Rosie Roussel's Story
By
Rosie Roussel's Story
08-02-08
Story by Richard Parks, photographic consultant Roger Rohrdanz
One of my father's close friends and a man who was raised in Bakersfield, California, was Rosie Roussel. He was a good friend to our family and to many other racers throughout his life. Rosie was born in Bakersfield, California, on March 22, 1923, the sixth of eight children to Peter Smith Roussel and Mary Alice Calhoon Roussel. Rosie had four brothers and three sisters and would live in live in the area for the rest of his life. His parents were originally from Missouri and moved to California in 1920. His father was a painting contractor and his mother was a nurse's aid in the pediatrics wing at Kern General Hospital, now known as Kern Medical Center, in Bakersfield, California. He remembers that his father would take him to see the Model T races at the Fairgrounds. A few of those old cars are still around. They also watched the Midget races at Sportland Park, which was a favorite racetrack for all the big name car racers of the 1920's and '30's. "There also was a short-lived track in a ball park on Oak Street in town and finally the famous mile track that Rickenbacker and Fred Frame competed at. That track was about a mile from my house and we could hear those powerful engines," Rosie told me. He graduated from Kern County Union High School, "The only high school in Bakersfield at the time, in 1940. There were many shop classes in those days, welding, machine shop, wood shop, sheet metal, blacksmithing," he continued. He built his first car, a Model T Ford in the auto shop and still has the photographs of that car.
There weren't many car clubs in the area as he was growing up. "Car clubs were few and far between. Most of us just cruised around town and went on trips or gathered for parties or picnics in the local mountains. One of the most notable people that I cruised around with during those years was Ernie Hashim, one of the early drag racing innovators," Rosie continued. There was a lot of work in this agricultural area in the late 1930's to keep him busy. "As far as work goes, I did a little of everything, from working in the hangars at the local airports for flight lessons, to mowing lawns, delivering milk in the early morning routes," he said. "During high school I was an usher at the Fox Theater when Gone with the Wind was released," he added. "I was too young to race before the war, but as a 'punk' kid I would jump the fence and sneak into Sportland Park and help a few drivers load and unload their midgets," he told me, though I tried to object that Rosie was always a gentleman to us all. After high school he joined the Naval Air Corp as an aviation mechanic and later served two tours of duty in the South Pacific in the Merchant Marines. Modestly, he didn't mention that the Merchant Marines took the greatest casualties of any group throughout the war and two round trips on those ships meant close to a 50% casualty rate. After the war he came home and worked as a line mechanic at the local Ford and Lincoln Mercury agencies.
"I started racing Jalopies right away after the war, then went to track roadsters and midgets. I won the track roadster championship in 1948 and '49 for the Central Valley Racing Association and the Jalopy championship in 1952 at Bakersfield Speedway. I finished 2nd in the points standings during the 1955 season for the California Roadster Association, winning 11 main events, the most by a driver that year. In 1948 I was among the 20 drivers who raced midgets in England for Lana Turner and then-husband Bob Topping, who was the owner of the New York Yankees. Other drivers on the tour included Frank 'Satan' Brewer and Jack Stroud. I was also competing against Bill and Eli Vukovich, Edgar Elder and others in the United Racing Association in the Red Circuit. I have been honored to be able to call people such as Parnelli Jones, Jimmy Bryan, Wally Parks, Dave Schneider, Walt James, amongst many others, my friends. I was very proud to be on the same racing program with many of the greats of the era, many of whom were heroes of mine," he continued. The Jalopy Racing Association is no longer with us, except through the wonderful reunions put on my Hila Sweet each year. However, the URA and CRA are still around and they have been joined by the WRA and hold vintage shows, races and reunions. Rosie married Jeannette 'Jan' LaHorge in 1946 and their first child, Michael Roussel, was born in 1948. Michael is general contractor now, but when he was a pre-teen, he drove a quarter midget that Rosie built for him. Michael raced against Bobby Olivero. Bobby would go on to win championships of his own in sprint cars. Bobby is Mike Olivero's cousin, and I'm Mike's cousin. My father wanted to build a quarter midget for me so that I could test my mettle against the future champions. It never happened. Their second child, Denise Roussel, followed in 1950 and she became a geologist. Rosie and Jan divorced after that, but remained close friends for the rest of their lives.
Rosie Roussel is holding his award from the Western Stock Car Association. On his left is his daughter Renee Roussel and on his right is his wife Sherry. Rosie and Sherry have since passed away |
"I later married Sherry Weiss, after winning a 100 lap Labor Day race at Balboa Stadium. Sherry was the daughter of Clarence Weiss, who was the head mechanic of the Jimmy James Midgets for drivers Johnnie Parsons, John McDowell, Aaron Woodard and others. She was also the babysitter for the McDowell's and Cal and Elsie Niday. We were married for 45 years when she passed away in December, 2005, after valiantly battling cancer. Our son Scott Roussel was born in 1961. Scott briefly raced Hobby Stocks at Bakersfield Speedway after high school, then was a wrench for friends who raced. He now lives in Springfield, Missouri and drives long-haul trucks. My youngest daughter, Renee Roussel, was born in 1962. She is a huge racing fan of all types of racing, especially nitro drag racing and has been my primary caregiver since her mom passed away. She works full time as an attorney's assistant. Her first ambition in life was to be the first female to compete and win the Indy 500," Rosie said.
"When my racing career ended, I went to the Indy 500 for several years as a mechanic on such cars as the Vita-Fresh Special for owner Gordon Van Liew. I was also the racing director for the Pacific Racing Association at both Saugus Speedway, and with Sherry, as the manager of the Bakersfield Speedway for many years until the early 1970's. I was also employed full-time by Union Oil as a mechanic and well-puller and retired in 1986 as a supervisor after 40 years of service. When the WRA (Western Racing Association) was founded, I drove several vintage cars, including the Lion Head Special. I was able to locate the track roadster that I drove for Jack Sill in the CRA with great success. After several years of restoration, I proudly exhibited (drove) the roadster for many years with the CRA. When health problems caused me to quit running the car, Wally Parks and the NHRA Museum at the Pomona Fairplex in Los Angeles, allowed my car to be put on display with the many history-making cars already housed there. I hope that competitors, fans and those interested in the history of motorsports know where the roots of racing came from, especially west-coast racing," he said. When asked what he hopes the future for racing will bring, this grand old man of our early racing heritage said, "From the 'Smokers,' whose street racing was the forefather to today's NHRA, to the Jalopy, track roadster, midget and sprint car warriors who went on to USAC, Indy, Grand Prix and stock car fame, may it never be forgotten," he finished. With our interview ended, we said goodbye. Sadly, that was the last time I saw Rosie, who passed away in 2007, just before my own father passed too.
Gone Racin' is at [email protected].