History Comments about tex smith for article

Here's a little light reading from the man.

http://www.hotrodhotline.com/feature/guestcolumnists/LeRoiTexSmith/

 

"Not many of the hundreds of guys that have written in the magazines and auto publications over the 60 years of my life have been noteworthy. Tom Senter, Don Francisco, Roger Huntington, Jim McFarland, Frank Oddo, Pat Ganahal, Spence Murey(sp), Tom Medley, Wally Parks, and yes Leroi (Tex) Smith are the exceptions..."

Yes...and an extra reason he was important was that he kept the hotrod alive by continuing to publish old car article through the dismal years after super stocks, go karts, dune buggies and so on nearly ended coverage. He was established enough to be able to publish real old car tech when it was out of fashion and kept a flame or two alive.
He served as an important bridge between the fifties and the seventies, when old cars started to come back.
The pictures of Montana fields covered with old Fords made me foam at the mouth...

 

I still have my letter from him when he worked at R&C (1968?). Just a few lines and encouragement was enough to keep me going.
Talked to him many times when he was doing HRM and met him for the first time in 1990 at the 20th Ann. NSRA Nationals in St. Paul MN. My friend Burl and I had driven our T roadsters (his a track nose turtle deck car, mine a short bed TRP) there. Chatted for about 30 minutes, met his son Scott and checked out his 32 3W hiboy coupe.
I have all of his books that I know of, all the HRM issues, several of the books from his publishing company, and great admiration for the man who pushed the rodding hobby out from under the pony car revolution into the sunlight in a cornfield in Peoria IL.
SALUTE! and best of life and health in your new digs down under!

 

he's probably forgotten more **** than most of us will ever know!