Art's Candle
Art's Candle
Word has reached the web team that longtime member and paddock marshal Art Perry passed away on January 16th of a heart attack.
Services will be on Monday, 1/24/00 at 1:00 p.m. at the Chapel of the Hill on Red Hill
Avenue in San Anselmo.
His obituary will appear in the Marin Independent Journal and the SF Chronicle this
Friday, 1/21.
Art's wife Fran has asked that in lieu of flowers, people can make a donation to the Marin
Hospice. She would very much prefer that donations be made rather than flowers.
Gregg Schlaman has put together a photo tribute to Art here.
Email The Web Team to share your memories of Art.
I first met Art at a long ago, far away Driver's School at Cotati. I was fresh
faced, dewy-eyed novice and Art was Chief of Emergency. As part of the School they
used to dispatch the crash truck on a "Practice Alert" so we students would
learn what not to hit. I passed the truck exiting Turn 4 and headed for T5 (a dogleg
left). Driving the Lotus-Cortina line (getting sideways and catching it) I
discovered that there was oil on the track and spun for what seemed forever off into the
tules and pampas grass. I came to rest amidst a cloud of steam and smoke to find Art
and his fire bottle thrusting themselves through my window.
I have been fortunate to have Art as a friend since then. I cannot imagine how we
will ever fill the gap he leaves.
Dick Templeton
We all just lost another great friend, Art Perry.
Working in the pit lane during race weekends allowed myself and my crew to spend quite a
bit of time with Art Perry.
We knew he was a professional that loved spending his time working with all of us in the
SFR. His professional behavior, his jokes, his enthusiastic hand shake early in the
morning (that I always felt was such a friendly gesture on his part that really made you
feel that he was glad to see you) and his stories will be truly missed.
I have so many stories about Art, I have no idea which to tell. Most probably
wouldn't be appropriate for this forum anyway. I can only say he did add to the
enthusiasm and fun we have all enjoyed over so many years.
Almost a year ago we lost another good friend, Tom Crusoe and my crew each race weekend
would have a "toast" for him at beer. During this next season we will
include Art. I only wish we didn't have to.......
We'll miss you Art!
Pat Phillips
Pit Fire
Art and I go back to the late 50,s and early 60's and I will always cherish the many
times that we would have conversations that would start out...remember the time when...or
you know it seems like yesterday but...or I'll never forget the time...and so on. We
would rememinice about such things as John Barneson and the Chrysler powered Haggeman
Special, Fred Knopp with the first Huffaker Special, John Fox or Foxy John as he was
called in his new Lotus, Pru Baxter, Lou Brero Sr. and his Cad Kurtis and zebra stripped
D-Type. Sterling Edwards in his Moundial, Bob Gillespie, Sid Colberg, the OSCA group made
up of Sammy Weiss, Chick Leason, Al Copell, Bill David and of course Charlie Rezaggi and
the Alfa Romeo Disco Volante. Wonderful times, a true gentleman and a real good
friend!!! They threw the mold away after createing him. I
will definately miss him very much!
Jack Chisum
I was wandering around the paddock one morning as we are all certain to do when the night before we were expounding on our greatness at the track ...no matter what we did there.
I heard; "Hey Junior!" Not used to this being a call to me, I continued walking..."Dave!" I stopped and looked over at the Scrutiny "courtyard" and there was Art standing there with a plate of scrambled eggs and sausage from Rick Chelone (Master Chef) and I ambled over for the first of many great breakfasts with the "Old (gaseous report)" and laughed til I hurt about the various goings on the day before or what was to come. This, was Art Perry.
He was instructed by Don Seike to "show me the ropes" after my previous 10 years as a pit marshal. "I want you to take over as my assistant." To what? I said; all you do is park cars". ....Uhhh huh.
Four years later, the last two of them, me being Chief of the program, I had to quit with my tail between my legs. We had a crew of 11 Paddock Marshals (we coined the terms, yellow jackets - killer bees) and we felt that we had the best laid out paddocks in all of racing. I still think we did. We kept people from killing one another and in a couple of instances that come to mind ...themselves . Art was a magician and was able to squeeze 60,000 lbs of team into a 5 lb. space with room for the kiddie corral. during this time he developed the security of the paddock and lay out for Thunderhill. . That being done he returned to Chief the entire SFR again and to his credit he never once complained that he couldn't do it.
I can't say that about me.
Art, my friend, we have had some good laughs, you and I, and I will treasure the times I was granted to spend with you. For the he rest of you workers in this club, treasure your times as volunteers; they are far more rewarding than winning races. Drivers, to you I say, get out of your cars and start working when you're done playing. That is what this club started on and made it truly wht it is today, lest you forgot that.
Art taught me that. You'd do well to learn it.
Dave Selvy
Former Paddock Marshal
I have had the pleasure of knowing Art over the course of my experience as a kid growing up at the track, as a member of my fathers pit crew, and as a member of the worker trans crew. I saw Art and Fran the night before he passed at a dinner for the Sears Point worker trans crew. We ha a great conversation over dinner, reminiscing about racing and the people that have shaped our club over the years. Everyone in the club knows Art in some way, and there will always be something missing every time I drive through the gate at Sears or Laguna. My deepest sympathy to Fran and their family.
John Zanardi
Zantech Motorsports
Worker Transportation
To my Friend Art You were one in a Billion. Your pleasant smile was always a joy to see the first thing in the mornings. You could solve most any problem no matter what the perceived problem was. You always had a positive attitude. You were the essence of what it is to be a member of a large family. Those of us who are members of this large family (SCCA) will "try" to follow your example. We may fail at times, but we WILL know what path to follow because you have laid out the directions. Thank you my friend. Now have the opportunity to organize the great paddock in the sky!
May you rest in peace in the arms of the Lord and may he keep his arm around Fran in her time of need. God bless you old friend....
Roger Barron
