Christmas Television Specials to Remember.....

Here's the famous test pattern I remember on CFCJ Television in Fort William and Port Arthur back in the '50's and next is Dinah Shore at one of her Christmas specials...Remember? The Dinah Shore Chevy Show! Click here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AHfSLMBZl0 for a great old Chevy Commercial from the show on youtube.

Who can forget "A Charlie Brown" Christmas!

....and Frosty the Snowman!

....and the original Grinch!

We all loved to see the Bob Hope Christmas specials from all the combat posts around the world! The top right one was taken in Viet Nam!

This is "Carnac the Magnificent" on one of Johnny's Christmas shows....and next is Mister Magoo as Scrooge!

The Christmas Muppet Show.....and the Muppets on the ever so famous Ed Sullivan Show.....Oh how I miss Ed!

......and finally Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer! I'm sure you remember them all.....enjoy!

Ray Charles Texaco #57

Here's another photo of Joey Cooper on the right and myself on the left.....graduating from push mobiles to the real thing(See the picture way down "Summer of 1958"). We had just painted and lettered our friend Charlie Miller's '57 Chevy Hobby Stock to be ready for racing the first year at Riverview Raceways here in Thunder Bay(formerly Fort William), Ontario. The picture was taken in front of "Ray-Charles Texaco"(what a cleaver name!). Co-proprietors were (Ray)mond Joseph DeFoy and Charlie(Charles) Miller. "Ray Charles Texaco" was located at 906 Victoria Ave., the present site of Knight Optical. This picture was taken in the early summer of 1967 about one month before my own car was ready to race. Charlie took on the number and later colors of Barry Kettering's car....the famous Red/White #57. Barry's unique racing career and untimely death while driving his sprint car in 1976 in the United States will always be remembered by racing enthusiasts all over the Midwest but mostly here in Thunder Bay. Charlie is still doing great and we meet with mutual friends about once a month for lunch....oh yes, and still no mustache on Joey yet!....we need a mustache photo.

Bonneville, the birthplace of the Hot Rod

This has been another dream of mine and a trip one of these years. Here's a photo of my friend Ron Limbrick. He has had the privilege of being in Bonneville for speed week a few times now as an official and even had a chance to ride towards that mirage mountain that looks like it doesn't touch the ground.....what an opportunity Ron. Anyway that's him in the drivers seat and the free ride that he got.....what was the speed again Ron? Oh yes....got any bigger sun glasses?....only kidding Ron. I guess you need the largest ones you can get standing on that sooo white bright salt in 90+ degree weather.

#62 Lyn McIntosh

Top Corner is a rare photo of Lyn McIntosh's #62 car taken in 1962. Lyn is the brother of an old friend of mine Dwight McIntosh(who was my best man). This was Lyn's first modified(which I had the privilege to letter when I was only 18). By the early '60's guys were cutting up the bodies of their cars to be more streamlined and lighter weight as well as adding high performance V8 engines. Lyn went on to live in the United States and race Super Modifieds in the midwest until his retirement. The bottom left photo is of Merv Dove (early jalopy jockey, and later flag man at Riverview Raceways) and my friend Dennis Winko. Dennis is re-creating the McIntosh car and these photos show how far he is along(I think you nailed it, Den). The body was a cut down truck cab and the deck was made from a couple of old car hoods. You can scroll down quite a ways to see Dennis's cool blue model "A" coupe. I think Dennis is one of those "blue" guys...LOL.

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