Bowman... Hank, Shannon, Craig...
I never knew you knew Hank Bowman. Do you have any magazines with his articles in them? Hank and my dad were great friends. His wife, her pen name, was Tracy Ogden, was also quite a writer. My dad was friends with Hank becasue my dad used it inspect at many Stock Nationals and he inspected several Winnebagoland Marathons for Mr. K.
If my mind has this right, Hank's wife choked to death at an Banquet in Florida, after Hank's death. In those days, restuaurants didn't know what to do, of even knew that diners could choke on meat. I never really heard the details, but was told they thought she had had a heart attack, but in fact had choked on a piece of steak.
Hank and Tracy had three kids, Shannon, Craig and Tracy....if I'm not mistaken. Craig builds Broccoli runabouts today, for Stock Outboards and Shannon builds Bezoats for Kneeldowners (Stocks and Mod)...
The last time I remember seeing Hank and Tracy was Seattle, in 1959. I ran pretty well in CSR and DSR and Hank was telling about all the wheel bearing trouble they had had getting to Seattle...I think, he wrote an article for Boat Sport about the 1959 Nationals...Hank had a great sense of humor, as did my dad...Hank and the Old Man seems to get along just great...throw in Dick O'Dea with those two and you had a three ring comedy hour...
THe Kill Switch Rule in OPC was put into the book because of Hanks's death...When I drove a 17' Glastron to win the Chicago to Milwaukee to Chicago Marathon... I figured nothing could hurt me.. My Glastron delaminated and the deck split from the bottom, in that race, I ended the race with the deck around my neck...but I did win, the first win for Evinrude in the modern era...I'd be sitting in the seat, hit a wave the deck with the steering wheel would go up, me, the bottom half of the boat, with seat and gas peddle would go down...the horizon would disappear...I could not see over the deck until I'd stop and deck would rejoin the boat, then, off I'd go....Only a "Dumb Jackass" would have kept racing....but I was leading and I wasn't letting those "DAMN Mercury's beat me."...
Stan Stoffer won FJ that year, in a Chritchfield...Quite a Wild One himself....Stan was killed in a Snowmobile accident about a year later...<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
2 Attachment(s)
Factory Mercury race driver, Roy Ridgell, tries to save Hank Bowman at Miami race.
Attachment 59448Attachment 59447[QUOTE=Ron Hill;22006]
THe Kill Switch Rule in OPC was put into the book because of Hanks's death...
1 Attachment(s)
Boat number 122, Hank Bowman last drive, ironically ends his life.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Doubleeagle
Hey Lake X Kid do you have the whole article on the top posting the part that is cut off. If so can you post it up. I think it has some information on Jim Hennington from Bunea Park Ca. he was a friend of the West Anaheim Marine group and a family friend. If I remember right he got a ride with the OMC factory and I think this was his first race for them. Also do you know the year.
Unfortunately, Doubleeagle, I do not have more of the article. I took a photo of this article, which is at my mother's house and that was all of the newspaper article that survived in storage. But I do have a photo of Hank's boat, which ironically ended his life.Attachment 59450
1 Attachment(s)
Jim Hennington from Bunea Park CA
The first time I drove for OMC, was Havasu 1966. Ray Hullett, who worked for Doc Jones, told me when got in the 16 Foot Glastron with twin Johnson 115's, that "THIS" was where I'd fly out of the boat. He said, that is where Jim Hennington had come out of the boat at the 1966 Orange Bowl 9 Hour. I met Jim later. Last fall after attending Art Carlson's funeral, in Garden Grove, I stopped by a house with an old OMC like I had raced in 1966. The owner of the house didn't know where his dad had gotten the motor, but he'd never heard of Jim (P)Hennington...Garden Grove and Buena Park are close to each other. I know Jim got a motor from OMC, I'm sure this was his motor.
There was a reason you'd fly out of this boat...
I had always heard that Hank was killed in a Glastron. Thanks for posting these great articles.
