. My wife and I just celebrated our 57th last February and I can attest to the fact that it is better to stay with the one that went through the hard times with you. My Mom and Dad separated when I was 10 and for many years I secretly longed for them to get back together. It never happened though, as there was too much bitterness. I swore a secret oath when I was very young, that when I married, it would be for life, "till death do us part." I'm sure I will live up to that oath. God bless you Richard, your Mom is in a better place that we will all get to someday. Sincerely, Don Garlits
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I was looking through family pictures and came across this. I thought you might want to have it. Our prayers are with you and your family.
Anita and Norman Mant
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I'm sorry to hear about your mother. Please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take care, Leila Fenberg
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Our condolences to you two, David and Richard, and to your families. Jeanne and I lost our Moms in '97, still miss them. Jim and Jeanne Snyder
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We are so sorry for your loss. Lenny & Dana Schaeffer
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Google; http://www.oilstick.com/rparks/obit/maryparks93.htm. Richard I'm so sorry - and thank you for the information and good life adventure. I have it posted on the website with the above link. If you have a photo of her and yourself or family I will add it. Thanks again and I'm sorry for your loss. It is different when both the parents are gone. Can't explain it - it just is. We are the top generation now. Evelyn
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My condolences. She must have been a wonderful woman. Doug Stokes
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Impact Racing has submitted proof to the SCTA that their products met the SFI specifications for the year 2009 and 2010, see http://www.sfifoundation.com. Products prior to 2009 have not yet been certified or recertified by SFI. The SCTA Technical Committee has agreed to accept the findings of SFI and Snell, safety certification organizations. If you own any products from Impact Racing prior to 2009 you will be required to replace them. Check with your club rep or the SCTA for further updates as the racing season is not far away. This message is from Lee Kennedy, Steve Davies and Van Butler and was sent in by Ron Main.
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The street racer program is a chapter in the book. We developed a 2 track system, in part to get the kids a lot of runs to wear them out. At one event we had Palash, Gibbs, and Prudhomme at various times during a 10 hour race, and we averaged 480 runs per hour on the 1/8th mile, in 4 categories to a winner, and then a "King of the Hill." All of that was in a Stadium parking lot with thousands of living units on the perimeter. This weekend marks the first stab at it for an NHRA National. I got kinda friendly with the various Judges, Prosecution Organizations, and Enforcement Agencies along the way. For many of our guest racers, part of their penalty was a number of hours of community service. And guess who was authorized to sign off their hours. If you were in that position (an illegal street racer), would you rather work at the Drags, and do all the stuff like traffic control, cones, lighting, ticket, and trash, or pull weeds at the Boys and Girls Club. The long-timers, got to run a crew. Some of our best volunteers, and supporters were the parents that had kids at risk. Some of the worst of our volunteers were from the San Diego State College Foundation that didn't want to see it (racing) make a profit, because that would compromise their income from the seed grant. We had a core of full and part time paid event staff from all backgrounds, and while they never worked an event like that before they learned quickly, and did a good job. It was mostly putting the right person in the right jobs, making them fully responsible for it, and be there to support them. I will tell you about me getting arrested at the street races by an ass-bite cop, how I shined, and he burned. You see, crime does pay, I know where the money goes, and how to collect. Jack Dolan
Jack: This is the "Beat the Heat" program I presume. Intelligent and wise police and fire departments have been promoting this sort of youth program before Bud Coons, Chief Parker and Gordon Browning made them an integral part of NHRA drag racing. I got Browning's story, but would love to get Bud Coons to tell us his story. Incarceration of street racers and the confiscation of their cars is a poor policy. A stronger and more permanent policy is to have safe and sanctioned drag strips and oval track courses for young people to race on. Cities like Anaheim, that promote a strong youth program including drag racing on certified strips do the best to reduce illegal street racing.
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The kids have changed over the years, their actions, and reactions have taken on a whole new life. Each generation seems to reinvent the wheel, but with their own twist. The "Beat the Heat" segment is just a part of a package deal. The ability to socialize with like-minded, and similar ages groups, in a trouble free setting is as important as any competition. Our first target audience was from teens to 25 as I remember, and we averaged about 12 spectators per entry. We successfully hosted every ethnicity, and put them together in the same arenas, with virtually no fights. Someday, I will tell you about George Moore, our only security guy at the Qualcom - San Diego Stadium events. I designed a program for a location that could not accommodate any racing, and the kids filled a Drive-In Movie in Florida after hours. We call it "Cars Night Out" and they show, style, swap ideas, and things. No hooch, and no smokes are allowed, and the kids for the most part police themselves, because they know the future of the event depends on it. "History repeats it's self, doesn't it?" Where would you be likely to print it? Jack Dolan
Jack: History of drag and land speed racing is published in this newsletter and at www.landspeedracing.com and www.hotrodhotline.com.
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I got kinda friendly with the various Judges, Prosecution Organizations, and Enforcement Agencies along the way. For many of our guest racers, part of their penalty was a number of hours of community service. And guess who was authorized to sign off their hours. If you were in that position, would you rather work at the Drags, and do all the stuff like traffic control, cones, lighting, ticket, and trash, or pull weeds at the Boys and Girls Club. The long-timers, got to run a crew. Some of our best volunteers, and supporters were the parents that had kids at risk. Some of the worst were from the SD State College Foundation that didn't want to see it make a profit, because that would compromise their income from the seed grant. We had a core of full and part time paid event staff from all backgrounds, and while they never worked an event like that before they learned quickly, and did a good job. It was mostly putting the right person in the right jobs, making them fully responsible for it, and be there to support them. When I feel like it, I will tell you about me getting arrested at the street races by an ass-bite cop, how I shined, and he burned. You see, crime does pay, I know where the money goes, and how to collect.
The biggest secret was that the Marines, doing night training with Helos from Miramar, were able to finger print the heat signature of all the participants, and with satellites, follow them around, and even home. The Border Patrol does their part also. The Police were never able to officially use it sorta, but they knew where to find it, and them. When the targets got home at sunup, they were woke up by the "Door Knockers" and if they were lucky, they were jailed in time for breakfast. And if they were real lucky, the got to see themselves on the local TV news. It is common for the spectators to film the action, and also common for the "Undercovers" to do the same thing from the crowd. The action from the ground was shown in court, and resulted in a 98% conviction rate, and as you might expect, a similar reduction in street mishaps. All that was free advertizing for my events at the Stadium, and with 3k spectators, 250 entries (limited ), the net got up to $20k + - per event, and so I moved on. You might be interested in looking at www.1320movie.com to see if you recognize (he gets around) anybody, and if you do, I can tell you more of the story. I bet I can arrange to get you an autographed copy! Jack Dolan
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I have a few die cast cars that I am going to sell. I was wondering if you could give me some notice?
a) die cast Chrysler 300B (1956) that was given at the 2002 SEMA Industry awards Banquet.
b) Limited Edition 1 of 100 dated Feb. 1999, Grand National 50th Anniversary, 1934 on license plate.
c) Hot wheels Troy Lee Designs Limited Edition 2003 Hyundai Tiburon Rally Car. (it has SCCA Pro Rally on the side of it)
I was just going to put them on eBay but I thought I should know something about their value first. If you know anyone who is interested, please let me know. Thanks, Nancy Giampietro, [email protected]
Nancy: I'll run your request in our newsletter and see if anyone is interested.
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Chop Shop Customs is holding a 2010 Open House. It will be on May 8, 2010 from 12 Noon to 4pm, 235-D Salem Street, Woburn, MA 01801, or call 781-939-5660 for more information. Lenny Schaeffer
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Ed Stuck and I were talking about this and we are interested in doing something to help out one of the best friends of racers over the years, Joe Reath and his wife Dellie. So I was asking Richard if he had any bio information or an interview with Joe? He is suffering from Alzheimer's and Dellie is struggling to take care of him and keep their heads above water financially. Also, do you have an email address for Paula Banks and the gals that run the El Mirage Ladies Auxiliary? This may be a bit out of their charter, since Joe didn't get injured in a race car, but I would like to explore that as an opportunity to help him and Dellie. Any ideas, tee shirt sales perhaps? Jim Snyder
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Jim: May I publish your letter in the next issue of the Society of Land Speed Racing Historians Newsletter? I have a Paula Burns on my record, but no Paula Banks. Are they one and the same? I've collected quite a few biographies, but none on Joe Reath and that's a real shame, because Reath was an outstanding man and a true racer. Whenever I had a question or a problem, I would turn to Joe Reath and he almost never failed to help me. His knowledge of the racing community was phenomenal. He and Della always found the time to be of help and I just wish that I had worked with Joe on his biography. It may exist. I'm sending a copy of this letter to the president of the SLSRH, Jim Miller, to see if he has done a bio on Joe for the American Hot Rod Foundation (www.ahrf.com). If you can't find a magazine article on Reath anywhere, the next best way is to ask Joe's friends for a paragraph on what they know about him. An anthology is better than no history at all.
Concerning a fund raiser for Joe, that is a good idea and my suggestion would be to do something like a reunion. Can Joe attend these functions? Another way to raise funds is through an auction; especially if Joe can sign autographs. Chick Saffell had t-shirts made up for my dad and they were sold at the museum. Reath Automotive is still a well-known speed shop among hot rodders, but you would have to work out the details with Delma, as she and Joe may still own the rights to the name and image. My favorite is a reunion. Carmen Schroeder held auctions, fund raisers and had a great program when she was alive and running the Gilmore Roars reunion. A Reath Automotive Reunion, honoring the early speed shops, land speed, street rods and early drag racers might be a winner. It's fun to organize these reunions and I can help you with my email addresses to get started. It's also a lot of work, but divided up into a team effort, it's not so bad. The hard part is to find a venue site to hold the event that doesn't charge you a lot of money. Find the place first, and then consider holding a reunion.
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Thanks for the reply! Lots of good ideas there. I don't see why you couldn't publish my email note. I haven't contacted Dellie, but I believe Ed Stuck has been in contact with her. Ed told me she was still trying to work the business at least sell off the remaining inventory from her home. I don't know if Joe could attend an event like you mentioned or not?
When you publish my email note why not ask people to send in a note relating a story or two about them and Joe? I know that when I worked at Douglas Aircraft there in Long Beach, I spent a few of my lunch hours in Joe's office, in fact I gave him a picture of the Salty 'cuda which he put on his office wall! That impressed me, here a famous name in drag racing putting a picture of my car on his office wall! I can still remember hanging on to the chain link fence at Pomona trying to get a free look at the action which included the Dunn and Reath coupe, was it an Anglia? I was still going to school at Buena Park High, riding a Cushman scooter (with a Hilborn Injection decal on it) a 1930 Model A Coupe, never got it running, and a '40 Stude (which became my first race car) both in my folks' garage. Joe is an icon in the sport of Drag Racing and he gave a lot to the sport and to the racers over the years, and he could use a hand right now. Jim Snyder
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Jim: The more information that you send me, the more that it jogs my mind. You need to get Steve Gibbs involved as well as Tony Thacker, Greg Sharp and the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. If it works out well and they handle it, you can probably get a good group of well-wishers together and in a group setting, people tend to be generous. I'm adding their email addresses to this email so that you can reach them. I think you have a very good idea and maybe another idea is to have a "Joe Reath Swap Meet" inside or outside the museum. They have a Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) Literature Faire in June to sell books and memorabilia, but not car parts. The fees to set up a booth there are very little, but it attracts a lot of people and I hear that Jay Leno often attends. This is memorabilia, remember, but every one of us has "stuff" to get rid of these days. Talk to Bob Falcon and Doug Stokes about what is appropriate to bring. I will publish every email on Joe that you want to send me. Our purpose is to find as much information as we can and make sure that this history is saved for posterity. I don't know much about Joe until recently, but I can tell you this, he is one of the most helpful and kind gentleman in the sport of drag racing. He always stopped what he was doing to help me with the questions that I had. Delma also did so much for people. They had a parts business, but I really believe that what they really did was sell parts so that they could be close to what they loved most; the racing community.
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Readers: Please send me a page or a paragraph, more if you want to, on Joe and Delma Reath and what you know about them. We will publish it here and create a biography for them. If you want to help Ed Stuck and Jim Snyder, see if they have a catalog of parts that are still available from Reath Automotive. Another option is to ask and see if there are any people out there who would like to take over the old Reath Automotive name and business and keep it going. It's a time-honored name and I can tell you that the Parks family considers Joe and Delma to be good friends.
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Click Here - Here's an interesting book with a little info on Joe Reath; . Or Google Retro Rods, by authors Dan Burger and Robert Genat. Jim Snyder
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Jim: I found the book at Barnes & Noble and Amazon for around $11 to $13. Robert Genat is a first class author and photographer.
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This is a great video showing the first assembly lines at the original Ford auto plant. Watch the workers making the old wooden wheels, mostly by hand. If you watch to the end of the clip, you'll see where the Model T was capable of traveling. It would make it through terrain our modern autos wouldn't dare to try to cross. Be sure to have your sound on and up so you can hear the commentator. Google this topic; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KrIMZpwCY. Ron Main
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Pictures will be sent tomorrow. Nothing to add. The T was called the Bozie Spl. Notice that I could stand at the first trap and take a picture. Do not know what I lined out in that one pix. That was 1946 and I was 15. Later. Vic Enyart
Vic: I received the photographs. Thank you very much. I will turn them over to Jim Miller to research and post on-line. Could Bozie be Bozzie Willis from the San Diego Roadster Club?
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This just in, WSCC Corvette Drag Racing in 1956. Way cool 1956 film of drag races held at the Kingdon Drag Strip at the old Lodi, California course. In the film are several shots of Ed Cortopassi's "Glass Slipper" (with a Flathead in it at this time I think). Google the following link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8j8EC9Q0c. Evelyn Roth
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It was great seeing you again at Hila Sweet's car racers reunion. We never had a chance to talk but you know how it is when I have a camera in my hand. I recorded some wonderful footage and have started to transfer it into the computer. Because of my upcoming Longtrack commitment it will be several weeks before I can make a serious attempt at editing it. A DVD will be available. I don't know exactly when or how it will be marketed because that's Hila's call. On April 17th I am promoting my Longtrack Speedway motorcycle race at Perris Auto Speedway. I am posting videos on YouTube under the name speedwayzar. They are real short. Take a look if you get the opportunity. See you again. Howie Zechner
Howie: If you have digital photos of the reunion, send a few captioned ones to me and I will post it to www.landspeedracing.com. Keep us informed of your activities with the speedway bikes and other racing events and I will publish it in the newsletter.
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A big thank-you for your great book review. You really know your subject on drag boats. It was like old times seeing you at the roadster show. Good to see you and Roger at the show. Thanks again, Don Edwards
Don: A book review is simply a mechanical job, just like rebuilding an engine. You take the book apart piece by piece and examine it for quality, merit and flaws. The reviewer does give a rating at the end, keeping in mind how the book compares to other books in that genre. Your book was equal to or better than many others on the subject of motorized boat racing. There is room for improvement though, as few books are perfect and that should inspire you to take the rest of your material and do a second book. There can never be enough books on the subject of boat racing, for it has been an over-looked sport. Yet boat racing and water-speed racing represent some of the most dangerous, exhilarating and exciting speed events that anyone can participate in. Boat racers are a hardy, stubborn and opinionated group, because they have earned the right to be that way. It is a sport fit only for the best and most courageous. It's really just a car without wheels on a flat bottom trying to skip and skim along the water at speeds equivalent to what the land racers reach. If I had to rank racing I would say that boat racing is the most dangerous, followed by motorcycle racing and finally oval track racing.
Readers: The book in question is Drag Boats of the 1960's, by Don Edwards. You can obtain more information by contacting the author at [email protected].
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Gone Racin'…Every Sunday Drag Races, Orange County Airport, Santa Ana. Book review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz
Every Sunday Drag Races; Orange County Airport, Santa Ana, by Leslie Long and Don Tuttle is not really a book, but a soft cover pamphlet, copied by the authors from newspaper clippings. It doesn't have an index, the pages aren't numbered, and the photographs are grainy and barely legible. The names are often misspelled and the data is sometimes suspect, and there are many reasons why I shouldn't recommend this to drag racing fans. There is only one reason that I can think of to recommend this to the public; it is the only source that I know of that is so complete and full for those interested in what happened at the first professional dragstrip in the country and the world. Don Tuttle and Leslie Long are consumed by a desire to preserve the past. Tuttle has passed away, but Long is still collecting, sorting and cataloguing a wealth of information about land speed racing at the California dry lakes, and the early days of drag racing. This isn't a written work, and the two men do not claim to be authors, but editors of this simple and precious pamphlet. Over the years they kept newspaper clippings, many of them originally written by Don Tuttle himself. Tuttle was the announcer at the Santa Ana Drag Strip, after he was discharged from the Navy in 1952. He compiled the results and printed them in the local newspaper, where he worked. The editors didn't say which newspaper, but it was probably the Orange County Register.
Tuttle and Long saved these news clippings from the first race on July 2, 1950, through August 27, 1956. There is no indication as to when the dragstrip closed, nor if there is another revised issue, or second pamphlet. The text consists entirely of the results of the race as the reporter submitted them to the newspaper, or where captions were placed under the photos. In many cases the reader will be lost unless he has some knowledge of the time and place and the significance of the Santa Ana dragstrip in its importance to drag racing. Three men and one woman are given credit for opening this dragstrip, and even today their contributions are sometimes questioned by historians. The men are C. J. Hart, Frank Stillwell and Creighton Hunter, and the woman was Peggy Hart. This is a book review and not a history, nor does Every Sunday Drag Races; Orange County Airport, Santa Ana, tell us the answers to those questions. What is recognized by historians is that C. J. Hart and his wife Peggy believed in the idea that opening and running a local dragstrip would help the local authorities control illegal and dangerous street racing. The Harts had their own garage, and there was no certainty that running a dragstrip would make them any money. They had no instructional booklet telling them how to create a sport that basically existed only on the streets, at the dry lakes, and for a race or two at Goleta, just north of Santa Barbara, California, a few months prior to their opening of the Santa Ana dragstrip. The Harts basically tried, failed, tried again, until they had a system that worked and the kids accepted. Stillwell lasted only a short time, and was gone. Hunter was a young man and assisted the Harts in running the track.
The Harts might have guessed that they had created a sport that would be wildly popular, or they might have figured that it was just a one-shot deal that would eventually go bust. It really doesn't matter, for within days of the first race the word spread like a dry California brush fire on a windy summer day. News leaped clear across the country and young men and women made the trek out to California to watch this new sport being born right before their eyes. They took the concept, modified it a bit and carried it home where local Timing Associations of car clubs formed overnight. Authors used the plot to write books purchased by eager young fans, and movie producers came out with B movies. They were pulp-fiction, Saturday night Drive-In action thrillers, with titles like Dragstrip Girl and Hot Rod Girl. The premise was always the same; fast cars, young men, young women, lusty libidos and a disregard for the peace and safety of the public on the highways. Tragedy was always around the corner, but cooler heads prevailed and an adult came forward who "understood" the youthful need for speed. C. J. and Peggy Hart would stand as the models for the "understanding" adults, and Peggy would take on all comers on the dragstrip and usually beat them handily. Drag racing would find respectability on the organized strips, and safety would improve with the founding of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) in 1951, by Wally and Barbara Parks. The Harts' and Parks' would usher in a new sport, with rules, safety regulations, insurance and sponsorship.
Every Sunday Drag Races; Orange County Airport, Santa Ana cannot be appreciated as a book. It is, after all, only a series of newspaper clippings, but if you use it as a reference booklet to help interpret other histories on drag racing, it is priceless. There are 46 pages, including the two covers, and 65 photos. Leslie Long may have added more pages, photos and newspaper clippings to a revised issue. Since it isn't published, but xeroxed whenever the need arises to sell more pamphlets, Long can add whatever he finds from that period. This makes it difficult to tell whether you have the complete issue or a later one. It doesn't really matter, as Long will copy and sell you the latest issue. Simple as Every Sunday Drag Races; Orange County Airport, Santa Ana, might be, it is pure gold and priceless. Only a few of those young men and women who created a sport are still alive to tell us about the wonders of it all. There is Don Cook, Art Chrisman, Pat Berardini, Otto Ryssman, Ollie Morris, Tommy Auger, Mel Dodd, Dick Kraft, Doug Hartelt, Joaquin Arnett and the Bean Bandits, Chet Herbert, Dick Roseberry and a handful of survivors left. So many great early day drag racers have left us that the Santa Ana Drags Reunion, run for years by Creighton Hunter, has disbanded. Every Sunday Drag Races; Orange County Airport, Santa Ana, is a booklet that I go back to whenever I write on the subject of drag racing. It is not only indispensable, but also a joy to read. Gone Racin' is at [email protected]
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Gone Racin'… Winners are Driven, a Champion's Guide to Success in Business & Life, by Bobby Unser. Book review by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz
Winners are Driven, a Champion's Guide to Success in Business & Life is an autobiography and history of the life of racing great, Bobby Unser. It was written by Unser and Paul Pease and is a hardbound book of 210 pages. There are 44 black and white photos and one color photo on the dust cover jacket. The book measures 6 � wide by 9 � inches in height. The dust cover jacket shows Bobby Unser in a suit with red power tie and his trademark smile and self-confidence. The book was written to portray the life of Bobby Unser and his family and to explain how the reader can achieve some of the success that Unser achieved. It is a John Wooden sort of autobiography and self-help book. The book is printed on non-glossy alkaline free paper, with a sixteen-page insert on glossy paper with all of the black and white photographs. The photographs are captioned. There are no graphs, drawings or other visual aids. The text is what is important in this book. There is a Foreword, Acknowledgments and Introduction, followed by twelve chapters. The end of the book includes a Conclusion, Afterword, Appendix and Index. The Appendix gives Bobby Unser's accomplishments throughout his life and the Index runs six pages and is quite comprehensive. The dust jacket cover is very well done and enhances the overall look of the book. The book was published by John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey in 2003. Check with Autobooks/Aerobooks at 1-818-845-0707 to see if they can get you a copy of the book. The ISBN# is 0-471-25068-6.
Rodger Ward and I attended a book signing for this book in Torrance, California. Unser flew in and spoke about his life. Afterwards he embraced Rodger, who was an old friend. Ward won the Indy 500 twice, but could just as easily have won it a half dozen more times. Unser won the prestigious race three times and both gentlemen were famous for their exploits in other motorsports events besides open wheel racing. The opening page of Winners are Driven, a Champion's Guide to Success in Business & Life quotes this saying; "Nobody remembers who finished second but the guy who finished second." The entire Unser family; Jerry, Louis, Al and Bobby rarely finished second to anyone. They were the racers to beat from the 1960's through the 1990's. Winners are Driven, a Champion's Guide to Success in Business & Life mixes history, autobiography and plain simple truths. Unser says, "You can fall, you can fail, and you can crash. You just have to get back up and get back behind the wheel. Nothing less." He has accumulated a lot of experience in his career and he informs the reader what it was like for him to succeed and to fail. Unser didn't fail very often. He won almost as often as he didn't. He was always in the thick of the battle and he was a fierce competitor. He not only had to fight against other racers, but against his own family as well and they provided him with some of his stiffest competition.
Some of the chapter titles are; Fire in the belly, Visualizing the Checkered Flag, Qualify for the Race, Goals and Strategies, Taking the Checkered Flag, and Races are Won in the Pits. Just by the chapter names you can gauge where Bobby Unser is taking you. He goes on to other subjects; Trust and Integrity, Accountability and Responsibility, Cherish Failure, Take Pride in Results, Education the Ultimate Performance Enhancer and the Family Wildcard. While Unser was a fierce individualist as a racer, he would be the first to tell you the value of teamwork. Roger Penske lauds Unser for the values that he brought to Team Penske. Unser learned many of the values that he imparts in this book from his father and mother, Jerry Sr and Mary Unser. He learned from the talents of his uncle, Louis Unser. He gained much from his brothers; Al, Louis and Jerry Jr. Winners are Driven, a Champion's Guide to Success in Business & Life is a book that will give the reader a very important understanding of a racer who set high standards and achieved them. It tells about an American family that produced many winning racers and race teams. It gives advice and wisdom that can't help but improve one's chances because Bobby Unser has succeeded at just about everything he ever attempted.
Gone Racin' is at [email protected].
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USNatsReview ... Speedway Bike racing video. Courtesy of Howie Zechner
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Howie's2010#1Cardfront ... Speedway Long Track Spring Classic, Perris Auto Speedway. Courtesy of Howie Zechner
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Howie's2010Card#1back ... Speedway Long Track Spring Classic, Perris Auto Speedway, 2nd page. Courtesy of Howie Zechner
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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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