Tribute to Lynn 09-16-52 to 11-18-92

I grew up around drag racing in my home town of Montgomery Alabama. My first memory of going to the local drag strip was back in 1969. I was barely 9 years old, but was excited to go with my 17 year old brother Lynn, who was just starting to race. The year before, my dad had purchased a new Chevrolet C10 pickup and gave it to Lynn in hopes he would use it in the family business. My dad was a contractor and was trying to get Lynn interested in working with him by giving him this truck. Well, it didn't take long for Lynn to trade this new truck to a gentleman for a low mileage 1966 Olds 442 with the W30 package. My dad was upset, but knew he had gambled on the whole concept of him wanting to work with him anyway. It didn't take much to prepare the 442 for the strip. The W30 package was almost drag-ready. The time came when the car was ready, so Lynn and our brother-in-law Ronnie had made plans to go to the Montgomery drag strip on Coliseum Blvd on Friday night. Being the annoying little 9 year old brother, I invited myself. Lynn did quite well his first time out and won a couple of heats in his bracket. The dark green 442 got the reputation before long as the car to beat in our area. Lynn held the track record in his bracket for several years until one nasty little copper-colored 1967 Chevy II named "The Bad Penny" showed up and claimed his record. He continued to race locally and remained competitive until he got into a little trouble and was court-ordered to join one of the branches of the military (they used to do that). His choice was the military or jail, so the decision became obvious. Vietnam was still a problem in the early 70's but he was fortunate enough to avoid that conflict by joining the Air Force. He served in the Philippines and various other locations in the U.S. like Barrow Alaska and Wichita Falls Texas. When he left the Air Force and returned home, it was obvious he had issues with alcohol abuse. He started working with my dad in the family business and became a "functional alcoholic". We went back to the local drag strips and watched the races, but Lynn never competed again. Much to our surprise, the old green 442 resurfaced on the local tracks around 1975. The friend who purchased the car from Lynn when he entered the Air Force had let it sit for a while, but eventually brought it back to life and started competing. It was a wonderfully strange feeling seeing that car approach the christmas tree one more time and I could tell Lynn had a lump in his throat. She screamed down the track the same way she did back in 1969. Several spectators had mentioned recognizing the car from years past. Shortly after that, the 442 had engine problems and was parked again, this time for good. We lost track of the car through the years and decided it probably ended up in some scrap yard or was parted out to give life to other Cutlass-bodied cars. I would love to someday re-create this car in honor of Lynn and the car's racing history. On the evening of 11-18-92, I came home from a hard day's work and noticed my wife at that time had a pale look on her face as she told me to sit down. I knew there had been a death, but did not expect to hear what I heard. The years of alcohol and drug abuse had taken Lynn's life at the young age of 40. Just 2 months prior, he had called me up to tell me that he had made the decision to accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. I know Lynn is in the hands of the Father and doing fine. Lynn's influence on my life started my interest in the automotive field and now I am a manager for a major exhaust manufacturer in North Carolina. Rest in peace Lynn, I love you brother.