Gulf's Hall of Fame [1949]

Outstanding motor boat racers were honored in New York during the motor boat show at the eighth annual motor boating I Tall of Fame dinner when 21 inboard racing drivers were presented with scrolls of membership in the Hall of Fame, a racing honor society sponsored by the Gulf Oil Corporation's marine division. Two posthumous awards were made, to Jack Cooper, Kansas City, Mo., driver who died as the result of injuries sustained while racing in Canada and John Bramble, Baltimore., Md., driver. Winners included Guy Lombardo, orchestra leader, and Mildred and Frank Foulke, Maryland husband and wife racers, who were similarly honored last year.

The dinner was attended by more than 300 persons, 'including the winners, drivers, mechanics, officials of the American Power Boat Association, the American Inboard Association and outstanding figures in the motor boating world, many of them here from distant cities for the National Motor Boat Show.

The winners were selected on the basis of five out of six votes of a committee of racing officials and members of the sponsoring company's marine division. All winners were drivers of inboard racing boats competing in regattas east of the Mississippi River and were chosen because of their outstanding performance in 1948.

The list of winners follows:

LOU BARRETT — Ana Lou II — Consistent winner in B Racing Runabout Class at Northern Regattas. Broke one-mile -world's record by almost 4 miles per hour.

LORIN PENNINGTON — Copperhead — Undefeated in his E Racing Runabout in twelve starts in the South. Established new competitive world record by breaking marks by more than 7 miles per hour.

LESLIE E. TRAFTON — Tornado — Consistent winner in C Racing Runabout Class in the South. Also defeated field at Red Bank. Established new world's record for 5 mile competition.

FRANKLIN FOULKE — Sagana VIII — Undefeated in sixteen starts in D Racing Runabout Class.

MILDRED FOULKE — Sagana VIII — Established new one-mile world's record for D Racing Runabout ; breaking previous mark by more than 4 miles per hour.

EDMUND THOMPSON — T. M. Special — Consistent winner in C Racing Runabout Class. Established new one-mile world's record three times during the year.

HOWARD DURM — Cry Baby V — Consistent winner in D Service Runabout Class. Set world's record for 5 mile competition.

GEORGE TRIMPER — Established one-mile world's records in two

[text missing]

R. A. DOWNY — Peggy — Consistent winner in E Service Runabout Class. Established new one mile world's record in this class.

EDISON HEDGES — Set 4 world's records; 1 mile records in B, E, and F Service Runabouts and a five-mile competitive mark at Red Bank in the F Service Runabout Class.

JOSEPH PALMER — Tommy Boy — Most consistent winner in the East in his 135 cu. in. Hydroplane with twenty firsts in 23 starts. Winner of Munce Trophy for the high point scorer in Regions 3 and 4, with 8,025 points. Won many Free-for-alls in competition with larger boats.

JACK COOPER — Blue Blazes — Consistent winner in the South with this boat in 135 cu. in. Hydroplane and 225 cu. ill Hydroplane Class. Died as the result of injuries sustained racing in Canada.

JOHN FRANCIS — Whirlaway — Winner in 225 cu. in. Hydroplane Class in 8 out of 9 regattas in the North, including Washington against •strong competition, to win the John Charles Thomas Trophy.

SIDNEY STREET — Z-Z-Zip — Consistent winner in 225 cu. in. Hydroplane class. Won the most sensational race of the year at Red Bank by defeating Merlyn Culver's Yankee Doodle.

CALVIN THOMAS — Breezy II — Consistent winner in the Division II. Class of the 225 cu. in. Hydroplanes, climaxing with the Charles Chapman Trophy, emblematic of Eastern Championships.

HENRY TIEMAN — Here's Me — A newcomer to racing who won six consecutive regattas in the Pacific One Design Hydroplane Class. Had 15 firsts in 22 starts, and won the Eastern championship at Cambridge.

DAN FOSTER — Winner of the grueling Gold Cup Race in Albin Fallon's Miss Great Lakes; the only one of the starting field to finish.

DAN ARENA — Winner of the President's Cup in the best race of the year for big boats driving Jack Schaefer's Such Crust. Set new world's records of lap, beat and race in unlimited class. In addition, set new world's record for 7 litre boats with his own Peg-A-Lee.

WILLIAM CANTRELL — Wm the Harwood Trophy by racing around Manhattan in record time. of 51 miles per hour, in Lou Fageol's So Long.

GUY LOMBARDO — Set new one-mile world's record for Gold Cup Boats in his Tempo VI.

JOHN BRAMBLE — Won Miles River Trophy with Ernie Chase's Pep. Race not as important as the fact that the love of Marine Racing transcended his regard for his own health. He raced against strict doctor's orders not to exert himself in any way. He died subsequent to his selection to the Hall of Fame.

(Reprinted from ?, February 1949)

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