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

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I'm not sure of the exact date classes started at Southwest Texas State College, but it was very soon after Labor Day. Labor Day in 1968 was Monday, September 2. Bud and I got most of everything hauled up in his 1968 Camaro and me in my 1967 Dodge Polara. The apartment was fully furnished, including an automatic dishwasher, but no washer or dryer. The biggest thing we had to lug was a mono record player built into a large heavy console. Neither Bud nor I owned a stereo or even a mono record player, though I had already accumulated quite a few vinyl 33 rpm LP's. I played them on my sister Brenda's record player at home in Alice, and then lugged them to dorm rooms at Texas A & I to listen to with friends. We had to have music, so Bud borrowed this 150 pound monster, complete with storage shelves underneath the turntable and on both sides. It was his parents, and it didn't work even though it wasn't that old, but they weren't listening to music on it, and we figured we could make it work. We didn't really have any other choice at that time anyway.

Somehow, by the time we struggled out of their house and down the stairs with it at Sarita, Texas, hauled it a couple of hundred miles, and into the apartment, when we plugged it in, the turntable went round. We put an album on the spindle and pushed the lever to play, and lo and behold, we had music.

Downstairs the front door opened into the living room. The opposite wall on the right was the small dining room and the left side of the room behind a dividing wall was the kitchen with an oven, stove, refrigerator, sink and automatic dishwasher. The stairs were on the right wall leading up to the one large open bedroom above with the bathroom sink and tub/shower combination. Under the stairs was a large storage room with the door right of the dining area. That proved to be a great boon for Bud and I. Baldy had opened up a new office just north of Kingsville, Texas a couple of years earlier. Typical in the fashion of Baldy, he had bought carton after carton of 12 oz Dixie Cups, a fifty five gallon size plastic bag full of little boxes of plastic forks, knives and spoons and a couple of large cardboard boxes full of heavy duty three sectioned paper plates. He didn't want to run out, and he allowed the general public to attend the bar be que . We served around 1500 people that day....a lot of them college students. The haul Bud and I were so fortunate to receive were what was left over from that feast. All we would have to wash was some glassware, pots, pans, skillets and some miscellaneous kitchen items.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

There was a day or two before classes started that new students and transfer students were scheduled to attend an orientation program in the auditorium. There was way over a hundred in the seminar I attended. Bud's was for freshmen, mine was for college students coming in from other colleges. I suppose there was more to the one for freshmen than for students with prior college experience.

I sat about halfway back from the stage in the middle of the row. It was fairly packed and so all the rows from where I was to the front were full. While waiting for the program to begin, the guy to the right of me introduced himself. His name was Guy Fletcher and he was transferring from Wharton Junior College. I did the same, telling where I came from. Fletcher was planning on becoming a teacher which was what the college was primarily for in those days, and the reason that close to three fourths of the student body were girls. That is also the reason why Bud chose this college for us to attend.

Then Fletcher asked what I had been doing during the summer and I told him "surfing and boat racing". The boat racing answer peaked his interest. He found something we had in common. Fletcher said "I have a friend who races boats.....well, he doesn't race himself, but he helps a guy that does." I asked what kind of boats does he race. I had already been through this scenario before with people telling me that they either raced or had a friend that did, only to find out under further questioning that they had no idea what they were talking about. I suspected the same thing this time when I asked Fletcher "What kind of boats does this guy your friend helps race?" Fletcher said "I don't know." "Are they inboard or outboard?" I ask. "I don't know" he says. "I think maybe they are outboard. And I think they are little."

So then I ask Fletcher "What's your friends name?" He tells me, but the name is not familiar to me. So then I ask "Who is the driver of the boat?". "I don't know his name." Fletcher said. A dead end. Then Fletcher said "Write your name down and your address and I'll tell him I saw you here. He goes to school here too, but he won't be here for a couple of days.". Reluctantly, I write my name and address on a piece of paper and hand it to Fletcher. I'm not sure Bud and I even had made arrangements for a telephone yet. I was never big on telephones, and so that was never a priority for me. After we left the orientation, I figured that would be the last I would ever see or hear from Guy Fletcher. He was a junior and I figured we would not cross paths since I was a business administration major and he was studying education. I told him bye, and that was that.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Unlike a lot of students who like the idea of more flexibility in choosing their courses and times of classes and tend to sleep in and take later classes, I liked to start early and finish early. I always went for the eight O'clock classes and tried to finish before noon or one O'clock. Then after lunch I could study then be done for the day.

A day or two after classes started, there was a knock at our apartment door. It was early afternoon. Bud was not there and we had not yet made any friends on campus yet. Bud wouldn't knock, so I thought it might be the landlord. I opened the door and was instantly confused. I had to look up, and there I slowly came to recognize the face of the main pit man of my arch enemy Louis Williams. He stood there with a big smile on his face. He knew who I was because my name was listed in programs, and had appeared on roster's as well as having been announced over the PA at races. The tall guy looking down at me stuck out his hand and said "Joe Rome." I clasped his hand with mine and said "Wayne Baldwin", and Joe said "I know. My friend Fletcher gave me your address."

I invited Joe in and we sat down in the living room and started talking boat racing, and going to college in San Marcos. Joe's aunt, his Mom's sister, lived in San Marcos so Joe lived with her during school days and drove home Friday's to work at his Dad Roland's auto supply store in Stafford, Texas on the southern edge of Houston. Both Joe and Fletcher lived in Rosenberg and went to high school there. It was on U.S. Highway 59 about a half hour south of Sugarland, also on Houston's southern edge.

Joe and I talked until dark then he had to leave. Thus began our friendship that has taken us many unforgettable places and some of the best and most remarkable people we have met along the way.

[Gene East]

Wayne,

Even though you ran the "Wrong brand" engines, I always enjoy reading you postings.

I finally got my computer fixed and got caught up on your latest Baldy's postings. Sorry I was late on the B.D. wishes.

What did we do before there were computers?

Oh yeah, we went boat racing!

[jrome]

Gene, Wayne and I started talking about boat racing that day and to this day we are still talking about boat racing. That started a life long friendship that made a difference in my life, not to mentioned meeting Wayne's family. Baldy taught me so many things and treated me like a family member. On a side note, one of my good friends from high school, married Wayne's sister's best friend. Talk about a small world. From that day forward we have always been best friends, with nothing coming between us except the time I disqualified him for jumping the gun. He doesn't blame me, he blames my eyesight.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You are wrong Joe. That never came between us. Joe can tell it, but he types too slow to tell the whole story, so he just took a shortcut because of his typing abilities. Yes...Joe threw me out, but I was going so fast his brain was too slow reacting, and I could travel 160 feet if he even started to blink, let alone let his eyelids travel all the way. I saw the needle on zero. The camera was messed up or something. It was an eyeball call, and that's why they started using cameras. If they showed me a picture with the sparkle off the tip of my bow handle over the line I would say O.K. I'm out. But you got it half right. I didn't blame you....I blamed your eyesight. The half you got wrong was that it never came between us. I think that was just because you were typing and not talking. It's harder to explain when you are not there when it happened.

And Joe is right about the small world. One Saturday Joe took me to Dennis' house outside of San Marcos to meet Dennis and I told Joe that Dennis' wife Cindy was my sister Brenda's best friend. We had a great time talking about all kinds of things. Being around Joe for so long, all kinds of Karma and coincidences cross our paths, even to this day.

[Steve Litzell]

Now Wayne, You know best not to argue with a referee, I too have been called out for going too fast as you say, Makes me laugh my butt off when I hear you say it. I always told officials that they started the race after me. Good story, And Joe, keep a good eagle eye on that boy! Steve

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Joe happens to be the only referee I have ever challenged. Even when I lost two big wins, I didn't challenge the calls of the referee. One because I was going very slow and went under the camera and nobody saw me, and the other was a dead heat and I lost to Charlie Bailey in a coin toss. The three men on the judges stand said Charlie won, the three women said that I won. So Charlie got the money, but I had the women.

[Steve Litzell]

Joe happens to be the only referee I have ever challenged. Even when I lost two big wins, I didn't challenge the calls of the referee. One because I was going very slow and went under the camera and nobody saw me, and the other was a dead heat and I lost to Charlie Bailey in a coin toss. The three men on the judges stand said Charlie won, the three women said that I won. So Charlie got the money, but I had the women.

YUP and I know why! CHARLIE BAILY! MY HERO! steve

[Master Oil Racing Team]

You got me big time Steve. You been talkin to Joe too much.