More Trees!

There's a lawn under there somewhere!

We had a fierce windstorm blow through here Saturday afternoon.  It covered our entire yard with twigs and leaves from every kind of tree.  After it had passed, I went out to survey the damage.  Two of our neighbor's huge oaks had been toppled onto our yard.  Good news -- they didn't hit any building.

And the Winners Are...

Corky Coker with Great Race Grand Champions, Howard and Douglas Sharp! - Photo by Corky Coker

On Friday evening, the Great Racers pulled into their final stop in Bennington, Vermont, having started in Chattanooga and competed for seven days.  Coincidentally, the major sponsor of this year's Great Race was Hemmings Motor News and their headquarters just happens to be in Bennington.  The winners, after trying for a win for more than 20 years, were Howard and Doug Sharp.  They were driving the oldest car in this rallye -- the 1911 Velie Racetype -- in which they have completed many, many Great Races.  Congratulations to these fine competitors and all the rest of the participants.  In the Great Race, "to finish is to win."

By the way, it was not a cakewalk for the Sharps.  Rumor has it that their radiator leaked all the way from Chattanooga and that one tire was being aided by duct tape as they crossed the finish line!

Ebabe's Team Closes Out Another Championship...

The coaches and players proudly show their trophy and medals

Wow!  They've done it again!  For the third year, the Ebabe's softball team has brought home the championship.  Thanks and congratulations to all of you -- coaches, players, and parents -- for all your hard work.

Great Race Groupie...

The oldest car in the 2011 Great Race is Car #22, the 100-year-old 1911 Velie.  It is Driven by Howard Sharp and navigated by his son Doug, both from Fairport, New York.

Anyone who knows me very well is aware that I have enjoyed participating in no fewer than 5 Great Races - Precision endurance rallies for vintage automobiles.  I have described them comprehensively on my Great Race Website.  After a hiatus of three years, the Great Race is alive again under the care and feeding of Corky Coker of the Coker Tire Company in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Last August, Monty Love and I were in Chattanooga and stopped by Corky's place.  At that time he confided that he had acquired the rights to the Great Race and was hoping to re-launch it in much the tradition with which it was conducted for twenty years by the late Tom McRae.  Well, I'm pleased to say that it has happened.  Yesterday, Monty and I drove over to Chattanooga to see this year's participants arrive at the end of the Trophy Run (a warm-up rally prior to the actual competition).  This morning, we got to see the beginning of the Big Event.  The field of around sixty cars left for a 7-day rally that will take them to Maggie Valley, NC; Salem, VA; Cumberland, MD; Hershey, PA; Binghamton, NY; Saratoga Springs, NY; and finally, Bennington, VT.  Bennington is the home of Hemmings Motor News, the primary sponsor of this year's rally.  I have included a few pictures.

This year's "pace car" will be Corky Coker's recently-completed replica of the 1911 Marmon Wasp, the car that Ray Harroun drove to victory in the inaugural Indy 500.  This replica is remarkably accurate, based on a vintage chassis and powered by a massive T-Head 6-cylinder engine.

Great Race founder, the late Tom McRae, always centered the event around three values - family, God, and  country.  Corky Coker will continue that great tradition.  Here, the Soddy-Daisy High School ROTC color guard presents the colors.  Miss Tennessee 2009 & 2nd runner-up Miss America 2010, Stephanie Wittler sang the national anthem.

Team #44, Jonathan and Jake Auerbach, a father-son team, are driving this 1951 Chrysler New Yorker.  They bought the car on eBay and did some serious rally modifications, including a roll cage!  It's powered by its original massive 331 Hemi engine.

The "Dixie Racing" team drives one of many Model A Ford speedsters in the competition.  The driver, Bryan Dickson, is from Argyle, TX, while the navigator, Joe Correia, is from Virginia Beach, VA.

This 1928 Chrysler 72 roadster is a veteran of many Great Races.  Its driver, Richard Howe, is a good friend of mine.  (We had to bond since we were usually the only two Chrysler products in the competition!)  He is accompanied by his navigator-grandson, Jason Fisher.  Both hail from Conway, AR.

Certainly one of the most handsome cars in this year's rally is this 1936 Packard Model 120B driven by Bill Croker of Penn Valley, CA.  His wife Carolyn navigates.  Both are veteran Great Racers.

This 1929 Model A Ford pickup is the flagship of the "Two Ruts" team.  Corky and Tim Rutledge, the driver and navigator are from Pennsylvania and are another father-son team.

A giant among competitors is this massive 1961 Imperial Crown convertible.  The driver, John Corey, is from Melrose, NY.  The navigator, David Ullman, at one time lived in my home town of Schenectady, but now lives in Corvallis, OR.  They should certainly have a comfortable ride in this land ark!

A veteran of many Great Races, this 1928 Model A Ford sedan delivery is driven by Leonard Harpenau of El Cajon, CA.  His navigator is Tom Kucera from Omaha, NE.  Both have participated in many Great Races.

Our good friend Jeff Stumb, from Hampton Cove, AL, is driving his 1916 Hudson Hill Climber.  His navigator is  Guy McDorr of Bath, ME.

This beautiful Model A Ford speedster, known as the "Yellow Peril," is crewed by two rookies.  The driver, Chuck Culver, is from Lumberton. NJ, while the navigator, Jeffrey Schulte, is from Mt.Laurel, NJ.  Enjoy the ride!

Nye Clinton and His Infamous "Mariah"...

Last week I was visited by a gentleman named Thomas A. Taylor, who is a Regional Director in the Office of Regional Advancement for the University of Rochester.  I knew another fellow years ago who did the same thing and his business cards simply read, “Professional Beggar.”  Tom is a very nice guy and we get together for lunch whenever he is in town.  It’s always nice to get caught up with the news from the campus where I spent four years.  During the course of our conversation, Tom mentioned a name out of the past, Dean of Students Frank Dowd.  As so often happens, the name of Dean Dowd triggered a recollection.  In this case, it was a state-of-the-art water weapon, a water cannon called a “Mariah.”  Pronounced as Mariah Carey pronounces her first name, I was first introduced to this remarkable tool by a classmate, Nye Clinton.  Nye hailed from Watertown, New York.

Burton Hall in the Fall

In the fall semester of the 1960-61 school year, I had moved back into university housing, after having lived off campus my sophomore year.  I actually enjoyed dormitory living.  I had managed to get a “suite” with a couple of friends.  These suites were a clever scheme on the part of the university to increase the capacity of the older dorms (Burton Hall and Crosby Hall) by putting three men into two adjacent rooms that had previously been single accommodations.  It worked out quite well.  We were in Burton Hall.  And two of our neighbors were Ed May and Nye Clinton, two really great guys that I had gotten to know in my freshman dorm.  At that time, Frank J. Dowd, Jr., was Associate Dean of Students.  I wouldn’t have had his job for anything.  He was the university’s point man for all the unpleasant assignments, and there were plenty of those.  It was, after all, a period for "activism."

Nye Clinton would contribute generously to one such occasion.  

It was a warm spring evening.  The natives were restless.  Lots of the dorm residents had started to play their hi-fi or stereo systems out their windows.  Then some genius decided to start a bonfire on the dorm quadrangle.  Dean Dowd was sent to quell the uprising.  Naturally, that  caused even more anonymous shouting.  We were watching the developing situation out of our window.  It was time for Nye to enter the Fray.  He started by producing what I recall to be about a 10-12 foot length of the tan 3/8” natural latex thick-wall surgical rubber tubing.  I suspect that at one time it might have resided in one of his chem labs.  He tied a tight knot in one end of the hose.  Someone asked what he was doing.  Nye responded, “I’m making a Mariah.”  We knew that we were about to learn something very special.

Nye proceeded to the sink, where he stretched the open end of the tube over the small faucet.  Holding this very tightly, he filled most of the tube with water.  We were all amazed at how much the tubing stretched without bursting.  It looked exactly like a l-o-o-o-ng tan balloon.  He doubled the open end and pinched it as he removed it from the faucet.  While still holding the tubing doubled, he inserted the tip end of a ball point pen (the old push-button Pentel type).  This  apparently served as his nozzle.

Now, he draped the tubing (which is quite heavy when full of water) over both his shoulders and around his neck and waist.  He put on a tan trench coat and, holding the tubing closed with a tube clamp, carefully threaded the nozzle end through the right sleeve.  With the coat on, Nye could now hold the nozzle closed with one hand.   Nye, who had the physique of a string bean, made good use of the space within that trench coat.  We helped button up the coat as he departed to join battle.  We watched from the second-story dorm window…

Nye appeared in the crowd and gradually worked his way toward the Dean’s entourage.  The testosterone in the crowd was evident.  Shouts of “Go home, Dud!” could be heard.  And then we could see the high arch of a water jet coming out of nowhere.  It was the last thing any one expected.  It gushed for several seconds.  The Dean got drenched.  He eventually turned the mob over to the Campus Security Officers.  Nye disappeared into the crowd as quickly as he had appeared.

I hope the statute of limitations has run out.  Unfortunately, Dean Dowd passed away in 1997.

The Honorable E.Kermit Hightower...

In the May 20, 1949 edition of the Schenectady Gazette, there was an announcement of an upcoming reception planned to honor the Fifth Ward Supervisor, Mrs. Ethel Etkin.  I presume that Mrs. Etkin was a lady of color, since the announcement goes on to state that “Invitations have been sent to every Negro resident of fifth ward, Mrs. Jessalyn Payne, chairman of the arrangements committee, has announced. Special invitations have been mailed to many of the Negro leaders of Schenectady who are not residents of the fifth ward.  Representatives of many of the Negro civic groups attended the recent meeting and will assist in the arrangements of the affair”  Almost as an afterthought, the article closes with, “Attorney E.Kermit Hightower, the first Negro attorney to take up practice in Schenectadv, will also attend.”

This one of the very few references I have found on the Internet that mention E. Kermit Hightower.  This, in spite of the fact that he influences my life even to this day!

Starting when I was about 9 years old, I pumped gas for Mr. Louis Brzoza at the College Garage on Union Street, not far from my family’s home in Schenectady.  I’ve written about that in this blog.  One of our “regular” clients was the attorney E.Kermit Hightower.  And it was the honorable Mr. Hightower who in 1948 purchased a black Lincoln Continental convertible (properly called a cabriolet) that I filled up with gas on a regular basis.

I became convinced that the 1948 Lincoln Continental was one of the most beautiful cars I’d ever seen.  Every time I filled its gas tank, or checked its oil (no messy dip stick here, simply a float with an oil level indicator), or checked the coolant, I lusted after this large but graceful machine.

E.Kermit Hightower never knew it, but he and his car were the main reason why in 1967, I bought such a vehicle.  And they are largely responsible for the fact that I still have it, having dragged it around the country and stored it for some 44 years!

A Major Event for the Mead Family...

Nephew David, his son Forrest, and Laura Mead, the proud Mom!

I have written before about my aunt, Ethel Mead Van Auken.  She graduated from Syracuse University in 1914. She was the first member of my branch of the Meads to complete a university education.  My father, Harold Richard Mead, graduated from the University of Michigan College of Dentistry two years later.  (This was when dentistry was a four-year degree program.)

The next wave of graduates came in the 1960s.  My brother Bill attended the University of Michigan, following in my dad's footsteps but never graduated.  My sister Ann graduated as a Registered Nurse from St. Rose College of Nursing in Albany in 1961.  And I followed a year later, completing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Rochester in 1962.  After completing my military service, I attended the University of Oklahoma, where I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in metallurgical engineering in 1971.  We then entered a 40-year drought in Mead college graduates.  I'm proud to say that the drought is ended.

Last weekend, my great nephew, Forrest William Mead, walked across the stage of the Smothers Theatre of Pepperdine University, and was recognized as a new graduate with a degree in economics.  My nephews David and Mark and their families were there to witness and celebrate the occasion.  Mary Ann and I extend our most heartfelt congratulations!