Armie Haines Mr. Kilowatt

[Ron Hill]

Armie Haines Owned Mr. Kilowatt

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Armie was an electrical contractor, who also owned a boat shop. He turned a gravel pit into Kilowatt Marine Stadium... Here are a few pictures I found from a Race Boat and Industry paper, dated February, 1973.


A funny thing happened to me, about three years ago. My grandfather lived in Imboden, Arkansas. He died in 1969, and I never went back to Arkansas until 2004. I stopped at my grandfather's old house and knocked on the door. The owner, who I'll admit, I've lost his name and the picture, but he had worked for A.B. Haines Electric. He used to work the races with Armie, and actually had a picture of himself at a boat show, with Elvis Presley, hanging on the wall in my grandpa's old family room...

I left my grandfather's old house feeling very good, I knew Boat Racing was still there....

[Jengle37]

Ron, from what I understand, and from a lot that I read, he wasn't just a contractor. He was the founder and possibly the owner of what at that time was the Memphis Power Company. I think it has changed names but it was a privately owned company that would be comparable to SCE in California. From what I read a couple of years ago, one of his sons is the guy running it now. BTW, I found him to be a really nice guy to talk to. I met him at a Memphis GN race, I think in 76 or 77