Tom Senter

Wasn't Tom Lou Senter's son? as in the product AN- SEN ? seems like Lou wrote a million articles on flatheads... Also was Tom the man who ran a flathead in a '67 Camaro at Bonneville?

Loved his ramblings, >>>wasn't it that damn Cancer, that got him? (I have questions)

 

Hello to all. I'm not a classic motor aficionado, sadly. With your forbearance I registered only to offer a brief insight to your generous memory of Tom Senter. I am a cousin of his, 11 years younger. My midwestern family visited his a few times in my youth. Tom's dad was John H. Senter, an accomplished film art director and production designer who passed only in 2015. Meeting Tom for the first time at 17 (I was looking at a career in design), with typical thoughtfulness he offered to drive me over to the Peterson Publishing design office on Sunset Strip. My aunt cautioned how "he's an aggressive driver". Strapped into his Trans-Am, I experienced instant g-forces in the mere minutes it took him to clear the hills and turns of Laurel Canyon.

After college my wife and I moved to LA. We had just 6 years to get to know Tom before a rare cancer in his abdomen took him so shockingly early. Tall, super-intelligent and extremely confident, he conducted laughing cameraderie among guys in family gatherings at his parent's Studio City home, sharing observations and stories. (His mother referred to him as "a man's man".) Framed on a wall behind the hillside home's little bar was his 1971 Rod & Custom cover, "Tom Senter's Blown Ardun Super Street Motor". Engine parts, including Ardun, were stored in the garage there. We used to hear of his adventures: Bonneville Flats and growing connections to Ford Racing.

Tom's gravestone says it: White Minutes. He and his wife had two children; one is a talented Material Specialist in automotive design, the other is a financial entrepreneur. Tom's widow raised their two small children all the way to college, living in their original home in North Hollywood. She then remarried, to John Telnak (I believe a lasting link to Bonneville); they split their retirement between Florida and Detroit.

Again, I apologize if this is inappropriate with no automotive sense to share. Just a remembrance of Tom's missing part in a family that was awash in design and engineering. But two glimpses come to mind. First: the last time we saw him, he was at home recovering from treatment, and we were parting on their stoop, he beside his wife. We walked out to our car: a 1978 4WD CJ-5 Jeep. Tom instructed me: "I want to see you drive that home – in a straight line ... no turns." Second, one of his last trips out alone was to the Burbank Bob's Big Boy, where the drive-in hot rods and classic cars gather.

I was touched by all of your respect for Tom's writing and skills. It said much more about him. RIP Tom.

 

Welcome to the HAMB ZaZula, I never met Tom but got a few letters and a photo of his Roadster back in the '70's. Thanks for posting, I'll think of Tom the next time out in Burbank at Bob's Big Boy.

Bob

 

Inappropriate? No way, you gave us more insight into one of the great automotive writers in the hot rodding world. Tom was technical in a way even the newcomers could understand but he was so much more than a mere writer, he was entertaining and at times he’d add some comedic relief just to keep things interesting. RIP Tom.

 

Thanks very much for the informative, well written reminisces about your cousin, Tom Senter.

 

One of the great things about the internet is the ability to share things, think he sent this photo around 1975, if you know the actual date please let us know. This is Tom's project with the 28-29 body, that dual mag setup has to be something rare. Bob

 

Thanks for that touching story.

Tom Senter was a special person.
An inspiration to many. We all miss him.

 

Just stumbled onto this thread and am loving the memories.

Tom and Mark Dees were close friends of my father's and both heroes to me. I was still in high school when Tom passed, but I remember dropping by his house with Dad once. It must have been shortly after Tom was diagnosed because he still seemed fit and in good humor. We were out in his garage while he worked on his Camaro. His beautiful wife (Marguerite?) came out to say hello. After she went back inside, Tom turned to my dad, "You know, the worst thing about dying is knowing that Mark's going to date your wife." It was both hilarious and true. I believe Mark remained close to Tom's son and took him to Bonneville a time or two after his dad died.

 

Thanks John, Welcome to the HAMB. I never got to meet Tom or Mark, but corresponded with letters back in the old days. Still have a photo of Tom's '29 roadster, and got a photo in Mark's Miller Dynasty, great times. Bob