Gone Racin' - Lee and Mamie Blaisdell
By
Written by Michael, Allen, Charles, and Geri Blaisdell & Edited by Richard Parks
Harry Lee Blasidell, Jr was born on November 19, 1920 in Preston, California, to Harry and Wyima Blaisdell. He grew up in places like Mount Diablo, La Purisima Mission, and Casa del Oro in Monterey as a result of his father's career with the California State Parks. Harry and Wyima had four children; Evelyn, Patricia, Robert and Lee Blaisdell. He served in the Navy during WWII.
Harry Lee Blaisdell, Jr. was better known by his middle name, Lee. He grew up during the era that many people consider the most trying and yet the greatest age of our country. Certainly the Revolutionary War era and later the Civil War made our nation what it is today, but the Great Depression and World War II stamped the men and women with a certain grit and resourcefulness that is unique. The world remembers and even worships the 1930's, '40's and '50's when American movies, business enterprise and creativity defined us and placed Americans in the forefront of civilization. Lee Blaisdell used his camera to record much of what America stood for "way back when." He knew great people, though at the time they were simply young men, back from the war, on their way up in the world. He worked with and then for Robert E. "Pete" Petersen, who founded the Petersen Publishing Company and for which the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles is named for.
While taking photographs for the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) meets out in the desert at El Mirage, he met people like Don Blair, Alex Xydias, Mickey Thompson, Wally Parks, Eric “Rick” Rickman, Pete Petersen, Ak Miller, Robert Stack, Vic Edelbrock, Stu Hilborn, Ed Iskenderian and many more entrepreneurs who would go from land speed racing on into other forms of racing and businesses. He also knew a legion of men and women who never made a name for themselves in the press, but who nonetheless were his friends and fellow racers on the dry lakes and at the Bonneville Salt Flats. But that was not the end-all for Lee. He would go on to other fields of endeavor and make an impact in people's lives away from racing. He began taking photographs at the dry lakes during land speed time trials. Most racers gave little thought to bringing a camera to the desert to film their speed trials. Lee’s photographs became so popular that the SCTA proclaimed him their “official photographer” and his photos figured prominently in the newsletters of the organization. He also took photographs of the annual awards banquet. When Bob Petersen started up a little flyer to hype the SCTA Hot Rod Exposition, he thought of his friend Lee. Hot Rod Magazine grew rapidly and Lee was the staff photographer. If the pay had been commensurate with the status of this publication, Lee might have stayed on. But in those days few people could see the immense growth that auto racing would go through. Besides, Lee and Mamie were anxious to return to the Monterey coast that they loved so dearly and to raise their growing family among old friends and relatives.
"Lee Blaisdell knew Eric ‘Rick’ Rickman in Northern California and according to Rickman they were in the Boy Scouts together. Blaisdell's father was the scout master. In the 1940’s both Rickman and Blaisdell were involved in racing photography around the Southern California region. Lee was a member of the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA) and was the group’s official photographer on the dry lakes and at the banquets and meetings. His work was admired by Robert E. ‘Pete’ Petersen, who asked Lee to work on the original issues of HOT ROD magazine. Rickman and Blaisdell were both early photographers of the magazine, but to my recollection Lee Blaisdell was the first professional photographer. Others also took photographs, including my father Wally Parks who wrote articles for the magazine as a representative of the SCTA and later became the first professional editor of HOT ROD. It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of Blaisdell and Rickman on the early photographic history of straight-line racing," said Richard Parks.
Lee married Mamie Colletto on December 4, 1949 in Monterey, California where they raised their family. Mamie Colletto was born on October 19, 1922 in Monterey, California. She was the second youngest sibling in the Michael and Providencia (Bessie) Colletto family, known for their contribution to the sardine fishing industry in Monterey. Mamie worked as a teller for Bank of America and for the Monterey County Veterans Services office. She was a great cook, who made family get-togethers and holidays a celebration of sharing and eating. Mamie came from a large Italian family and she held regular family picnics and reunions, which included aunts, uncles, and cousins. With her big smile and kind words, Mamie made conversation easy, infusing it with encouragement and wisdom. She kept in touch with so many people and never stopped corresponding with handwritten letters. Mamie’s siblings were her brothers, Salvatore, Francis (Frank), Vincent, Ratzi (Tiny), Ceasar and Joseph and her sisters, Mary Canepa, Rosalie Zakby, Angelina Balesteri, and Violet Colletto.
Lee and Mamie were the proud parents of sons Allen, Michael, and Charles and daughter Geri. They had five grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and five step-great grandchildren. They also had numerous nephews and nieces.
After Lee left Petersen Publishing he went to work for Mike Roberts Color Productions from 1968 to 1979 in Berkeley, California. He also worked as a photography stringer for United Press in Monterey, and he started his own post card business, creating many original views, from the Monterey Peninsula to the Hearst Castle. Lee was a member of the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), and a 60-year member of the American Legion. He used his camera to document family and community life and through his photographs he preserved many memories. He enjoyed interacting with the people he met and never lost his sense of humor. He was a volunteer at the Santa Maria Museum of Flight.
Lee and Mamie were both Deacons at the First Presbyterian Church in Monterey. In 1977 they moved to Glendale, California and began their work, spreading the word of God. They worked for Campus Crusades for Christ and then Wycliffe Bible Translators before moving to Santa Maria in 1984. In 2003 they were given The Karl Wellman Lifetime Achievement Award from the Northern Santa Barbara County chapter of NAMI. They both had a strong sense of family which grew to include many friends. For the last decade they lived in San Luis Obispo.
Mamie passed away on October 5, 2014 and two days later her beloved husband, Lee passed away October 7, 2014 also in San Luis Obispo, California. They had been married for nearly 65 years and were inseparable in life and not long parted by death.
Gone Racin’ is at [email protected].