A D-Day Connection...

USS Maloy (DE-791)

D-Day, the beginning of Operation Overlord, the invasion of the Normandy coast by some 150,000 allied troops*, took place 75 years ago.  I was 4 years old and don't remember the event.  I'm sure that at the time I had no conception of its importance.

Fast forward to April, 1964, almost twenty years later.  That month, I reported aboard the USS Maloy (DE-791), as its new Engineer Officer.  The Maloy, I was soon to learn, had played an important role in the invasion, acting as a flagship for a PT Boat squadron.  The squadron commander, Commodore Campbell D. Edgar, USN, of Cazenovia, New York, was aboard Maloy for the major portion of the assault on Omaha Beach.  According to a letter written by Maloy sailor Kenneth Surprise to his parents in Lowell, Indiana, "We got off to a good start on D Day by knocking down a JU88 with our guns, and since then we've seen plenty of action!"  While on patrol off the Nazi-held Channel Islands, the Maloy came under the fire of heavy shore guns.  Although the German gunners fired 38 rounds at the vessel, she maneuvered too quickly and the heavy shells splashed harmlessly in the sea nearby.  On another action, Surprise said, his ship went in close to one of the islands and again the shore emplacements opened up on her.

"Their first salvo straddled us, showering shrapnel along our starboard side and hitting some depth charges," he related. "It was close enough for me!"
Later the Maloy stood off St. Malo, France, within sight of the bombing and subsequent surrender of Cezambre, a fortified island which held out long after German forces on the mainland gave up.

"That was some show!" Surprise declared.  It must have been "some show" indeed.  I can't even imagine the sea between England and the Normandy coast covered with over 5,000 vessels!

I became aware of Maloy's involvement because there was a plaque in the passageway aft of the officers mess recognizing Maloy for her D-Day service.  Whenever I walked by that plaque, I reflected on the sacrifices made by thousands of allied citizens during the Normandy invasion.  To this day, I feel an incredible sense of gratitude for their collective courage and devotion.  God bless them all, the living and the deceased.

* According to Wikipedia, "The total number of troops landed on D-Day was around 130,000 –156,000, roughly half American and the other half from the Commonwealth Realms."

Memorial Day, 2019...

Midshipman Richard W. Vaughn - 1967

On this Memorial Day, my thoughts are of all the young people I served with who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great country. One was a young man named Richard Vaughn, whom I taught at the University of Oklahoma in 1965 and 1966. He was from San Luis Obispo, California. He had received a NROTC scholarship, elected to attend OU, and rose to the position of Midshipman Battalion Commander, the top position a Midshipman can attain within the organization.  Richard had selected the Marine Corps option at the end of his sophomore year and had subsequently trained for a Marine Corps commission under the able teaching of Marine Lt. Col. Tullis Woodham and Gunnery Sergeant William Bingaman. 2nd Lieutenant Vaughn was the epitome of a young marine officer -- handsome, physically fit, and exuding the "command presence" that we tried to develop in all our young officer candidates. When he was commissioned in June of 1967, he looked like a recruiting poster for the Marine Corps -- fit, energetic, proud in his brand new dress blues.   

After completing his Officer's Basic School at Quantico, on October 11, he proceeded to the 1st Battalion, Ninth Marines and his tour of duty as an infantry officer in Viet Nam. On December 6, less than two months into his tour, a Viet Cong rocket or mortar ended his life. He was buried with full military honors in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, California, surrounded by other heroes. Richard's death epitomizes the the huge loss that the country suffers when our best and brightest are taken at a young age. He clearly was destined to do great things had he lived. The year after Richard's death, his mother established a memorial award to be perpetuated at OU. Each year, the outstanding Marine Officer Candidate would be presented with his or her highly prized Mameluke Sword in Lt. Vaughn's memory.   

Let's never forget to honor his memory, and that of so many others who gave us all their most precious gift.

The Mighty "Big Boy" Rolls Again Under Steam Power!

Almost exactly five years ago, I published a post entitled "An Important Event for Railroad Fans..."  In it, I described a gigantic locomotive, the Union Pacific "Big Boy" that was manufactured in the 1940's by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in my home town.  In fact, I just measured it on Google Maps and my home was just 1.2 miles from the birthplace of these giant machines.

ALCO built a total of 25 of the so-called 4000-series locomotives (numbered from 4000 through 4024).  They last saw service in July, 1959.  But the current Union Pacific management has a sense of history.  They have a "Legacy Operations" organization that collects and restores rolling stock and locomotives that defined the railroad.  This is the group that undertook the massive job of restoring engine 4014 during the last five years.  They had hauled it from Pomona, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming after bartering with some lesser locomotives to get it back from a museum operation.

Five years of effort have paid off handsomely.  This weekend, 4014 took to the rails again under its own power for the first time in nearly 60 years.  Accompanied by Union Pacific Challenger Number 844, the two mighty machines are headed for Ogden, Utah, where they will participate in the celebration honoring the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

It's been fun following the train on Facebook pages devoted to its memory, the memory of the individual locomotives, or the event in Ogden.  YouTube is flooded with great videos of the two giants as they roll toward their celebratory goal.  And I'm damn proud of what my home town was capable of producing in its heyday!

My heartfelt thanks go out to the management of the Union Pacific for supporting this effort and the men and women who labored so hard to see it succeed.

Charlie and Brenda Part 3: Recovery and Undying Love

Charlie and Brenda Stroud

Within the last few weeks I've written about my recently departed friends Charlie and Brenda Stroud.  In my first post, I discussed how I got to know Charlie and the love of his life, Brenda.  My second post dealt with the years that Charlie and his family competed successfully in the Great American Race -- a rally for vintage automobiles.  Now, it's time to describe the years after Charlie suffered his brain aneurysm in June of 2003.

For several weeks after Charlie was stricken, he and Brenda remained in Livonia, Michigan, where Charlie was hospitalized.  He underwent several surgical procedures to relieve pressure and stop the bleeding in his brain.  His condition was slowly improving, but he was unconscious for days at a time.  Eventually, he and Brenda returned to Huntsville, where he entered a HealthSouth rehabilitation facility.  That's where I first saw him after his attack.  It was a shock to see him.  He only occasionally knew who I was when I visited.  The robust and vigorous Charlie Stroud was now a frail, aged shell of a man.  He was terribly feeble and often incoherent.  I, quite frankly, did not think he would make it.  My friend Charlie was no longer the man I knew.

But Brenda knew better.  She never gave the slightest impression of losing hope.  Every time I visited Charlie in rehab, Brenda was by his side, usually holding and massaging his frail hand.  She often had to assist in feeding him.  And he must have gotten good care, because it wasn't too many weeks before Charlie Stroud began to respond.  He started walking up and down the rehab facility corridors.  His speech became recognizable.  He began recognizing old friends and their names.  And within a few months, Charlie was released to go home with frequent visits to facilities for physical therapy and other medical/psychological services.  Brenda was his primary and always caregiver.  She took on the assignment with a vengeance.

Soon, Charlie was involved in a Pilates class for his physical development.  Brenda brought home a karaoke system.  She and Charlie would sing together for hours at a time, regardless of how it sounded, simply to develop his mental and vocal skills.  They danced and went for walks.  Brenda took him everywhere so he could redevelop social skills.  It was in a lot of ways as if she was raising a child.  And Charlie responded to the love and to all the activities.

Charlie and Brenda, in foreground, enjoying the music
of Microwave Dave and the Nukes

In November, 2009, Charlie and Brenda came to our home for a day of celebration.  Mary Ann's gift shop, "Ebabe's Gifts," had been open for a full year.  We had food, outdoor music by Microwave Dave and the Nukes, a local blues band, and lots of activity in the gift shop.  I couldn't help noticing how healthy Charlie looked and what a good time he seemed to have.  However, even on his best days, Charlie had almost childlike behavior patterns.  On this particular day, I had left my workshop open.  At one point, I noticed that Charlie had wandered off and saw him walking toward my workshop.  When I went in to see what he was up to, he had started my drill press, found a piece of scrap lumber, and was drilling a series of holes along the edge of the wood.  "Watcha doin' Charlie?" I asked.  "Drilling holes," was the reply.  Nothing could be simpler.  He stood and drilled holes for ten minutes, one after another, in several pieces of scrap wood.  When he got bored with this activity, he shut off the drill press and went back to the music of Microwave Dave.

Charlie, Brenda, and family celebrating Charlie's 90th birthday

We saw Brenda and Charlie infrequently over the last few years.  We had dinner at their home a couple times and had them up to our home a couple of times.  Brenda was Charlie's Angel, always watching and protecting him, sometimes from himself.  Their mutual love was radiant.

Then one day, I heard from a friend that Brenda had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  What a shock!  This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen.  She was much younger and should survive Charlie, but now it seemed she would be the first to leave us.  And so she did in May of 2018.  It was a sad time, but one in which we could rejoice that she and Charlie had enjoyed so many happy years together.

I learned at the time of Brenda's passing that Charlie was going to live with family members in Texas.  I knew little more.  Now that he has gone to be with his beloved partner, we know that Charlie was bathed in love by his family in his twilight months.  Bye, Charlie.  We'll meet on the other side.  I wonder if they have cigars over there...

An Unexpected Gift...

What's not to love?

A few weeks ago, I received a package in the mail from my employer, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), recognizing my ten-year anniversary of employment.  It came as a surprise, since 2009 was not the year of my employment with the company.  I started with Camber Corporation, which had been acquired by HII, in 1990.  That’s 29 years ago.  I took a brief hiatus in 2005-6, during which I was still on Camber’s books as a Contract Laborer, On-Call.  I came back to work full-time in 2007 – 12 years ago.  And HII acquired Camber in 2016, just three years ago.  So although I was grateful to receive recognition, I was baffled by the timing.

The package contained a beautiful polished lucite number 10 about 7” tall that could be displayed on a bookshelf.  There was a personal letter of appreciation and a small yearbook of pictures in which I was featured doing various kinds of work.  And lastly, there was a catalog of gifts from which I might choose something to reward me for my faithful service to the company.

Mary Ann and I talked it over and elected to request a Char-Broil Model 1010 Deluxe outdoor grill.  It’s unique in that it has a gas burner setup on one side and a charcoal grill on the other.  When I submitted my request I was informed that it would be shipped in about six weeks.  It arrived on Tuesday, April 2nd.

The three boxes as they arrived on a wooden pallet

Tuesday evening after work, I began to unpack the biggest of three boxes that had been unloaded on a wooden pallet.  I decided not to begin assembly until I had unwrapped and inventoried all the 65 parts shown in the assembly manual.  Everything had arrived undamaged and I arranged everything in preparation for assembly on Wednesday.

The assembled grill

I started at the crack of dawn, figuring that I could get some assembly done before work hours.  I managed to get most of the lower assembly done with few issues.  Then I reached the point where you had to lift the firebox assembly on to the base.  I decided that was a perfect job to leave until lunchtime.  At noon, my friend Jim Lauria came over and the two of us hoisted the upper section into place.  After work, I managed to complete the last steps in the assembly.  It looks like a fairly well-designed unit.

The weatherman was predicting rain on Thursday, so Wednesday night I dashed down to Lowe’s in Huntsville to purchase an extra-large grill cover.  It fit perfectly.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Meads had some grilled meat this weekend!

The working area

And now protected

Another Genealogical Mystery Solved... And Roots in Ireland.

In my last genealogical entry just a few weeks ago, I had discovered the identity of my second great-grandfather John McLaughlin -- My mother's father's father's father.  And we had learned that he was a Civil War combat veteran.  But, as you may recall, there were some remaining questions.  At least one of those questions has been answered.  Recall how I closed that blog entry: "The next challenge is to figure out the mysterious whereabouts of "Mary A." listed on the grave marker as "wife of John" and "mother" (of James Louis?) who for some reason never lived with John when censuses were being tabulated.  What's that about?"

That really posed two questions.  Who is Mary A? And who is James Louis' mother?  Here's what has transpired.

I had written a letter to the Washington County Historical Society, asking if they could look for any old news articles about John.  Lo and behold, a few days ago, I received his newspaper obituary from 1894.  Here's a transcription:
"A veteran of this place, died at the residence of his son, Mr. James McLaughlin, on Saunders street, at 2 o'clock on Sunday morning. The deceased had not been in his usual health for about two years past. He became worse last August and has since steadily declined.  Funeral services were held at 10 o'clock Tuesday a.m. at the church of Our Lady of Angels, and was very largely attended, the members of Post Tanner being present in a body.  The Rev. Father McLoghlin officiated.  The interment was in Smith's cemetery. The deceased was born in Mansfieldstown, Parish of Darver, County Louth, Ireland, in 1826, making him 68 years of age at the time of his death. He married Miss Bridget Hoy about 44 years ago, who died five years subsequent to their marriage. Mr. McLaughlin came to this place when a comparatively young man and has since resided here. He is survived by one sister, Margaret, and one son, Mr. James McLaughlin, who is married and has a family of bright and promising children. Mr. McLaughlin was a veteran of the late war, he having enlisted in Company F, 169th Regiment, in 1862.  He was a color sergeant during the engagement at Fort Fisher and was the first to plant the flag on the fort.  In the engagement at Cold Harbor he received a severe wound by being struck in the right shoulder blade with a piece of a shell. The wound undoubtedly produced permanent injury to the lungs. At Fort Fisher he saved the life of Gen. Alden, rescuing him from a perilous position. Gen.  Alden was at his side when he received the terrible wound at Cold Harbor and was able to give valuable evidence in assisting him to obtain a pension. Gus. Vaughn was Captain of the company in which Mr. McLaughlin served and both men were together when Capt. Vaughn was shot and killed at the explosion of the Petersburgh mine. Mr. McLaughlin dragged his body from the wreckage and debris and assisted in the burial. The following well known residents of this place were members of the company: Daniel Cummings, James M. Waters, Caleb Earl, Julio Benjamin and Eben Blin. The deceased fought in thirty-two battles, remaining in the Service from the time of his enlistment until the close of the war in 1865.  He was one of the charter members of A.H. Tanner Post G.A.R. whose membership at the time of its organization numbered thirty.  Although the post has at present a larger membership than when first organized, it is not so strong in numbers as a few years ago.  These latter years are making havoc in its ranks.  Time, while it does not cause such immediate mortality is more deadly than volley or broadside.  This soldier, whose courage and tact enabled him to pass through the ordeal of so many battles finally was compelled to surrender his life through an attack of hemorrhage of the lungs.  If any man could justly claim the title of American citizen it was this man.  He was honored and respected by his comrades and his remains were borne to their last resting place by the following members of the Post: P. Casey, John Davey, Edward Marshall, James O’Reilly, C.B. Tinsley, and James T. Boyle."

Notice that one specific citation, "He married Miss Bridget Hoy about 44 years ago, who died five years subsequent to their marriage. Mr. McLaughlin came to this place when a comparatively young man and has since resided here. He is survived by one sister, Margaret, and one son, Mr. James McLaughlin, who is married and has a family of bright and promising children."  John McLaughlin had been married and widowed early in life, having had one son.  This explained all the census years during which he lived with a son and his sister Margaret.  I still haven't figured out who the mysterious Mary A. is, but I have no doubt I shall figure it out.  By the way, one of those "bright and promising children" was my grandfather, William Clinton McLaughlin, known to me as "Grampa Will."

For now, I am pleased to have found the marriage record of John McLaughlin and Bridgett Hoy (Hoye), dated 18 August 1849.  They were married in Whitehall, New York.  This means that John migrated to the US and settled in Whitehall before 1849.  I suspect he traveled with his sister.  Of course, I'm thrilled to know precisely where in Ireland this branch of my tree took root.  It's the tiniest county in Ireland, on the East coast, directly below the Northern Irish border.  There's so much more research to do...

Charlie and Brenda...Part 2: The Great Race Years

Charlie Stroud stands by the 1937 Packard at a Great Race rest stop

How it started -- In 1996, my friend Bob King asked me if I'd be interested in restoring my 1932 Plymouth coupe and using it to participate in the Great Race (also known as the Great American Race).  This is an annual event, held since 1983, in which vintage cars compete for substantial prize money in a long distance precision endurance rally.  King's offer was that if I'd restore the car, he'd pay the entry fee of several thousand dollars.  He'd navigate and I'd drive, and if we won any prize money, we'd split it.

I spent nearly two years restoring the car, which I had acquired in 1962 while in the Navy.  In June of 1998, Bob and I set out from Tacoma, Washington, on a grueling 4,545-mile trip to Haverhill, Massachusetts, in a 66-year-old car.  We made it in one piece and actually won a few dollars from the $250,000 prize pool.  The story of that experience is told in my Great Race Website.  When we returned from the Great Race, my wife Margo and I decided to throw a celebration party.

Winston - 1932 Plymouth Model PB

We washed and waxed and parked the car, affectionately known as "Winston," in a prominent place on our front lawn.  I think we fed close to fifty guests that evening, and among the celebrants were Charlie and Brenda Stroud, whom we had befriended when we worked together at an aerospace firm in Huntsville.  Margo had compiled over an hour of videotape that she had taken during the race that captured the excitement of each night's arrival in a different city, the revealing of the day's scores, and the large crowds that cheered us on and admired the cars.

We had decided to serve a buffet-style dinner to best accommodate the crowd we expected.  As our guests lined up for the buffet line, the videotape would be running in our great room where folks could enjoy it.  One who enjoyed it a lot and watched it more than once through was Charlie Stroud.

After dinner, Brenda was helping Margo in the kitchen.  Charlie came up to me and said, "I watched your video and heard your Great Race stories.  This looks like the most fun you can have with your clothes on."  I had to agree.  He then went on, "I've got a son who lives in Ohio that I'd like to get a lot closer to.  This looks like the kind of thing we could both enjoy."  Within a week, Charlie informed me that he had challenged his son Bill.  "I told him all about the event and he seemed interested.  I told him that if he'd buy a car, I'd pay the entry fee."

Within just a few weeks, Charlie called.  "I heard from Bill today.  He said that there was a 1937 Packard in the driveway and that I had better get my wallet out.  Thus began the saga of the Stroud boys participating in the Great Race.

Charlie (second from Left)
and Brenda Stroud, are shown with Charlie’s
navigator, son Bill Stroud of Ohio (on right), and
support team member, Wayne Gerin (far left).

The competition, 1999 -- I believe Charlie and Bill first competed as a team in the Great Race in 1999.  That year, the rally originated in Marietta, Georgia, and ended in Anaheim, California.  They drove the car down from Ohio to Huntsville where they were able to get some practice in and calculate their acceleration and deceleration time losses in order to be somewhat competitive in this precision rally.  One of the great Stroud legendary stories occurred during that year's event.

The Stroud's car was traversing a very rural area in southern Arkansas enroute to the next overnight city of Dallas, Texas.  Both Bill and Charlie were Texas A&M graduates and very proud of that fact, so they had notified the Dallas Aggie alumni organization to encourage their membership to come out and greet "Team TAMU" as they arrived that evening.  Many alumni were planning to greet the Strouds at the day's finish line.  (Each day the Great Race ends with a giant finish line setup of an inflatable gate, VIPs, an announcer greeting every car and informing them of their daily score, and often a military band.  It's a big deal with thousands of spectators.)

As Bill and Charlie were cruising along in rural Arkansas, suddenly the 1937 Packard died.  The Strouds were somewhere in the middle of the pack that day, so lots of cars passed them, one every minute, as they tried to troubleshoot the car by the side of the road.  At the end of the procession of competing cars would be the dreaded "sweep truck," a large roll-on tow truck that follows the Great Race every day and brings broken-down participant cars to the finish line for the day.  Charlie and Bill were not going to be brought in on the sweep truck!  What might their Aggie buddies think?  So they came up with a typical Stroud plan.

They pushed the disabled car into some nearby bushes where the sweep truck would not spot it.  After they saw that the truck had safely passed, one of them hitchhiked to a pay phone to contact a tow truck.  They then got towed to a repair shop where the car was quickly brought back to life.  As I recall, it was a clogged fuel line, easily repaired.  They were soon on their way, albeit several hours late by the Great Race clock.

Meanwhile, the staff of the Great Race was frantically trying to determine their whereabouts.  Several participants had seen them working on the car by the side of the road, but then, they simply vanished.  The sweep truck crew swore they hadn't seen anything.  Had they gotten lost?  Lots of Team TAMU fans had waited patiently by the finish line, but had eventually given up on their team and gone home.  Finally, as the Great Race staff was dismantling the last of the P.A. system and guardrails, the chagrined Team TAMU crossed the finish line.  The story became part of Great Race lore.

The car ran just fine throughout the rest of the rally, all the way to Anaheim, but both Bill and Charlie felt they could be a little more competitive with the more responsive acceleration of a rebuilt engine.

2000 - Before the 2000 rally, Bill and Charlie brought the Packard to Huntsville to replace it's tired straight-six engine prior to the start of the race.  The plan was to then drive it to Boston.  They acquired a spare engine and turned it over to a local engine rebuilding shop where unfortunately the mechanic assembling the engine put the exhaust valves in the intake valve positions and vice versa.  Unfortunately, exhaust and intake valves are made of different alloys and are heat treated differently.  The engine would run, but the valves would wear out very rapidly.  The rebuilt engine was put in the car with its hidden flaw.  By the time Charlie drove to Boston and realized the problem, it was too late.  Charlie had the old engine brought from Huntsville to Boston and replaced it in the hotel parking lot and got started a day late in the competition.  To complicate things further, at the last minute, Bill had other commitments that prevented him from participating, so Charlie had invited my old navigator, Bob King, to accompany him.  In spite of these complications, Charlie and Bob drove very competitively and represented themselves well in the 2000 Great Race.

The Strouds, in their 1937 Packard Model 115-C
leave the starting gate in Atlanta, June 17, 2001

2001 - The 2001 Great Race went from Atlanta to Pasadena and both the Strouds, father and son, were once more in the running, again in their 1937 Packard Model 115-C four-door sedan, but now with its properly-rebuilt 100-horsepower engine.  "Team TAMU" was emblazoned on the car with Texas A&M logos and signage.  There was no doubt the Aggies were in town.  Bob King and I were part of that race and enjoyed the camaraderie we had with the Strouds.  Of course they had an entourage and his beloved Brenda was their senior cheerleader.  In the 2001 Great Race, the Strouds demonstrated that they were VERY competitive.  They placed third or fourth in the largest division of competitors, the Sportsman Division.  I think it was obvious to everyone that the Strouds were out to win.

2002 saw Team TAMU once more chasing the winner's prize.  Charlie flew to Ohio several weeks before the start date so he and Bill could hone their skills and improve their accuracy.  Perhaps a little explanation of how the rally works is in order:
Participants attempt to follow precise driving instructions exactly.  The instructions are presented to the participating teams 10 minutes before their scheduled departure times each morning.  Cars are spaced one minute apart and the sequence of start each day is determined by drawing lots the previous evening.  They are evaluated at several check points during each day's run and their times are compared to the “perfect” time (as established by a very precise measurement of the course beforehand and computer simulation of a vehicle following every instruction to perfection) for that portion of the rally.  A zero score is perfect.  Penalty points are assigned for each second early or late.  Scores are cumulative.  The lowest score wins.  A “factor” is applied to the raw score to come up with the adjusted score (older cars have an advantage).  Overall winners are determined by the best score of the first 10 stages plus the combined scores on the last two stages.

There are four main competitive categories:  Rookie Class, Sportsman Division (in which Charlie and Bill were competing), Championship Division, and X-cup.  Rookies are first year competitors, Sportsman entries are experienced, Championship entries are VERY experienced and X-cup is a special category for high school teams.  An Ace is a zero (or perfect score) on a leg, meaning the car completed the leg in precisely the allotted time for that leg.

Team TAMU's listing as it appeared in the 2002 program for the Great Race
You have to love Charlie's derby and ascot

The 2002 rally was unusual in that it didn't go from coast to coast.  The founder of the Great Race, Tom McRae, had announced that after twenty years of putting on the event, he was retiring.  As a result, the organization had difficulty finding sponsors for the 2002 competition.  They shortened the course somewhat, starting with a three-day tour of Texas and then heading west.  The event started in San Antonio, then progressed to Houston; Dallas/Ft. Worth; Clovis, NM; Rio Ranch, NM; Williams, AZ; Scottsdale, AZ; Chula Vista, CA; ending in Anaheim, CA.  Instead of its usual 14-day duration, the rally would be a total of 9 days, including the so-called "Trophy Run," a one-day "warm-up" conducted while in San Antonio. 

Each day the Strouds were in the top three or four in the scoring.  They had done their homework.  The rally requires intense focus and consistent driving.  Acceleration and deceleration must be as uniform as possible and Charlie, as the driver with Bill as navigator were on a roll.  Finally, as the 120 participating teams rolled into Anaheim to the finish line, it was announced, "Team TAMU -- Charlie and Bill Stroud -- have WON the Sportsman Division of the 2002 Great Race with a score of 1:04!!!  Charlie and his wife Brenda live outside of Huntsville in Brownsboro, AL, near Hampton Cove.  Bill and his wife Chris live in the Akron, OH, area.  They first got interested in Great Racing after seeing the video tapes taken by Margo Mead during the 1998 Race.  They have competed ever since in a 1937 Model 115C Packard Touring Sedan."

For their hard work, the team proudly representing their alma mater took home a check for about $40,000.  For the Strouds, that only whetted their appetites.

A 1924 Buick 4-cylinder chassis,
similar to the one Charlie resurrected

Preparing for the 2003 Great Race, Charlie and Bill decided to acquire an older car.  Part of the scoring system that is used in the Great Race gives a slight advantage to older vehicles.  It applies a handicap factor based on the year in which the participant car was manufactured.  Bill and Charlie would now compete in the Champions Division, so they wanted to employ every means possible to get an advantage.  They attended a vintage car auction in Auburn, Indiana, in the fall of 2002, to find their new steed.  It turned out to be a very tired 1924 Buick Model 35 roadster.  They moved it to Charlie's home in Alabama, where he would transform it into a competitive, 2-seat open racing machine.  Charlie labored over their car for the next several months.  He upgraded the brakes and fuel and electrical system, all within the allowable limits of the regulations.  He modified the engine where possible to make it more reliable.  And soon, it was time to depart for Livonia, Michigam, home of Roush Racing (Jack Roush is a long-time supporter of and participant in the Great Race.), from which the race would start en route to Daytona, Florida.

They towed the Buick to Michigan.  After the technical inspection, the father-son team discovered some items needing attention, including replacing the lubricant in the differential.  So on Friday, June 20, 2003, as Charlie was under the car, tightening a bolt, his life changed.  He suffered a major brain aneurysm.  As I recall, he told Bill, "I'm feeling really strange."

Charlie was rushed to a hospital in Livonia, where he would remain for weeks.  He would undergo surgeries to relieve the pressure on his brain, but Charlie was in for a long recovery.  The Strouds' rallying days had come to an end, but hadn't those days been enchanting?  More to follow...