Posting Pictures

[Mark75H]

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[John Howe]

Posting test....,again!

[John Howe]

! ! !

Jeff, YOU DA MAN!!!

[John Howe]

I MEAN [B]MARK, IS DA MAN!!![/B] Jeff is "da man" too, but right now..., Mark....ahhh screw it, I`m just gonna go post pics!

[oldalkydriver]

John Toprahanian ran 'F' Racing Runabouts since the late forties. His racing career as a driver was short lived due to a heart attack around '54 or '55. I can only remember back as far as 1950 and that is the year he and my father (Bob Jackson) built the first C-174 in our back yard. A box by todays standards. First picture is their boat at start of Long Beach around '53. The first C-174 was replaced with a boat built by Curly Owens (C-210), but in this picture was hidden on the inside of C-174.

[oldalkydriver]

John only was able to drive the new C-174 for less then a season before he had his heart attack. This picture is also at Long Beach (as we had more races there then anywhere else). John was driving with Warren Painter along for one of his only deck riding experiences. C-172 is Bob Jackson driving with one of the owners Bob Cockburn riding deck. The story is my dad was trying to show him how to drive a runabout. Difference of opinion here as I don't think my dad learned to drive a runabout until his las few years racing!

[oldalkydriver]

This picture was also Long Beach, and is a little special to me because it has the builder of both boats, Curly Owens C-210 and John Toprahanian. Curly used to joke around with me when I was a toddler.

[oldalkydriver]

Some good and GREAT drivers in this picture. Most all have passed on. C-172, Bob and Alex Cockburn. Alex was a musician. I believed he played the trumpet. C-153, Chuck Parsons. Hailing from Lodi, California Chuck had a tire business. Seems every time he came to Long Beach, he would get thrown from or dump his 'F' Hydro. Don't remember what make hydro it was, only the name: Short Snorter! In my early years say 9-12 I use to really admire him. Not because he used to beat my dad most of the time, but because he was a rather small gentleman who was all heart. In those days, when someone went over in 'F' Hydro, all the drivers used to circle the downed driver and make sure he was okay. They seem to forget about what place they were holding before the flip. C-1002, Ralph Holmes. Ralph was a contractor whom lived in Phoenix, Arizona. I asked him once why he didn't have a deck rider and he replied, "If I'm going to have dead weight, I want the type that didn't talk back." Went right over my 11 year old head! Ralph was killed in a plane crash sometime in 1957. What a waste of life. C-174, Bob & Fred Jackson. We lived in San Diego, California. Both my dad and his brother (8 years senior) worked for the then Solar Aircraft. Fred ran inboards mainly 48 cubic inch. Crosley as I remember. My father used to take out his aggression on his brother whenever he could talk him into riding deck. C-103, Bill Combs. I didn't know him that well. Don't know what he did for a living or where he lived.

[oldalkydriver]

This picture was taken around '57. C-54 is Walt Gillo, I believe from somewhere around San Leandro, California. Walt was a big, muscluar and mean looking gentleman. When I first saw him, I thought he was straight out of the Al Capone Movies. He was just mean looking. For you younger people, our Al Capone would be like your Sapranos! However, Walt owned a flower shop, and he made arrangements. He used to bring a few for some of the wives at the races. Guess it got their husbands out of the dog house. Walt is driving what I think was a Phantom Boat. This was before he changed the wood deck to cloth.

As I mentioned earlier, I think this is one of those times my father was upset with Uncle Fred.

[driver-x]

Chuck Marvick here,

Son of Bob Marvick C-31 F racing runabout late 40’s, 50’s and early 60’s. I have recently taken possession of 100 or more vintage racing photos and hope to post them over the next few weeks. I am traveling to Thailand to visit my father for the first time in years and hope to get some stories to add to the photos. I have many fond childhood memories of the people and places my father raced with during that time and look forward to sharing my find with you all. I will attach a test photo of my father and I believe his deck rider Jim Schonfeldt late 50’s not sure where yet but I do recognize the patch on the side of the boat that was done not too much before the boat was destroyed in a wild wreck with George May which I believe was in San Diego, I think I may even have an 8mm movie of the crash.