Sad Day for the Lone Star Boat Racing Association

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Follow up to Louis' funeral. After the funeral we went over to Louis' house. His son Matt showed us the old boats, motors and parts in his garage. Mary said she wanted Ricky LeBlanc, Reles' son to have them. Mary had told this to Joe after Ricky had left and headed back to Louisiana. On the way home Joe called Ricky to give him the news. He flew on cloud 9 all the way back home.

I called Joe this morining and he was sitting in a Cracker Box having breakfast with Reles, Ricky,and a cousin of Ricky's. They were there to pick up the equipment. Reles had been having some health problems and he told Joe he took extra special care of himself the last three weeks so he could make this trip. It was a wonderful bittersweet reunion for Mary, Ricky, Reles and Joe. Mary was so happy to find the perfect home for Louis' stuff. Ricky grew up in the pits with Reles, and then later with Louis. Ricky's grandfather, Reles' Dad, used to come to Alexandria to watch the races. Ricky had told Joe, Karen and I about wanting a runabout like Louis' when he was younger, but couldn't afford it. At the time he told us, none of us were aware of what Mary would tell Joe only a few hours later.

Joe called me back just about twenty minutes ago and he just got home and that Ricky and Reles were just crossing the border back into Louisiana. They had a great time, and everyone was pumped up including Mary who was very happy with the home for Louis' equpment. Joe also told me he got a bunch of old Lone Star Boat Racing Association decals, an 8 oz metal can of Master Oil (circa 1973), a gallon can of Master Oil with the white paper lable (circa 1968, and a Grant fuel tank. He's going to see if Randy Grant wants it, and it not, he will put it in my museum, and he's going to do the same with the gallon of MX-237 THE MASTER OIL.

I told Joe to tell Ricky to send us a picture after he gets all the dust and spiderwebs off the boat and we can put it on BRF.

[Steve Litzell]

I have been out of town working and just learned of Louis' death. How sad to learn this. Louis and I were also friends as we met back in the Mid 80"s at the nationals at Ackworth. I had only known Louis from a far if you will until then. We were both running B runabout and after the first heat of he and I trading paint and he trying all he could to shake me, he came back to the pits and asked Joe Rome, " Who is that 109 guy?" Joe told him my name and the next heat it was much the same, he tried to run me out to and through the bull rushes and I don't think he was ready for me to back off completely and turn in right at his Yamato pipes and blow through the rooster tail and end up inside of him. After the second heat again,he asked Joe Rome "Who is that in 109?" Joe told him again my name. " Where did he come from?" Joe again told him that I and Ralph towed together. Last heat, same as the first two, he couldn't shake me and he had to deal with me to get at Ralph who won the first two heats. Ralph ended up winning, louis was second and I third. Louis came down to me and said "I had to meet the masked man". That is what he always called me, "The Masked Man" as every heat he would ask joe "Who was that 109?" That started a good friendship from afar as Louis would sometimes come up to Lake Village Ar to watch the races and would hang out at our trailer. A true Gentleman and a source of good humor. he told me one time there was a man that went to the doctor and learned he was terminal and little time to live. The man asked the doctor, "Is there anything I can do to help me?" The doctor said, "You can take a Mud bath every day." The man said,' Will this cure me?" "No" said the doctor, "It will just get you used to the dirt." That was louis' style and humor. I will miss that very much. RIP my friend. Steve

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Steve....Joe always called to keep me up with the news, even though I'd been away from boat racing for years. He first told me that story right after he got back from the races. About six or seven years ago I had a delivery about ten miles west of Beaumont just off of IH10. I picked up Joe and we met Louis at Don's Seafood where we had an excellent meal, but even better get together. I was a six hour drive back home for me, but we stayed and talked for a couple of hours in the restaurant. Louis told me that same story in his own words, and I can hear them to this day in his gravelly like voice with a sneer looking smile on his face. It was also one of the stories Joe told when we were on the way to his funeral, and I have heard it many times in between. A contest like that is never forgotten, and Louis always respected "that masked man" because not once, not twice but three times you made him work for his position. Great story Steve.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

A few pages back was the loss of Ray Yates who was called out of retirement to put together the last and extremely successful final Lone Star Boat Racing Association Reunion, and which became the inspiration for the very successful first DePue Reunion put together by Ron Hill, John Schubert, Joe Rome, Cookie Hooghkirk and others.

This past Friday Joe Rome and I attended the funeral of Ray's beloved and devoted wife Martha. It was an overflow crowd in excess of 250 people. Martha and Ray's family alone always met the break even point at the Baytown sponsorship of their races. They are a solid and dedicated boat racing family even though only Ray and L'il Ray raced. Martha was always there to sign in the racers, help with scoring, cheer on her boys, and anything that needed to be done. As usual, Joe and I found Martha and her brood at the OPC race at Baytown this past spring and had a very good visit.

I regret very much not having posted these pictures when Ray and Martha were both alive. I'm still not even half way with posting all my pictures, and these were some I never would have considered except for the subject matter.

It was at the APBA Western Divisionals at Calaveras Lake in San Antonio, Texas in 1974. The wind had kicked up for a heat of C Runabout. Ray got a good start. He drove well and I believe he won the race and beat Bruce Nicholson. We were pitting close by and when Ray busted out in front I started looking toward Martha to get shots of her reaction. She was very excited and the women around her were too. The only other one I know is Bruce Nicholson's wife Susan who is in a couple of frames and pointing. The lighting was terrible. I was not in a good position, or with the right lens to get racing photos, and to top it off, I underexposed the film badly and did a very poor job of developing the film. So I never planned to post these, but while looking for pictures of Martha to post in honor in remembrance, I thought these pictures are the spirit of Martha and her love and loyalty for Ray. Ray didn't have a glowing boat racing career, but he was steadfast, always there, and to capture Martha's reaction to this heat is priceless to me regardless of the poor film quality.