Thread: Wayne Baldwin's Amazing Story: Baldy's Eual Eldred Baldwin

  1. #321
    BoatRacingFacts VIP John Schubert T*A*R*T's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Master Oil Racing Team View Post
    The North South Championships were held on June 17, 18 and 19, 1967.

    The water was in good shape and the races went well. Claude Fox had excellent control over the boat traffic. No outside interference or wakes from pleasure boaters to cause trouble. Claude had unparalelled support from local officials because Claude himself was a long time member of the Coast Guard boating squadron, and over a span of decades taught many boater safety courses.

    I can't remember how I fared in the classes. I do remember racing against someone for several laps, and in particular getting around him down the back straight and in the turn, but I don't know who it was. I ended up with a 4th in A hydro. Just one heat though, because I came away with only $5.00.

    I always cherished this photo because it is the only time I made the cover of any publication. (Programs don't count---especially when you are in charge!) And what really makes it special is to be up there with these guys. Left to right Wayne Baldwin--Marchetti/Konig, Jerry Waldman--Marchetti/Quincy Looper, Bob Hering--Marchetti/Quincy Looper, Jerry Parrot--Marchetti/Quincy Looper. The judges stand was very substantial and sturdy. It was about twelve to fifteen feet above the water more or less. Jerry Waldman and I are still looking at the clock, Bob Hering seems like he is starting to look down the course and is starting to make his move. Jerry Parrot has timed it better than us and is solid on the throttle.

    Here are the final results. I just noticed that Randy Johnson is from Greensboro, North Carolina. I was sure the person we bought the Dubisnki's, Konigs and trailer from was from Greenville. I'm not totally sure, because I thought the man had quit racing, but Randy continued on. I wish I could remember what Randy looked like. Maybe Marc can post a picture. Anyway, if it was Randy, maybe he won with the 4 carb Konig in this race that we bought about a month or so later. I got to know and become friends with just about all these guys. The only ones I didn't know were Evan Noyes, Lee Dingman, and Ed Peterson.

    ADD: I forgot to mention of Baldy's favorite stories about my very first conversation with Bob Hering. He told it to just about every boat racer who came to visit, when they got around to swapping stories. If you look at the picture you can see that my Marchetti was much larger than the others. I'm not sure what Waldman's and Herings were, but I'm guessing probably 10-6. Jerry Parrot's looks even shorter. I think ours was around 11-2 or 11-4. We got it from Freddie Goehl and Arlen Crouch after the 1966 season when we ran a Sid Craft. It was used and Freddie made a deal with Baldy, so he bought it. After the race I was walking around the pits and my Dad and I came upon Bob. Bob asked "Why do you run that A Konig on such a big hydro?" "Because it's the only one I have I replied." Bob just said "Oh!". That always set Baldy off laughing when he thought about it.
    Wayne,

    Gerry' boat is a Sid. Notice these differences from Bobby & yours. The cowl is ronder & leads back to the coamiming further. I doesn't have the Marchetti decal on the cowl, jut the AC spark plug decal. The rar chines are steeper, 45 degrees on the Sid, but much flatter on the Marchetti & the way the coaming meets the transom & the coaming top trim piece are typical Sid & different from Bobby's & yours. Most of been in transition from Sid to Marchetti seeing Bobby in a Marchetti & Gerry in the Sid.

  2. #322
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    Quote Originally Posted by Master Oil Racing Team View Post
    The North South Championships were held on June 17, 18 and 19, 1967.

    I just noticed that Randy Johnson is from Greensboro, North Carolina. I was sure the person we bought the Dubisnki's, Konigs and trailer from was from Greenville. I'm not totally sure, because I thought the man had quit racing, but Randy continued on. I wish I could remember what Randy looked like. Maybe Marc can post a picture.
    Here are some pics from the past Wayne. Some are my Dad, my grandfather Hassell Johnson, some are Marshall Grant, even one of me carrying a fuel can back then....
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    You are right John. I just remembered Jerry running Marchetti's and didn't pay the attention like you did. The decal on his cowling is wrong shape and too high up. Thanks for the correction.

    Good pics Marc. I love looking at those pit shots. Behind Ralph Smith looks to be Bill DeSilva and behind Jane is Gene East. Over her right shoulder is Jim Schoch. In the picture with Marshall Grant sitting on the sawhorse you can see Clayton Elmer standing behind his runabout T-30. He is wearing the long sleeve right shirt and Jack Chance is to his right behind the boat. Looks like it was taken at Alexandria.

    Did your Dad ever own Dubinski's Marc. Or a 4 carb Konig? Seems like we talked about this several years ago, but all I remember is the boats we bought for sure had a Z number and I remembered 1's. But I'm not sure we ever positively concluded that they were your Dad's boats.

    ADD: Describe the pics where your Dad and Grandpa are Marc. Is that him helping carry a wood deck hydro?

    ADD I'm in our study now where the screen is larger, lighter and I can see better. In that B&W photo below the one where you are carrying fuel, the guy lifting the left side of the runabout looks like Marshall Grants brother in law Jerry Pennington. The guy in the foreground is too dark and face partially turned away, but I think that very well could be Marshall Grant. Is that correct?



  4. #324
    Team Member Gene East's Avatar
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    Over to Jim Schoch's right you will see Jack McGrury and a partial profile that looks like Jim's brother Mike Schoch.

    Can any one ID the person I'm talking to (face hidden by fence post)? Could that be OFC?

    Wayne, I have to share a story about Evan Noyes.

    Evan was fairly wealthy and was able to race here in the states during the summer and race in Australia during the winter. We even built a 2 seater sports car for him using a 4 cyl. Looper engine.

    When he came to Quincy to pick up the car, he asked if I wanted to go for a ride.

    Well, you know the answer to that question. We charged up and down State Street until the police came and suggested we not do that anymore.

    My favorite story about Evan was the day he told me about his new job. I asked him why a man of his means wanted a job?

    He said, "I'm a pilot for RCA. I get to fly a Lear and I didn't have to buy it"!

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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    It could be Gene.

    I like your story about Evan Noyes. When did he quit racing?



  6. #326
    bill boyes
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    The guy sitting with the ladies and has the Binoculars really looks like Ralph De Silva. Except the wedding ring. Ralph did not remarry after his divorce from Armel. also the pocket on the shirt looks like a pack of Cigarettes. Ralph detested smoking. Another item look at the left hand. Missing two finger tips. Ralph has all his digits.

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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    Bill, you need to reread the post. The guy with the binoculars is Ralph Smith. To his right is his wife Jane Smith. Now that I can see better on this monitor, I'm not sure, but I thought the guy behind Ralph Smith with the straw hat on was Bill DeSilva.



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    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    Baldy may have experienced "skip" before with two way radio communications before, but I never did until we headed back toward Alice, Texas Monday morning. We were not far out of Knoxville heading west and at the western edge of the mountains. It was a bright clear mid day when we heard a broadcast from the dispatcher at Alice Specialty Company, our oilfield service company. We were traveling in Baldy's new Chrysler with a 440 TNT motor, and he had a Motorola two way radio system that never was turned off. Baldy was one of the first in the South Texas oilfield to have two way communications system put in all the trucks and company vehicles, and have 24 hour dispatch service. In the days before mobile phones, and later cell phones this was the only method of communication in the oilfield that was never near any telephone....especially out toward Laredo and Zapata.

    Generally, the dispatcher could talk to drivers and other personell within a hundred mile radius. Sometimes further...sometimes not. Baldy first equipped the two trucks he had with Motorolas in 1954 or 55. At the time we went to Knoxville there were probably 40 units or so with the radios and communication was constant day and night. We had been on the road about an hour when we heard loud and clear over the radio "KKS794 to unit (I don't remember who the dispatcher was calling, but we were all surprised to hear it come across so clear with no static or interruption). Baldy immediately grabbed the mike off it's holder on his dashboard and said "Car one to KKS794...come in Alice." Robert Webster, our daytime dispatcher and employee since the late forties came back "KKS 794....go ahead Car one." I don't remember the rest of the conversation, except that Baldy told Robert where we were and that we were headed home. They were both amazed that communication was so clear on both ends. The tower in Alice was pumping out many more watts than that in Baldy's car, but they had a clear link, and it was just as if we were within a few miles of Alice. They talked about five minutes as we were traveling, and there was never a cut out.

    The rest of the trip was uneventful except for the fact that Baldy was hunting for a country cured ham to take back with us. He always did that when we went through Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabaman, Georgia or West Virginia. Joe Rome knows about this, and more later. This was the first time though that we hunted one down on the way to or from a race. They do not need refrigeration, so it didn't matter where it was picked up. The main consideration from Baldy was that it was from a small roadside vendor, and that it was authentic.



  9. #329
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    I looked in my notebook from 45 years ago to the next race and found out we went back to Highlands to race that next weekend. No wonder Jack and Clayton didn't go with us. That is their hometown race and Clayton's Mom Ouita was chief scorer and press agent. Their whole family was involved in getting that race set up.

    I was thinking it was about time for a new recipe and I was wondering that since Frito-Lay is now a nationwide company and has been for a long while,...is Frito Pie nationally known? I've eaten Frito Pie all my life, but I've never seen it on any menus except South Texas and especially near high schools and colleges. Do you guys know what Frito Pie is?



  10. #330
    bill boyes
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    Quote Originally Posted by Master Oil Racing Team View Post
    Bill, you need to reread the post. The guy with the binoculars is Ralph Smith. To his right is his wife Jane Smith. Now that I can see better on this monitor, I'm not sure, but I thought the guy behind Ralph Smith with the straw hat on was Bill DeSilva.
    My fault. But he sure does look like Ralph.

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