Ron Hill Family: Hill Marine and Signature Propellers

[Ron Hill]

Interesting how life is. Burt was one of my dad's best friends. Burt had a beautiful PURPLE DeSilva Runabout. My dad had a hand lacquered, Black DeSilva Runabout with real silver leaf lettering.

At the first race of the year, 1949, as my dad came into the pits, his throttle stuck. My dad banged the throttle wide open hoping it would rebound, but it didn't. He hit the beach and he slide up the deck and messed up his hand pretty good.

Our Doctor was also our neighbor. When we got home from Lake Elsinore that night, my dad went do and talked to the neighbor. The neighbor felts the stiches looked good but he gave my dad a penicillin shot.

As it turned out my dad was allergic to penicillin and for two weeks he laid on our couch, with knots on his head that looked like he'd been hit with a hammer.

Within a month of that first race Burt Ball got a penicillin shot for a cold. He also was allegoric to penicillin. He throat swelled shut and he died.

My father lived til 1997.48 more years. My father sponsored me in boating for ever, we built boat together, he built many props and generally treated me like a KING all my life.

I have often wondered what my life would have been like had my father died when I was 5.