Dr. Wayne R. Ingalls and Tommy Ingalls: Scrap Book Pictures

[Ron Hill]

"Doc" Ingallsl and my dad were really good friends. My dad and "Doc" spent many hours together "Fitting Pistons" and enjoying each others company. "Doc" kept his airplane at Fullerton's airport and on Saturday mornings he'd fly over our house. If my dad waved his red rag, that meant we'd meet "Doc" at the airport. If my dad didn't wave his red rag it meant he was too busy....Many times when my dad didn't wave his red rag, "Doc" would "BUZZ" the house trying to get my dad to change his mind.

If we went up flying, we'd fly over our property at Lake Elsinore and "Doc's" property too. In those days, driving to Elsinore was half day's drive, now you can make it, without traffic in an hour. We'd check out our cabins, and my dad's fruit trees, then fly out over the ocean and dive through clouds. For a 5-6 year old kid, this was great fun....probably be fun today.

Doc Ingalls was the Chief Medical Examiner of Los Angeles County.

In the early days "Doc" drove Big Doc and Tommy drove Little Doc. Tommy had a twin sister, Ruth. Tommy and his sister drove Captain Kid in a movie. Captain Kid was not their boat. Tommy was in the military during WWII (The last war we won). I think he drove PT Boats but not really sure.

Tommy was my brother's "HERO". Tommy retired from racing in 1956. He was a dentist in Bakersfield for many years. Over the years, Tommy would stop by the races at Lake Ming. Tommy is now 92 years old. His son, Craig, has loaned me his dad's scrap book and I will post some pictures.....if I stay focused I will post them all.

[Ron Hill]

Tommy and his twin sister, Ruth, driving Captain Kid for a movie. Tommy's sister was killed in a private plane crash along with Elmo Balumity (Who raced B Hydro).

The movie was called Torpedo Boats 1942.

[Ron Hill]

I think this was 1935: Tommy said he won, but got disqualified because they thought his gas tank was too "Streamed lined". He didn't care, he was 14 and had a ball racing!

Check out "Doc's" "Skid Lid"... Some hat!!!!! W.C. Fields era!

[Ron Hill]

Ruth Ingalls was Tommy's twin sister, shown here driving an "A" Hydro

[Ron Hill]

WOW! William Randolph Hearst, the newspaperman, sponsors a race to sell newspapers, 1936. Must not have worked as he went broke, but he did vilify marijuana.

[oldalkydriver]

Ron, neither one of us knows how to spell Elmo's last name! I seem to remember that it had an 'o' in it some place. Elmo's main class was 'C' Racing Hydro. My dad went from his 3 point Neal plank hydro to Hap Sharp's cut-off DeSilva. Then Dave Reddens DeSilva, and finally he bought Elmo's DeSilva. I remember because John Toprahanian built a 'C' engine from my dads extra parts. My Dads second race in Elmo's boat was at Bakersfield. John put the extra enfine on my dad old boat (Hap Sharp's) and I beat him one heat. Of corse he got even, beat my *** with his favorite belt, and I never drove a 'C' hydro again. I do have a good picture that John T took and hung in our shop. Just to remind my dad. Quite the sore spot.

[Ron Hill]

So cool old pictures her from the Ingalls Family Scrapbook.

[Ron Hill]

Racing at the "PUDDLE"...Lake Los Angeles

[Ron Hill]

I know 1956 was along time ago, but that is when Tommy retired from boat racing. His father "DOC" and my dad had probably send 20 hours a week working on motors for Tommy from 1950 to 1956. When Tommy "Retired", I never saw "DOC" again.

Tommy moved to Bakersfield and practice dentistry and played golf. Tommy would come over to Lake Ming, now and then when we had a race. He always seems "PLEASED" that the "HILLS" still enjoyed boat racing.

This last March, 2013, Tommy came to Lake Ming to say "GOOD-BYE". My brother, Russ, had been fighting prostrate cancer for 25 years, and he wasn't doing well. I thought when Tommy said he came to say, "Good-Bye" it was because of my brother's health. But I found out, that Tommy also had prostrate cancer, and he came to say, "Good-Bye" to my brother. My brother said, "Bakersfield was my last race."

Tommy had a good life and I'm sad he's gone. I'm so glad I have his family's scrapbook and I will post the entire book here in BRF!

[Craig Ingalls]

Ron, you have done a fantastic job with this scrap book and the postings, thank you very much. My Dad loved his years of racing with his Dad and friends. By the way, Elmo's last name is spelled Belluomini ( those Italians ). I will see Elmo's wife in a couple weeks and will see if she has any pictures of Elmo and Orlando Torgiani racing. Thanks again, Craig

[Ron Hill]

As a little kid, you listen more than you talk. So, when I heard Doc Ingalls had some pitch blocks that had caused a couple of divorces, I was "ALL IN" when my brother asked if I wanted to go to "DOC's" and beat on his prop. I was 8. My brother and Doc fumbled and fooled with the one prop and pitch block almost all day. I thought at the time, "Give me that damn thing. I'll go beat on the trailer hitch ball."

Being 10 years younger than my brother, I think I had slowed my parent's social life down. But one night I was invite to go to Doc's for dinner. Adaline Ingalls was pretty woman. Anyway, the potatoes were a little hard and she was apologizing for them being hard. I told her, "Don't fell bad, I've eat a lot worse one when we cooked potatoes in the vacant lot across the street".