Sad News - Harry Bartolomei

[seacow]

Just read this thread and the belated news saddened me as well.

I wanted to add how much I enjoyed watching Harry and speaking with him in the old days. How great those days were. And, I do I ever agree that Harry and Billy Jack always put on a great show.

At a race at another narrow venue - the Oakland Airport Estuary in D alky hydro... they bumped on a one buoy turn and a collision ensued. As their boats were being dragged on shore, Harry and Billy Jack continued to entertain in competition with an on-shore fist fight.

Harry was a engineer for a radio station and worked on the most popular morning radio show in the bay area -the Don Sherwood show?

[Ron Hill]

Harry was an engineer for that radio show, I think...They really didn't have much work for him, unless something really went crazy. So, Harry would sit for hours and watch the stock ticker everyday. He was always a "GO FOR IT" type guy...a "GAMBLER"... He noticed that some stocks went down in the moring, then went up in the afternoon...and they seemed to do this everyday...

Harry became a "DAY TRADER" when he worked at the radio station...After making several tons of money, he quit work and only invested money...

Not just his money but others, too.. Bill Boyes has a great story about Harry investing some money for the DeSilva brothers...Seems, Harry lost a ton of money for them...Bill Boyes said, "Why did you let Harry buy that much stock?" They said, "Well, he's a great boat racer..."

I know Harry got me into KatyRailroad, with about $5,000 of my HARD EARNED money........Somehow I missed the "SELL CALL" and when I FINALLY got rid of the stock I had $2,500....1966, never "PLAYED" the stock market again...

As Bobby Kitchens from Jackson, Mississippi, once asked me, when I was thinking of buying some trucks for STORAGE UNITS..... Bobby goes, "Ronnie, what THE F#$% do you know about trucking??? You are in the PROP BUSINESS.....and you ain't too bad at it....Why would you get in the TRUCKING STORAGE BUSINESS???"

Harry knew you win some and you lose some...Harry would have loved our 2007 DePue Reunion.....In 1967, I picked Harry, Frankie and Frank Signarillo up at O'Hare Airport...They had a two cyclinder "B" looper, a Four Carb "C" Konig, a Four Carb "D" Konig, and a about six gearcasaes, in their luggage....

Harry Bartolomei and Bill Jack Rucker, Sr. two of outboards greatest drivers and greatest showmen...a real pleasure to have known them and raced with them!!!! Harry was always very generous with me when he sponsored me....