R. Allen "Papa" Smith 1980 Picture

[DeanFHobart]

I now have digital pictures from long ago, R. Allen "Papa" Smith and myself in front of his house at 6329 Thornhill Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana,
1980.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

That is a really neat picture. Now I have a little better picture in my mind of the story Joe Rome tells about when Louis Williams was coming to see them. Mama Smith would say "Now Louis, you be sure to come in your hearse. And back it in so those old biddies across the street will have something to talk about". That's one of the few addresses most outboard racers are familiar with. Kind of like knowing the addresses on some of the old family sitcom TV shows. Now those of us that never went there have an image in our mind.

[DeanFHobart]

Wayne,

The very first time I wrote to Papa Smith was in 1963..... my second year of racing.... it accelerated my boat racing career. The guy that told me about him only had a "partial" number of the address... I wrote to 63XX Thornhill Avenue, Shreveport, Louisiana.... And of course it got there. Papa thought it was funny. But soon after I started calling him. The first prop I sent him gained 4 mph..... no joke. It was a Cary propeller.

Best Regards,

Dean Hobart............................................ .

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Dean, did you happen to notice if the floor of Papa Smith's shop was dirt?

[FurnalFlyer]

Wayne,
I was going to ask the same question . I remember asking him about that and he said if he was buffing my prop and it came out his hands
would I like it to hit dirt or cement.
Leigh,

[F-12]

He said the same thing to me after asking the same question. He was a piece of work that one................but if he only got $1 for every mile an hour he gave everyone he helped, he would have been a millionaire twice over. Really miss him..............

[Bill Van Steenwyk]

In 1968, after a 8-10 year layoff from Boat Racing, I started back again with a Flathead "C" and a Goff-Hagness Hydro. As I had used several Smith wheels (bought used, not new) when I had raced previously, I got a phone number for him and called to see if I could get a prop for the new boat/motor combo.

He asked if I had ever purchased a prop of his previously and I told him I had used several, but they had been bought from other racers 8-10 years previously. He told me that he was sorry, but he was not taking on any "new" customers at that point in his life, as he had all the work he wanted to do with his existing customer base. I was disappointed, but I did understand, as I knew he was getting up in years, so thanked him for his time, and if I remember correctly he have me an idea of what I might need for my boat, pitch and diameter wise. I went on to purchase several props from Bill Seebold, who I had bought the motor from, and to a great extent, was happy with those.

Some years later, probably about 1977-78 or so, after the Yamato 80 had been brought in to the PRO category for use in what was called "Formula 350" at the time, my wife Eileen and I were at Alexandria where she was racing. I was out of actual driving for a period of about 5 years during that time, from a tunnel boat blowover and the associated injuries sustained. She had wanted to race, and had done some small amount with a Quincy "A" Flathead and a boat that Tim Chance and I had built for her previous to my accident, but the motor never really was a top runner, so she was enjoying racing with the 80 as it started in the water, unlike many other motors of the day, and would slow down and then go back to top speed without loading up like a lot of the alky motors back then with the battery and magneto ignitions. In addition, she was a good driver, and was doing quite well in the class, with a number of 1st places to show for her efforts, and against large fields of male drivers.

Pop Smith was at this race, whether in an official capacity or not I don't remember, and was walking thru the pits looking at the equipment. He stopped in our pit area and talked to Eileen for a while, and then while leaving to go visit elsewhere, stopped and asked me who I got her props from. I told him, and he asked if it would be alright if he built her a prop, as he was happy to see a female competing on the race course with the male drivers, and wanted to do what he could to make sure she had the best prop possible.

I, of course, said we would be happy to run one of his props, so he built her a 3 blade round ear and sent it to us. When there was no bill in the box, I called him and asked what we owed him, and he just said to tell her that was his contribution to her continued success and be safe and do well and enjoy herself while racing. We did a lot of testing with the prop and eventually found about 3-4 more MPH than what we had been running. As anyone who has had experience with props knows, 3-4 MPH is a LOT with a stock motor. She ran the prop from then on and I think it went with the motor when we sold it some years later to Homer Kincaid for his grandson's use.

Just goes to show what can happen and how to convince someone to build you something, without asking, when who it is for is a lot better looking than you are!!

[Ron Hill]

Every prop I ever got from Pop Smith had a hand written note in the box signed RAS and Mama.

Pop and I became good friends. Pop explained and I understood that the dirt floor was good. As much as you think to think you are paying attention sometimes props "get away from you" when you are sanding or polishing them. If the "FLY" into the floor and it is cement the prop will get the **** knocked out of it. If it hits dirt, dirt just flies.

My first "POP SMITH" props came via Doc Collins. Doc "GAVE ME" a CU Kamic in 1961. (Doc didn't tell me it came from Pop Smith). It was a "BITCH" to plane but fast as hell. At the 1961 Guntersville Nationals, in CU I wasn't in the top ten. In 1962 I was second and should have won it.

During the 1963 season I sent Pop Smith every prop I could get my hands on.

By the Boston Nationals 1963 almost every CU and DU had a Pop Smith prop on their boat.

[bill boyes]

Pop once asked me if I know anyone who had some Carter Carbs. Well heck, I had four of them taken off my 2 55H's which were replaced with Tilisons(sp) So I sent them to him. Well we became very good friends. He would send me props to try. There was never a bad Pop Smith prop!!