In search of S. C. Busby - South Texas Boat Racing Association - circa 1961

[JBW857]

Greetings. My dad (Joe Bill Wilt) used to race runabouts and hydros from about 1953 - 1961ish in the Lake Austin/Lake Travis area in Texas. My brother and I have several of his smaller trophies. However, after my brother died, I received a trophy that was in my dad's collection. However, I don't think it is his. The plate on the trophy is listed as "S.T.B.R.A., S. C. Busby, 1961, High Point - "D" Mod. Runabout, Courtesy of Pearl Brewery".

I believe the boat racer was someone named S. C. Busby from the South Texas Boat Racing Association. I haven't been able to find this person. And, I don't think STBRA is in existence. All I get are hits on South Texas Barrel Racing Association.

Does anyone know who this S. C. Busby might be? If so, I would like to send the trophy to his family instead of throwing it away. Thanks.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I never heard of STBRA, but I know a couple of guys who might have. I will give them a call to see if they have any information to help.

[JBW857]

S.C. Busby has been found! I tried a Google search on S.C. Busby and STBRA and all I got was a hit for "Sue Busby" and the South Texas Barrel Racing Association. That's NOT what I was looking for. So, I tried a rather simple search of "S. Busby", "Boat racing", and "Texas." And, I finally got a hit. It was the obituary for Samuel Clarence Busby aka S.C. Busby. See the obituary: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/statesman/name/samuel-busby-obituary?id=27302907.The obituary showed that he was a boat dealer (Busby Marine in Kingsland, TX for 50 years) AND that he was a boat racer. I then did searches on his children (listed in the obit) and finally found one of his daughters and through, searchpeoplefree.com, found an address and a phone number. I called her and told who I was and that this trophy belonged to her dad - it did! How it came to my dad's possession (and later passed on to my brother) I have no idea. His daughter was floored that I had her dad's trophy. Now, I told her, I will mail it to her or would deliver it in person. Turns out she lives about 3 hours from me in the Austin, TX area. So, 64 years later, she and her brother will be re-united with their dad's trophy.

[tlpyamato]

[QUOTE=JBW857;159582So, 64 years later, she and her brother will be re-united with their dad's trophy.[/QUOTE]

Great outcome...........job well done !!!

[DeanFHobart]

Now, that is one of the coolest story I have ever heard. Congratulations.

[JBW857]

I was viewing another boat racing website called the "The Official Quincy Looper Website" (http://www.quincylooperracing.us/index.html). In it are great pictures of outboard motor racing. I saw some photos of Raymond Jeffries, Clayton Elmer and Bruce Nicholson to name a few. I came across a page circa 1961 entitled "NOA Straight-A-Way Records - Professional (1 Mile) and guess what I saw...an entry for S.C. Busby as a D runabout speed record set in 1961...the same year of the trophy I had for him. See attached photo. He is listed second from the bottom.