Newsletter for Historian Landspeed Sports Fans #2  #070913
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Editor's notes: The group is growing and many are saying that they like the name The Society of Landspeed
Racing Historians best.  The newsletter will post letters, stories, histories and whatever business you would like to
bring up.  If the length exceeds 3 regular email screens then I will create a Word document and you can read it as
an attachment.  If you cannot open attachments or prefer not to, then just ask me and I will send it to you as a long
email.  I hope to make it a weekly newsletter, but for the time being it might go out on an irregular basis depending
on what material has been received and how timely the information is.  The following have joined our group; Henry
Astor, Warren Bullis, Ugo Fadini, Robert Falcon, Glenn Freudenberger, Bruce Geisler, Stan Goldstein, William
Hoddinott, Walt James, Wendy Jeffriess, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Tom Medley, Jim Miller,
Don Montgomery, Mark Morton, Louise Ann Noeth, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally Parks, Eric Rickman,
Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Charles Shaffer, JD Tone and Jack Underwood. As for dues and responsibilities,
there aren't any.  Jim Miller is our acting President, which means he gets to call the meetings and events and I'm
the acting Newsletter editor.  I receive the letters, stories and news from the members and post it to the newsletter
and send it out to the list on a timely basis.  If there is something urgent, I will send news as a special issue.  The
only way to deliver the newsletter will be by email.  Those that do not have email are asked to find family, friends
or neighbors who will download the messages for them.  The President will be responsible for setting the agenda
that allows a vote by the members on the by-laws and election of officers and other business, if he or you want to
get that involved.  For the present, our group is very flexible.  So far we have not decided on when the next meet-
ing will be, whether an election is necessary or how long the term will be for officers to serve.
1) Please put me on the list. I hold the class F Production record at Muroc with my Ford Taurus SHO. We
  set it at the second event in 1997.  We drove the car up there, raced it, and drove home...just like the old
  dry lakes days!  Bob Falcon                                                                                        Bob: Welcome aboard.
2) "Chuck Abbott is under a doctor's care.  A card or letter would cheer him up."  Abbott was part of the Eagle
  Rock group that I hung out with in the 1950s.  Our paths crossed many times during the 30 years when I
  worked at Halibrand Engineering.  Can you provide me with the hospital details so I can contact him.
  Bob Falcon
               Bob: Sadly to say, I received confirmation of Chuck's passing after you had written to me.
  Here is his funeral information from Evelyn Roth's website www.oilstick.com: Chuck Abbott, Dry Lakes Racing
  Hall of Fame member, passed away August 12, 2007. Funeral services are at Eternal Valley, 23287 Sierra Hwy,
  Newhall, CA.  3pm, Saturday, August 18, 2007. The funeral is posted on the website (This site by E. Roth has
  many posted obituaries) of: http://www.oilstick.com/rparks/obit/index.htm.
3) I'd like to be a recipient of news and notes from this group.  Thank you. Tom McIntyre   Tom: Welcome.
  Tom McIntyre is a tireless worker for the Petersen Automotive Museum (PAM) and a major repository of the
  landspeed history.  The PAM is one of our favorite museums to visit.
4) The Morton story is great. You did a fine job of telling his story.  Here are some numbers I found for
  members.  Most of the guys have been to all the local Museums, The Petersen, Joe's Garage, Nethercutt,
  Justice Brothers, NHRA etc.  It might be nice to also visit some racers garages. You know like Jim Travers
  who has some old cars and parts or Jim Lattin's. Or even Underwood's garage. It would be more informal.
  Some of the newer hot rod building shops might be another place to meet. Since these guys are the ones
  carrying on the tradition with a mix of old and new.  Another option is to go to some Mfg. co's like Engle,
  Isky ar Enderle, Cook Machine, Arias, etc.  Talking shop and seeing how things are made "the old fash-
  ioned way are always interesting.  Getting around is always a problem in this town so picking a good
  location will help the attendance.   Jim Miller                    Jim: Great ideas.  Shops and businesses are living
  museums.  Bruce Geisler has a fabulous place in Huntington Beach with a fascinating collection of landspeed and
  dry lakes history.  Jim Lattin has a wonderful, private museum.  We're ready, set the schedule.
5) George Rubio passed away recently.  He and Bob Morton formed a team to race at the dry lakes, Bonneville
  and the early dragstrips.
6) Rosie Roussel passed away at 10pm, Wednesday night, August 8, 2007.  Rosie was a long time friend.  He and
  his wife Sherry managed a race track and they were active in the WRA and CRA. Rosie's beautiful track roadster
  was on display at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum for many years.
7) Hi Richard, this is a worthy project!  Living in Virginia as I do, it won't be possible to join the group for
  monthly meetings, unfortunately; but I look forward to participating as much as I can.  Anyone who has
  been reading Bonneville Racing News the last eight years has seen my interviews with the veteran racers. 
  My specialties have been the Ardun and motorcycle streamliners but I hope to interview more of the high
  achievers in all the Bonneville classes as time goes on.  I would welcome any leads and contacts for this
  purpose, because it takes networking.  Best regards,  Bill Hoddinott         Jim: Please send us a report on
  the BRN and its predecessors and what you have written and your future projects.
Editor's Notes: The Parks family Reunion spent the day at the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum in
Pomona, California.  We also toured the race track.  I bought the last three books of Don Montgomery's series of
8 books and my set is complete.  As soon as possible I will do book reviews on #6, #7 and #8 for the websites
www.hotrodhotline.com and www.oilstick.com.  I also have Landspeed Louise Ann Noeth's book, Tom Medley's
and Wally Parks' book.  If you write, let us know so we can add your book to our collection and let others know.
Hotrodhotline is a website owned by Jack and Mary Ann Lawford in Boise, Idaho and is dedicated to hot rodders
and has supported us generously.  Oilstick is a website owned by Evelyn Roth in Santa Maria, California and is the
home site for the Gas-Up Party and Dry Lakes Hall of Fame, in Buellton, California.  Evelyn has supported Land-
speed racing on her site since it opened.  Please go to their sites and support them whenever you can.
8) Thanks for the alert about Chuck Abbott. I followed-up with a call to learn which hospital was handling
  stuff...when I called them, they informed that he had just been released...so another call to the alternate
  number you supplied and the Oilstick lady returned my call.  We had a long and rather nice conversation,
  especially about my rescue tool.  Bob              Bob: Perhaps you can write something on "Red" as a tribute that
  we could post at the two websites that run our material.  Plus a report on your rescue extraction tool.
9) Bonneville Racing News is a commercial tabloid paper established 17 years ago by racers Wendy Jeffries
  and her late husband Doc Jeffries.  I know of no predecessor.  It is published in Hemet, CA ten times a
  year and sold to several thousand internationally by subscription and by sales at the meets.  Bonneville
  racers tell me it is "important" to them. BRN has a website, if anyone wants to contact them. I understand
  that Wendy is just about to receive an award from the Dry Lakes Racers Association and be installed in
  their LSR Hall of Fame as a Historian, at the up-coming "Gas Up."  As you know, your dad Wally reads
  it and has sent us some complimentary letters on the content.  He is the one critic I prize above all others!
  BRN reports on the results of all the Bonneville and El Mirage meets, as well as East Coast Timing Assn
  and Texas Mile speed trials events, and features technical articles and 'color' stories about well-known
  racers.  Since '99 I have published many interviews and other 'monograph' articles in it.  The very first
  was with the late, great Clem TeBow of C.T. Automotive, the next was Elmo Gillette of the Lattin and
  Gillette team, and it has gone on from there.  If anyone requests it, I can provide a listing of them. Best
  regards,  Bill Hoddinott          Bill: If the articles are on the website, then please send in a listing of your articles. 
  That is not to infer that if you have written on someone that we can't have other writers do an article on the same
  people, because each writer has an unique way of covering a story.
10) The Newsletter was not sent last week due to Speed Week at Bonneville.
11) I'm just back from Speed Week.  Yes, put me on board too.  Sounds like an eventual website for the
  group would be nice.  Wendy Jeffries, Editor Bonneville Racing News       Wendy: A website is something
  that we want to do sometimes soon.  Volunteers to run a website will be most graciously accepted.  Welcome
  to the group.
12) Hi Richard, very nice to hear from you!  yes, of course I would like to join in the new Society and re-
  ceive the newsletter.  Many thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate.  Will see how I can contribute,
  but will certainly be happy to!  Well, thanks very much for your continued support and all the best from
  Italy.  Ugo Fadini        Ugo: Welcome to the group.  Write in and tell us what you know and the sources for
  landspeed racing in Europe, especially in your native land.
13) While I am not director (American Hot Rod Foundation-editor) any more I will still be doing things for
  the foundation, such as interviews.  The foundation continues to do its work in preserving the history in
  the form of interviews and photos that are being put up in the photo gallery.  What is the Landspeed
  Historians group all about?  How do we get to join?  Is there a web site?  Sounds like great stuff.  Let
  me know, Henry Astor                    Henry: Welcome to the group.  I'll send you newsletter number 1 which
  will explain our goals and organization.  In some regards we are very much like the American Hot Rod Found-
  ation.  Our goals are to preserve landspeed racing history in all of its variations and to find a museum to house
  the photos, records and memorabilia that would otherwise be thrown away and lost to posterity.
14) Rosie Roussel and I were great friends.  I spoke to him several months ago after I learned of Sherrie's
  passing. Rosie was one of those old-timers who taught me to drive midgets.  In '89 he towed my rig to the
  SCCA run-offs in Atlanta.  I will always have found memories of his family.  (Richard) Schroeder and I
  also go way back, he was a great promoter.  (Joe) Mondello and I go waaaaaaaay back to our high
  school car club. Mary has kept us all on the info line.  Good to know he has recovered.  On the subject
  of "The Society of Landspeed Racing Historians" forming and producing a newsletter you can surely
  guess my interest.  Please count me in --- or whatever your plan may be.  I would very much like to know
  who the principal participants intend to be.  Stan Goldstein                 Stan: Welcome.  The members are
  listed on the masthead.  An email directory will be created if everyone thinks it is a wise idea.
15) Many thanks for the newsletter and...too bad I will not be able to attend the meetings too frequently! 
  Maybe we could consider a meeting on the web, with Skype or the like, at some point?  By the way,
  thanks VERY much for what you say about my work: you describe quite exactly what I aim to do by
  choosing sometimes not-so-popular subjects, even if that makes business tougher! Knowing that the
  message does reach at least some people like you, and not just the collector who buys everything just
  because it exists and fits the scope of his collection (good and bad, that is) is quite reassuring.  At this
  point, I wonder if you can help me with something. After modelling two of the Dean Batchelor designed
  streamliners (Hill-Davis and Shadoff), the obvious step was to make the So-Cal streamliner, which I
  already did (the master is at about 80% stage), but I realize that, the So-Cal company still being in
  existence, I would better check with them if they have any objections...The So-Cal streamliner has
  never been modelled, except for a chrome "sculpture" like model they currently offer on their site and
  would definitely deserve to be made in true scale form, and it would complete my Batchelor trilogy. 
  Any help or suggestions you may provide would be very much appreciated!  Thanks again for every-
  thing and let's hope the Society of LSR Historians catches up - hope to have news soon!  All the best
  Ugo Fadini
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Members: Henry Astor, Warren Bullis, Ugo Fadini, Robert Falcon, Glenn Freudenberger, Bruce Geisler, Stan
Goldstein, William Hoddinott, Walt James, Wendy Jeffries, Dick Martin, Ron Martinez, Tom McIntyre, Tom
Medley, Jim Miller, Don Montgomery, Mark Morton, Louise Ann Noeth, David Parks, Richard Parks, Wally
Parks, Eric Rickman, Roger Rohrdanz, Evelyn Roth, Charles Shaffer, JD Tone and Jack Underwood.