February 2014 APBA Propeller Magazine Is On Line: Russ Hill, Jr. Tribute Is There

[Ron Hill]

http://www.apba.org/propeller

I enjoyed writing for the Propeller Magazine, wish is was printed on paper every month.....and I am pretty computer literate!

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Ron, that was one of the most concise and best pieces I have ever read on someone's history. I had heard some of it from you and your writings, and some from Russ himself, but there was a lot of it I never heard until you filled in the gaps.

It made me feel glad when I read it, that I had the opportunity to meet Russ. Until the 2007 Reunion in DePue, I had only known him from what you wrote on BRF. I met him very early on the morning Joe Rome and I began to set up our stuff in the VFW Hall. Russ Hill, Jr. was a one of a kind of person. At that time, he had lived a full life and did not have to bow down to anyone. He told it like he saw it, and he was extremely perceptive. You could not pull anything over on him from what I noticed, because he had seen it all before.

Debbie and our kids had gone to Hawaii to stay with some friends a couple of years earlier, then the next year we drove to San Francisco to see some other friends. When Russ mentioned he had coin operated binoculars in strategic locations I asked him about Diamondhead in Hawaii. He said yes, those were his. I asked him about some at the Golden Gate Bridge on the western side. Yes, those were his. I asked about the binoculars on the Southern Rim of Grand Canyon we looked through on our way back from California. Yes, those were his. I told him "Me and my family have been giving you money looking through those things." Russ didn't skip a beat...or laugh. Russ just said "Keep on putting quarters in." Joe Rome and I both laughed when he said that.

But I still keep putting quarters in. Except for the few spectacular views we had in Hawaii, California and Arizona I never looked through any scope. After meeting Russ, I have put quarters in a scope at every overlook that had one since then and thought of Russ Hill, Jr.

[Ron Hill]

Russ, as I said, was ALWAYS my big brother. I told Joe, when he called today, 1/31/14, that having 200-250 show up at my brother's memorial said volumes about my brother. Many 80 years olds leave us with few friends.

When I was about 12, my friend told me my brother was "BEAUTIFUL". I wasn't sure what he meant and I guess I looked at him in a funny way. He said, "Russ isn't handsome, but he's beautiful within". Then, I understood what he meant.

Don't stop putting coins in those telescopes, as Bunker now owns the "Telescope Business".

[Master Oil Racing Team]

I will not stop putting those coins in because it will always make me think of Russ. And someday I hope to meet Bunker and Marlee.

[Ron Hill]

They have built a new restaurant and bar where the Golden Shores Marina was. Bunker is planning on installing two telescopes there and a penny press. I'm wanting the make the penny press show a race boat for the WINTERNATIONALS.

Now that we have a place in Needles, maybe you and Deb could visit us. Jimbo's house is ten doors away and my daughter's house is five. We'd have room!

[smittythewelder]

Thanks for the fine article, Ron; it would surely have pleased your brother.

[Master Oil Racing Team]

Ron..that sounds like a great time. Debbie was with me when I took some pictures of Jimbo, but that was a long time ago and she doesn't remember. She knows who you are though and she is very good at getting along with people she doesn't know, but in this case, it's not nursing homes or prisons. She gets along very well with boat racers. We have friends living in Turkey that want to meet us in Israel this summer, but I don't want to. I love to travel, but with the president we have, I don't like the odds. I was supposed to tell Debbie this week go or no go, but I didn't. She knows I don't like the idea at this time. We love to go out west so maybe I can convince her to do that with a side trip to your place. I still have a lot of fond memories of the Golden Shores Winternationals from 1969.