I had no idea either until I asked Mike Scott how Lee and Addis were just after starting back. I never found out how. I knew Bob had passed since I never stopped following the sport. Tom Neibuhr and Tom Farmer were recent. Al went last year and I heard that Bob Lipscomb was gone too. I flew Rat for him back when we did multiple things at contests. I flew quite a bit with Bob G. and some with Al at their hideaway practice site at Texas Stadium. Sad part was after Al's accident, he didn't recognize me. When I got back in, the next generation was dominating things. It was "Bear" country and I didn't have a Bear. The group I am flying with now are all Gieseke trained. Moon brothers, Mike Scott, Phillip Nichols just to mention a few. Tough crowd. We all knew Bob well but at a different time and in many ways a different Bob. I doubt we will ever see the activity and quality that the Gieseke/Rabe years produced again here.
You don't have to shut up - it is my thread!
Ken
Ken
Al had an accident?? I though covid took him??
Bob Lipscomb, Ah yes, another one I almost forgot.. After one of those Dallas (or maybe Houston) contests, Lewis was throwing our stuff into the back of my truck.. I asked him what's the hurry and he said he just met Bob Lipscomb and Bob wanted to talk to us about some racing subject.. Bob gave Lewis some notes and drawings for building a Rat... Bob is totally responsible for Lewis and I adding more planes to the back of my truck when we traveled.. However, we never reached the level of competition required, but we sure had a lot of fun.. Jim Ong influenced us also.. We went to the Seguin Nats one year and entered only racing events.. I was our pilot and Lewis pitted.. We got our collective butt kicked but, again, we had fun.. Lewis was a big man, 6"2", 6'3" and weighed about 230 - 240.. I weighed 140.. He threw me into the motel swimming pool while I was fully clothed...
One of the local hobby shops was having a closeout sale.. The owner (a lady) did antique doll and doll furniture restoration and was expanding in that direction.. She had a lot of model airplane products and wanted to get rid of the stuff in order to make room for doll products.. Lewis showed up at my house with half the trunk of his car filled with pints and quarts of SIG dope along with several gallon cans of thinner and reducer.. Control line sets, a couple glow drivers, and a bunch of other stuff. He had bought everything she had. I told him I'd pay for half.. Nope, he wouldn't have any of it.. Instead, he left the paint with me saying we'd never have to buy anymore dope for our planes, said all I had to do was provide the compressor and spray guns to apply it...
Lewis's wife is an ordained minister.. They were in Dallas about 6 years ago for a religious convention.. Lewis was feeling bad but went anyway.. The convention was about a week long and he had planned after the convention was over, to look up some of you guys.. One evening in the motel room, he dropped dead from a heart attack.. I loved that man and I really, really miss him...