It's a(nother) sad day in the journalism business . . . and for Bonneville
fans as well.
Gray Baskerville passed away this morning, peacefully. His spinal cancer
was diagnosed only last fall. His wife, Susan, and only child, Elizabeth,
were with him. No service is planned. Gray was 66.
He was a friend to the salt when the salt needed a pal at HOT ROD and became
one of the best-known hot-rodding photojournalist in the hobby.
He gave me my name, "LandSpeed" Louise, more than 20 years ago when I occupied
a 7th floor Petersen Publishing office overlooking Sunset Boulevard and made a
habit of setting speed records on the staircases -- shoeless, no less.
He had a passion for the sport that never waned. Words and pictures were his
business and with those tools he gave life to an otherwise mundane page.
Although his words could sometimes stretch the factual realm, Gray's
expressions of edgy, razor-sharp commentary were envied by many, but equaled
by few.
"Basketcase," or "Grayville" as he was sometimes called, was also the king of
flip-flop shower shoes, wearing them everywhere and were as much part of his
persona as the cigar was to Groucho Marx. At Bonneville, his uniform was
simple, a HOT ROD T-shirt (in later years, he upscaled to one with a collar),
baggy shorts and
pith helmet. I'd almost bet the racers smiled at him in their helmets as they
went by.
Armed with a simple 35mm camera, no motor drive, no flash, no fancy filters
and giant gear bag, he would annually bring back great images of those who did
great deeds. Until recently, it was he who had to fight the front-office
"suits" that turned up their noses at land speed racing. Baskerville made sure
Speedweek got some ink every year and in the little space they begrudgingly
gave him, he kept the torch burning on the pages that owes its very existence
to the straight-line velocity crowd.
If hot rods have wings, make his a '32 highboy on '29 rails.
Be Vigilant,
"LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth
LandSpeed Productions
Telling Stories with Words and Pictures
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