Richard Skola
Lucky me! Early to mid sixties I had a chance to visit in Long Beach most every year. I'd always have to leave Sunday to be back at school, or work, Monday. A trip to Lions was a must. I'd buy a pit pass so I could get right up close. As a result I don't hear too well now. On one of those trips I hit the Jackpot. I got to meet the people that made a teenage kids dreams happen. A visit to Hot Rod Magazine's office got me a chance to meet, and shake hands with Robert Petersen, Karl Kohler, and Dennis Ellefson. A later chance meeting with Pete Millar who took me to his new home for lunch, then a visit with the genuine Temple McFlathead. Then, a visit to the shop/studio of Ed Roth on Slauson Blvd.
Those days are long gone. I'm sorry kids of today will never have such interesting characters for real life heroes.. Ever so grateful I did. There is one more. Nothing to do with hot rods at all. The man was Tex Puryear. He was probably the biggest fish in a very small pond that I ever knew. He, and his band performed every night for many years at a tiny night club called Hollywood on The Pike in Long Beach.