# In Memory of......



## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

If you know someone who has passed and would like to share a story of how they contributed to the hobby feel free to share it here. 

This gives us an opportunity to get to know those that have also enjoyed slot cars and how they still make an impact on us as hobbyists.


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## joeslotcar (Mar 12, 2003)

*oooh Danny Boy...*

I know he is very much still with us, but I am wondering what Danny Esposito is doing these days...he chronicled early Riggen cars and was involved with two of the best books in the hobby...his own Guide to Tyco Slot Cars AND Bob Beer's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars. Much respect, Danny.


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

Michael Pisano, many years at the slot shows w/his Dad, Mario. A very bright
& polite guy. Also, Willie Goodwin, a vendor of HO race parts (Rabbit Racing)
always helpful w/race tips and a good laugh about almost any topic.


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Tom O'Riley, the best free hand clear body painter there ever was. Sculpted his own vac-molds and was always ready to teach, help out or marshall. Dang good racer too! He had all the kids in his neighborhood racing so he could pass the hobby along. Guess that's where I picked that up from.

-Paul


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## Gerome (Sep 25, 2011)

My grandmother and mother. In 1963 my grandmother bought me a vibrator set when I was just 8 years old. We never could get them to run so my mom threw them away but four years later she bought me a t-jet set from Sears which I still have and is the reason I'm a t-jet junkie today.


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## sethndaddy (Dec 4, 2004)

Neal Abraham, always working on casting new cars, and modeling up resins he received. He was over the top generous and an all around great guy.


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## Dyno Dom (May 26, 2007)

I'm not completely sure, but (1scalevolvo) Neil's last name is Abramson, RIP.


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## tjetcar (Jul 7, 2009)

Jim Mellnick, from the denver area, died of cancer. About two weeks ago. He sold at the die cast show at the el jabel shrine. Is a good man he will be missed. R.I.P.


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

*Bruce Gavins*

Bruce, the short time he was with us, did much
to further the the availability of often rare
body styles with his top shelf resin molding.
Dealing with him was always a pleasure, as he
often included extras and personal service.
Ever personable and generous, I am better
for having gotten to know him a little bit.

His castings are some of my most treasured.
The few castings that I have* parted 
with, went to their new owners with the 
knowledge that they were receiving 
bodies by Bruce, in the hopes that he can
live on in their memories too.

Thank you, Bruce, for enriching our lives
in your unique way. Bless you real good!


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Another good soul was Dan Walsh. Yes he had a hair trigger at times, but he was always willing to help you out in a pinch. If it weren't for him loaning me the$ 200.00 for new plates on my last car purchase, I don't think we could have got the car we got. He helped out others in numerous ways. He was a key person in the HT charity auction that put some much needed cash in more than a few hands around Christmas time. He also helped honda out more times than we can count, from helping replace bad fuel pumps to other mechanical breakdowns, he kept honda on the road and on his cell phone.


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## Bubba 123 (Sep 10, 2010)

slotcarman12078 said:


> Another good soul was Dan Walsh. Yes he had a hair trigger at times, but he was always willing to help you out in a pinch. If it weren't for him loaning me the$ 200.00 for new plates on my last car purchase, I don't think we could have got the car we got. He helped out others in numerous ways. He was a key person in the HT charity auction that put some much needed cash in more than a few hands around Christmas time. He also helped honda out more times than we can count, from helping replace bad fuel pumps to other mechanical breakdowns, he kept honda on the road and on his cell phone.


I totally agree about Bruce AND Dan....
it's hard 4 me 2 read this thread 
(Though MUCH OVERDUE for one on a sticky)
felt kinda close 2 Dan (helped me out allot 2..)..
& met Bruce the last fall he was passing through from east 2 west on I-40...
had a hell of a good time, w/ him, wife & pups .....

RIP... Comrades in slots 

Bubb 123 :thumbsup:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Let's hope there aren't any more additions to this thread for a long, long time!!


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## slots-n-stuff (Oct 18, 2006)

*Harry n Mark Clark*

Harry n Mark Clark were vendors at many shows... some of you most likely knew them too.... they have been missed...
Mark Clark was shot in his home... they never found out who did it yet.. I believe Harry died from a broken heart.. he was very close to his son... 
May God bless you both... I miss you... Andrew

http://www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=608439#.UU-i2XDYup0
Mark Clark - OB
Harry Clark - OB


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## aurora1 (Oct 6, 2008)

Being out here in AZ, I don't get a chance to meet most of the people on this board or our deceased friends mentioned. The exception being Bruce. He was a cool guy and made some killer cars. RIP Bruce.


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*Jason L. Beers*

I asked Fordcowboy to put this sticky up as I felt that some of us need to be reminded of those who have been a part of our lives and unfortunately are no longer with us. Those who have known me for the last 25 years and those who have bought my book and read the intro and dedication know my wife and I lost a son 24 years ago, Nov 22, 1989. Having just gotten back in slotcars from my youth, I was starting to show my son Jason how much fun this hobby can be. In an instant, at 13 yrs old, he was gone. He is in my mind and heart every day and my enthusiasm and dedication to this hobby is a direct result of losing him and pouring myself into something positive to keep my mind occupied. For my wife and myself, HOCARS can never replace our lost child, but it sure helped us from heading down the wrong road. Also, thanks to all you hobbyists for helping to keep it alive and always coming by my tables at shows to stop and talk a while. As I described it to a fellow collector at the Maryland show this past weekend, when you first walk into a show Sunday morning it is like waking up Christmas morning when you were 10 years old. Thanks, Jason, for the years you did give your mom and I, we will never forget you. Love Dad


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## joeslotcar (Mar 12, 2003)

*Derek Brand*

This is a tough (but necessary) thread to read...many good memories of some fine people. Makes you realize that life is a fragile thing sometimes. 
I might be obvious in saying Derek Brand belongs here. If it wasn't for him, we might be discussing comic books, baseball cards, or Hot Wheels.


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

One of the most influential slotters that I ever met was Richard Kipp. I had the privilege to visit his shop in his basement several times. It was like going to the Smithsonian Museum of slot cars. He was also a master with the gift of gab! He is sorely missed! To see a bit of what he was about go here; http://www.punkjob.com/kipp/ pig


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## madman069 (Nov 22, 2004)

*in memory*

there are people who touch some in all aspects . good ole tom o'reily ( god he could paint) . monty orhen aka best o' the west ( he could make a turd fast and talk your ear off at the same time)And the one that I miss the most bar none my father mike karnes (my mom still wants to kill him because he went to the usra nats a week before I was born at least he won lol). The list is endless of lost greats of a hobby or sport or some may even call life . If you remember someone no matter how small that is their legacy and life's body of work . That is what makes you smile when you think of them .
thanks charley


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

This is personal, and I didn't really know if I wanted to share this... But here goes.
In a two week period spanning the end of August into September 2010... I lost FOUR of my Closest Friends in unrelated deaths. These guys either were life long buddies, or Motorcycle Racer friends I had. And ironically, two were my old 1:1 Cycle-Racer buddies, and along with myself, occasionally raced SlotBikes on the Dirttrack Oval, that I had built and was running since year 2000. But everything changed in my life after Sept. 2010...as I was now totally alone.... My Parents are both gone, I have no siblings and no other family in this state, and I never married, so no kids, and didn't even have a GF at the time. One month later, I had a nervous breakdown, and ended up in the hospital. While I was recovering, I found I had lost all interest in motorcycles, which had been a lifetime passion of mine, which now, suddenly was gone, and I'd rather not explain why.
Anyway, this story has a silver lining..... as when I was recovering, I re-discovered how interesting Slot-CARS were, which (aside from the McGrath Slotbikes) was something I hadn't pursued since I was a kid in the 1960-70's. I later found a couple of these online Slotcar sites, and slowly got hooked again ! Later, I fell in love with T-Jets again, and here I am today, back in the Hobby- Head over Heals, and have found a new home and friends at Hobby Talk ! 
But I want to mention in closing, Roger Strassle, Randy Texter, Seth Zendt, and Mike Curry....all of whom lost their lives suddenly, over a two week period in my life, and left me alone and devastated. Roger and Mike were my slot Buddies, and the inner lane on my 4 lane oval, has never been raced on again, in memory of the laps they raced there.


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## 70ss (Aug 22, 2005)

partspig said:


> One of the most influential slotters that I ever met was Richard Kipp. I had the privilege to visit his shop in his basement several times. It was like going to the Smithsonian Museum of slot cars. He was also a master with the gift of gab! He is sorely missed! To see a bit of what he was about go here; http://www.punkjob.com/kipp/ pig


Boy that sure brought back alot of memories. Spent alot of childhood time there. Didn't have to watch my head until the early teen years.:tongue: 
(His basement had low ceilings and pipes that caused anyone taller than him to duck. (and he was a short guy). 
He could get you or make just about anything in the slot car feild. 
He sure is missed by many.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Sorry to hear this Ralph. Losing one friend is hard enough. I can't fathom losing four, let alone that close together. My belated sympathies to the families that lost their loved ones, and glad you were able to pull yourself together and carry on.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

Ed Penland was my tutor and mentor when I began casting resin bodies.
I had the great privilege of racing with Ed at Great Traditions in Northeast Philadelphia and he was always friendly and outgoing.
he had run a couple early sites for casting and I learned quite a lot from him and others that posted there.
as with all these fine folk that have gone before us, Ed is not forgotten nor his contributions to slot cars.


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Ditto, On Ed Penland AL! Taught me a bit about resin casting also. In addition to the casting he also helped me learn HTML. Which in turn, helped me build all of those cool websites that I used to build! He was/is one of the two co-founders of HOWL yahoo group, and the now defunct HO World ezine. I remember those days well. pig


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

I recall Ed Penland's slot car webring from back about 1997 or so when I first got online (AOL anyone lol) . . . opened my eyes that there were still a lot of slotters racing around and not just in my neck of the woods. Hadn't heard he passed away.


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## partspig (Mar 12, 2003)

Last time I looked, some parts of is "HO Slotters List" still exist on the web. Sadly the site hasn't been updated since 2008. I sure do miss ED. 

Here - http://www.netreach.net/~edpenland/



pig


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## swivel (Nov 27, 2010)

slotcarman12078 said:


> Another good soul was Dan Walsh. Yes he had a hair trigger at times, but he was always willing to help you out in a pinch. If it weren't for him loaning me the$ 200.00 for new plates on my last car purchase, I don't think we could have got the car we got. He helped out others in numerous ways. He was a key person in the HT charity auction that put some much needed cash in more than a few hands around Christmas time. He also helped honda out more times than we can count, from helping replace bad fuel pumps to other mechanical breakdowns, he kept honda on the road and on his cell phone.


Yes Dan was great, Helped out many a Kiwi down under and really got my Slotcar forum going. He was a great link for the E-bay sellers that didn't ship to NZ. Big loss


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## bobhch (Apr 22, 2007)

Memories of Neal are all good ones as he was such a slot head. He and I also shared the use of Floppy Disc SONY Mavica cameras. When his Camera stopped working I sent him an extra one I had. He sent me a bunch of his resin castings that I plan on doing up in the future. 

Bruce Gavins also was a real good egg. We would talk about casting slot cars and just shoot the breeze sometimes also. Never met Bruce face to face. Wanted to. When Bruce past away we were having a little bit of an argument between us and wished we would have resolved it It was petty. I know if Bruce was still with us today that we would have worked that out. Have a bunch of Bruces bodies to make custom slot cars out of also.

Then there was Rob from Radical Decals who made and supplied decals of all scales to many people on E-Bay. I believe it was his Sister that came to HT to let us know of his passing. Still using his decals in almost every one of my builds.

Just got done reading all the post on this thread. Very touching. The people that are gone now will be missed but, we must carry on and enjoy our lives with the people that remain. Bob Beers stated that very well in his touching post about his son. God Bless them all.

RIP to all who have gone before us, Bob


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## videojimmy (Jan 12, 2006)

I still have have some decals from Rob... best flamelicks I ever saw


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*Neal Abramson*

Neal came to all the HOCARS shows in NY. While I did not care for the off brand clone cars he did, only because I am an Aurora guy, I always had an interest in what he was frankenmaking and had in his pit box. He showed them off proudly to all he felt were interested and I knew, like myself, he really loved the hobby. He is missed and will always e remembered. :dude: Neal's image


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## mr_aurora (Oct 18, 2005)

*Ron Esterline*

I had known Ron for 20 years or so. He joined my newsletter back in the early 90's and we corresponded frequently. He won a Ford/Aurora store race and had a trophy he was proud of. Every once in a while I would ask him to sell me the trophy and he would say he was getting older and before he died, I would have it. His GF or wife contacted me after his death and told me he wanted me to have it and I gave her my address but never saw a package. I heard his collection was sold and assume that the trophy went with it. I would never be pushy about something like that and was uncomfortable telling her he wanted me to have it, but she said she knew that, I guess he told her before he passed away. Anyway Ron was a great guy and we had good conversations.


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## sidejobjon (Jun 3, 2010)

Mr Aurora,
PM sent
SJJ


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

*A Purist*

Neal and I were kindred, yet born worlds apart. He was an old school slot Dinosaur who carried the spirit of the exacto blade into the new era. He championed the unconventional, thumbed his nose at the modern slotcar cottage industry and questioned any perceived value beyond ones own enjoyment. He was a friendly inquisitive sort who welcomed me back to the hobby some years back and encouraged my less than benevolent modeling style.

His retirement and dreams of moving out West near their children have been realized by his loving wife. He was the best of folk. Neals passing has served to remind me of the fleeting nature of life and dreams.


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