-----Original Message-----
From: Editorgary@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 2:09 PM
To: healeys@autox.team.net
Subject: Ron Yates's Death
We just read the item on the list digest reporting the death of Ron
Yates and Ron Burnett at Buttonwillow on Sunday. We didn't know Ron
Burnett, but we offer our condolences to his family.
Ron Yates was a very good friend of ours, and well known to probably
every older active member of the West Coast Austin-Healey clubs. He
had been an active member of the clubs, attending many of the events
since at least the early eighties, when we first met him.
Ron was a recognized authority on the history of Austin-Healey racing
in California. For many years Ron had been working on a book on that
topic, which sadly will go unfinished. Ron was also the only member of
the "World's Smallest Austin-Healey Club" the "Arizona Social Society
of a Healey Owner and Latent Entrepreneur" which published the
Dipstick Digest, "quarterly or whenever" and covered "mostly Healey
racing stuff from the '50s and '60s." Sadly, we just received the
latest issue of the Digest in the mail yesterday, which included an
obituary and memorial to Jim Albeck, another great Healey friend who
left on his own longest tour earlier this year. Ron was probably the
kindest person we've ever met in this hobby, but with a quick wit and
a willingness always to go out of his way to help anyone who asked for
information on Healey racing history. Thus it is ironic, but perhaps
fitting, that he died in a Healey on a race track, being as close as
he could be to the sport, hobby, and car he loved so much. The loss
of his knowledge is a tragedy for the hobby, and the loss of his
friendship an even greater source of sorrow. We'll miss him greatly.
Sadly,
Gary Anderson
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