Louie Senter’s 90th Birthday Party
By
Louie Senter’s 90th Birthday Party
Story by Richard Parks, Pictures from Jim Miller
Photograph Consultant Roger Rohrdanz
Sept 19, 2010
Los Angeles, CA.
Betty Senter held a special birthday party for one of the grand old men of racing, Louie Senter. Assisting her was her daughter and son-in-law, Marsha and Rodney Scully. The date was Sunday, September 19, 2010, from noon to whatever time we managed to leave, at Trader Vic’s in Los Angeles. It was the type of party that Louie’s friends have come to appreciate, for Senter is one of the most friendly, gregarious and generous sort of person in the racing business. The dress was casual, as befitting one of the pioneers of hot rodding, though the restaurant was next to the Los Angeles Convention Center and Staples Arena. The guest list filled the restaurant with about 200 people and they represented the sort of hot rodders and racing pioneers that Louie grew up with. Louie was also surrounded by his family; his lovely wife Betty, daughter Marsha, son-in-law Rodney, two grandchildren, Shane and Lindsey, Shane’s wife Sheri and two daughters. Also helping out was Rodney’s brother, Yardney Scully. Betty Senter’s sister was also present; Estelle Berger and her daughter-in-law Agneta Berger. The bench racing began in a waiting area as the guests arrived and what a list it was. Then we were escorted into the restaurant where our luncheon awaited us. I sat at a table with Dusty Brandel and Bobbie Colgrove. Dusty is the president of AARWBA, or the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association. Dusty and Bobbie were two of the first female reporters who were allowed into the paddock at the Indianapolis 500 race. Also at my table was Mr and Mrs Dick Dixon, Don Weaver, Jim Murphy, Mike and Linda Garabedian, Burke and Jean LeSage, Frank Acosta, Marion Deist and Joan Weiand, Phil’s widow. Don Weaver will have his Legends of Ascot Reunion in October. Marion Deist is the widow of Jim Deist who is a pioneer among safety equipment for boat and car racing. Marion still runs the firm that she and her husband started. LeSage is a legendary dry lakes and Bonneville racer with many land speed records.
Bud and Joan Meyer were invited but couldn’t make it to the party. Bud is the nephew of Indy 500 legend Louis Meyer. The Meyers have been involved in racing since the very beginning of motorsports racing. Bud even raced boats until the injuries persuaded him to retire from the boats. Others were came were; Ed and Sylvia Pink, Marie Kane, Barry Lazar, Allan Leavitt, Ray and Maria Lipper, Harry and Susan Lippman, Frank Silva, Wendy James Jovgren, Tyra Martinez, Fred Meyer, Ellen Pauli, Dan Rackemann, Rich and Ina Rogal. Rackemann is a famous NHRA member, employee and track manager. His stories of early drag racing are priceless. Ed Pink is the renowned engine builder and his engines powered many cars and boats to victory. Another group included; James and Madeline Shaffer, Gene and Marie Shaffer, Tom Shedden, Philip Sicola, Lynn Slade, Orville Harris, Chris and Laura Agajanian, Judy, Richard and Dolores Albain, Ray and Marlene Alter, Nick Jr and Carmen Arias, Dan and Beth Cahill, Albert and Doris Calderon, Ron, Robby and Elaine Cohn, Bruce and Marie Crader. George Callaway and Mike Cook were invited but could not make it as they were arranging for a land speed trial run. Additional guests included; Jimmy Dilamarter, Parnelli Jones, Greg and Donna Econn, Dick and Beverley Martin, Dale Estes, Joseph Fontana, Vince and Lori Granatelli, Alice Hanks, Harry Hibler, Ray Hughes and Dottie James. Vic and Nancy Edelbrock were invited but could not make it. Dilamarter is the curator for the race cars at Parnelli Jones’ museum. Parnelli won the Indy 500 in 1963, beating out Rodger Ward who was looking for his third Indy win. Vince Granatelli is Andy’s brother and a partner in many of the companies that the Granatellis opened up in auto racing. Joe Fontana builds racing engines for Bonneville. Dottie James is the widow of Walt James, a legendary racer, promoter and founder of the CRA Reunion and past president of the CRA. Alice Hanks is the widow of Indy 500 winner Sam Hanks.
As I looked around the room I saw Richard and Mary Sloan, Ed and Susan Justice, Marie Lobaito, Harvey and Debbie Kalan, John Sprenger, Gary Wilson, Bert Middleton, David Austin, Jim Miller, Gale and Jane Bensussen, Greg Sharp, Donna Crowther, Gale Banks, Doug and Jan Dwyer, Lou Grignetti, Chet and Dolores Knox and John Weiand. Ed Justice Jr is the President and CEO of Justice Brothers Car Care Products and a major sponsor for many young racers over the years. Greg Sharp is the curator of the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum. Gale Banks owns Banks Power and makes powerful engines for race cars and the trucking industry. Chet Knox is a past owner of Autobooks/Aerobooks in Burbank, California. More people walked by and I met Tom and Pat Kurnow, Ronnie Rapp, Bill and Lynda Haines, Ed and Claire Irving, Charlene Eckhardt, Bob and Charlotte Morton, Ed Iskenderian, John Athans, Chuck and Jeannie Doidge, Bob and Jackie Bradley, Chris and Lisa Kersting. Bob Morton was a partner of Louie Senter at the dry lakes in the 1940’s. Ed Iskenderian is known as the Camfather for his cams and for his PR and publicity. He was also the first president of SEMA. Chuck and Jeannie Doidge come from a well known boat racing family in Southern California. Chris Kersting is the current SEMA president.
I circulated among the tables and met Bertine and Maury “Spider” Razon, Andy and Diane Casale, Dick Gulstrand, Don, Bob and Lee Spar, Wendy Abrams, Dave and Louise McClelland, Bob Leggio, Bob North, Hans Becker, Eldon Rasmussen, Larry Woodward, Stewart and Pam Van Dyne, Tim Love, JC Agajanian, and Roger LaCroix. Andy Casale continues the business started by his late father, Ernie Casale. McClelland found fame as an announcer for the NHRA drag races and then branched out into all types of auto racing as an announcer. Stewart Van Dyne has the original molds for the famed Offy engines and builds fast land speed cars. JC Agajanian, named after his famous father, who promoted auto racing throughout the country. Bob Leggio insures car shows and racing events and wherever Louie Senter goes, Bob is there to drive him around and look after him. The program began and Rodney Scully welcomed everyone to Louie’s 90th birthday party. He then turned the microphone over to Louie’s wife of 65 years, Betty Senter.
“Thank you all for coming to Louie’s 90th Birthday Party,” said Betty. “Rodney and Marsha Scully did all the work on it. I met Lou in April of 1943 at a party given by Helen Senter for Lou and his Navy buddies. Lou came in late with three peroxide blondes hanging onto his arms and I thought that he looked great in his uniform and was quite taken by him. I saw him the next day and he grabbed me and put me over his shoulder in a playful way. We got married in 1944 in an all Navy wedding. Lou got out of the Navy in 1946 and I have to say that he was a good inventor and salesman. But he had a drawback and that was that he couldn’t say no to anyone, so I learned how to say no and mean it. He started his business soon after he got out of the Navy and it wasn’t long after that when he bought out his partners and ran it himself. It wasn’t accepted practice in those days to put your children into day care, but Lou needed me in the office and so Marsha went to the center. A man came in and bet that he could beat Lou in a race and off he went. He came back and handed me $75 from his winnings and that was a common occurrence. Early in 1950 we moved to Normandie Avenue where most people remember Ansen Automotive was located. Lou was one of the original founders of the SEMA organization that was created in the early 1960’s in order to promote the interest of racing equipment manufacturers. Ed Iskenderian was the first president of SEMA. We will soon celebrate our 66th wedding anniversary,” Betty told us.
The next person to speak was Lou and Betty’s only child, Marsha Senter Scully. “I was the only child of Lou and Betty Senter,” Marsha told the audience. “My father was born to a Russian immigrant family and Lou was one of six children. Uncle Sydney Senter is here with us today and he’s 96 years old. All the Senter children were adventurous and some of them were in the Our Gang comedies. My dad won the first soapbox derby held at Gilmore Stadium. He competed in track and football at Fremont High School. He learned to be a tool and die maker and went on to teach hydraulics. Dad started Senter Automotive with his brother Saul Senter. After that he opened Ansen Automotive in the 1940’s and sold the company in 1969, staying on to manage the place for a few years. In 1974 he went to work for W.R. Grace and retired in 2004. One of my father’s hobbies is to help his grandson on his racing team. For years I was the boy my father never had. My father was the biggest kid that I knew. He always had race cars in our garage. I remember playing on our race boat, “Prancin’ Ansen.” My father was such a pushover and he could never say no to me or to anyone. He is the most humble man that I have ever known and he loves all people,” Marsha said.
Rodney Scully took the microphone and offered a few words, then acted as the emcee for the evening. “I first met Lou in 1967, just after my first date with Marsha. Betty worked at the business while Lou went to all the races. He surrounded himself with talented people at Ansen. Lou was on a trip to the east with another man when he crashed in Colorado in the snow. Both men were unconscious for awhile and when they woke up they heard the radio playing a love song and he thinks he’s in heaven. The tow vehicle wasn’t repairable, so Lou got the dragster off the trailer and drove into town for help. On the way the police see him and pull him over for questioning. They had never seen a man drive a dragster into town. Lou was one of the founders of the SEMA organization. He was also a very creative inventor of engine parts and developed the Ansen wheel, which was one of the first racing wheels on the market. He invented hundreds of products to fill Ansen Automotive. He drove a midget race car on the high banks of the Coliseum in Los Angeles. He set records in land speed racing at Bonneville and went over 200 mph. He was the track manager at Saugus drag strip as well as the oval course,” Scully concluded. Scully then read two letters of distinguished men whom Lou knew, but could not attend. One letter came from former Mexican President Vicente Fox and the second letter from Sheriff Lee Baca of the County of Los Angeles. The next speaker was Shane Scully, Lou’s grandson. “My grandfather always helped me with my racing. He was always there for me. Lou adores my two daughters, his great-granddaughters,” Shane told us.
The next speaker was Lou’s granddaughter, Lindsey Scully. “I remember his car crashes at Willow Springs,” she told us. “It was really shocking to see him crash and yet walk away, that’s when I knew that I had a really ‘bad’ grandpa,” Lindsey told us. Roxanne Scully, Shane’s wife and Lou’s granddaughter-in-law told us how much she loves and respects him. Lou’s older brother, Dr Sydney Senter, spoke next. “I became the track doctor in 1939 at Gilmore Stadium. I took care of five race tracks in the Southern California area for many years. Once we were back at the Indy 500 and Lou had just had an Achilles tendon surgery and was in a wheelchair. We carried him into the suite and when we came out his wheelchair was gone. I searched the pits and found some guys who were pushing it around and told them to give it to me. They told me to come and take it and I told them, ‘there may be snow on the roof, but there’s fire down below’ and they gave me the wheelchair back without any more trouble,” Sydney said. JC Agajanian was the next speaker and thanked Sydney and Lou for all that they had done for racing over the years. Then acting as the emcee he crossed to the room and gave the microphone to Dave McClelland. “I’ve known Lou since the beginning of SEMA,” said the famed racing announcer. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happier man than Lou Senter when he ran his dragster down the track at the California Hot Rod Reunion at Famoso,” said Dave. Ed Justice Jr then was handed the microphone by JC and looked at Lou and said, “Lou, you and my dad were like brothers. The scariest drive I have ever had was when you took me in your roadster. After you crashed your dragster my dad bought it from you to put in our museum in Duarte and everyone here is welcome to come and see it on display. I thought this was going to be a small party and I’m just blown away by today’s gathering,” Ed told us.
Chris Agajanian managed to wrest the microphone away from his elder brother and a sigh broke out across the room. “There are special people here today to pay tribute to a special man. Lou always had that cute smile and little lisp that made him so charming. Dr Sydney Senter was my doctor as I was growing up and I was always a little afraid when I saw Lou and Syd, since as a child I always pictured them with hypodermic needles. I loved to go to Ansen Automotive; it was like a supermarket of auto parts,” Chris added. Parnelli Jones was the next speaker. “Lou, you’re my kinda guy,” he told the audience. “All of us are old cronies. I bought a lot of parts from you. Lou worked with Jim Hurtubise at Indy. Lou was one of the first in the wheel business,” Parnelli concluded. Bob Leggio rose and began to speak. If anyone knows Lou it has to be Bob, who go to all the events together and Leggio does the driving. He began to tell us some road stories and the humanity of Louie Senter became clear to all. “Lou, Jim Deist and I were driving to Bonneville one year and we stopped off at Ash Springs, little town out in nowhere. I asked Jim and Lou, who was sleeping, ‘do you want some popcorn and candy?’ Lou was still groggy and so I yelled louder, ‘Lou we’re in Ash Springs, do you want some popcorn and candy?’ Lou was now half awake and yelled back at Bob, ‘that sonnabitch still owes me money.’ Jim and I never laughed so hard and we told that story everywhere we went,” Bob declared. Harvey Kalan rose to take the microphone and tell us how much he and his family love Lou.
Bob Morton rose to offer his thoughts. Morton is an impressive man, both in size and accomplishments and the room hushed. “I went to work for Lou at Ansen Automotive when I was about 15,” Morton told us. “Lou gave me a job sweeping floors. I remember that Lou hired a really busty secretary who was quite a looker, but not a very good office worker. Betty came down to the shop and took one look at her and fired her. We raced together as a team and set all sorts of firsts. One time I saw that he had put a roll bar on his car and it was unique for the time. I called out, ‘hey Lou, that roll bar will save some lives,’ and he retorted, ‘Hell, it’ll save my rear end,’ meaning his car if it crashed,” Morton exclaimed. Ed Iskenderian was called forth by the crowd and he told us that Lou had sponsored a lot of drivers over the years. “Thank God for Betty though or you would be broke today,” and the crowd roared with approval at Isky’s remarks. “I owe a lot to you,” Isky added, “You and Jack Andrews bought a lot of my cams.” Ed Pink was the next to speak. “I’ve know Lou for 63 years. We ran at El Mirage in the 1940’s and later I went to work for Lou. He sponsored me when I raced Top Fuel dragsters. When you became friends with Lou Senter you were his friend for life. We went to the races, partied and argued together and we’re still friends,” said the master engine builder. Ed Irving was the next to speak. “My racing history went back to my father and grandfather at Carroll Speedway. I brought my photo albums out and Lou remembered all the pictures from the old days,” Irving explained.
Tom Dwyer spoke next. “I met Louie when I was in junior high school. I asked Lou if he would help me build an engine and he didn’t hesitate at all. I thought I was something, so we went to a drag strip in San Diego and I only ran an 86 mph, twenty miles less than another driver in the car had run. Betty found out and said, ‘what kind of a drag racer are you.’ The next time out I went all out and did 112 mph and when I got back to the shop she said, ‘that’s better.’ Happy birthday Lou,” Tom concluded. Jerome Rodelo spoke up next. “I worked on Shane’s car and Lou called up and was cussing. He was stranded and needed help, so I loaded up the truck with tires and parts and drove out to the track. Lou’s shorts had somehow fallen down around his ankles and everyone was quietly staring. We ribbed him a lot about that,” Rodelo chuckled. Ray Swan rose and took the microphone. “We were at the California Hot Rod Reunion one year and Lou was driving me around in his roadster. All of a sudden the cops are chasing Lou and he tells me, ‘I’ll ditch ‘em,’ but they caught up to us. Lou says to the officers, ‘you don’t know who I am, do you, I’m Louie Senter.’ The cop says, ‘I still don’t know who you are.’ Lou has that talent for getting people to like him and he talks the police into coming back to the motor home and they end up having a bowl of chili with us. Lou always brought his dog Lulu with him and one day he stops by my shop at the airport and we light up the dragster. That scared the dog and he ran off and Lou was frantic. He can’t go home to Betty without the dog. He looks all over and then calls the cops and even goes to the air traffic control tower at the airport to look down on the premises. It’s way after dark and finally he goes home and tells Betty. The next day he and Betty return and they found the dog cowering under a shed. Lou and Ed Justice Sr loved to talk. Ed would jab you excitedly with his finger and Lou would pull on your arm. I took quite a beating when I was standing between them. Lou lined up the drag racers at Saugus. I didn’t have a helmet and Lou told me I couldn’t drive without one. ‘I don’t intend to crash’ I said and raced down the drag strip without permission or a helmet and did 101 mph. Lou caught up with me and threw me out of the drag strip and I couldn’t come back until I got a helmet,” Swan told the group.
Chet Knox took the microphone next. “If anyone needed a part the advice was to go see Louie. He’d have it or he would make it for you. He often just gave away the parts, since he was so generous. Louie had a standing offer to buy a race car if it qualified at Indy. He would hire Pancho Carter to take the cars out to qualify for the race. He had a very extensive line of parts at Ansen Automotive. I consider him to be ‘Mr Hot Rod,’ and a good friend,” said Chet. Knox then presented Lou with a trophy that he had and called it, ‘Mr Hot Rod Trophy,’ and said, “It’s old, but so is Louie.” Knox then gave Betty a bottle of champagne with a label that said, “Louie, we’ve been through a lot of problems and you’ve been responsible for all of them,” to which the audience roared their approval. Dick Dixon spoke to the guests. “I remember in 1956 that my father told me, ‘Dick, Lou is the real deal.’ My father and I go back to quartermidget racing. Lou loved people. People don’t know that Lou was also a publisher and put out one of the first catalogs of automotive racing parts,” Dixon said. Dick then told the assembled crowd that he plans on establishing a scholarship in Lou Senter’s name. Burke LeSage then spoke and said, “I was one of the first employees for SEMA when it was established by Lou and other early speed parts manufacturers. That was in the early 1960’s. Senter brought in many members into SEMA. Betty was very influential too with the SEMA professional managers group,” Lesage added. The guest of honor, Lou Senter, rose and addressed the attendees. “I want to thank all those that came today and those that worked so hard to make this program possible,” and with those humble words, Lou Senter waved to us all. The cake was brought in and there were 90 candles on it. Lou, with a little help from his grandchildren blew out all the candles on the cake. I don’t know what his wish was, but our wish was for Lou Senter to have many more happy years with his family and friends. Gone Racin’ is at [email protected].