Here in the Bay Area, the TV stations have been running a commercial for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation entitled: "This is the story of Eves". The Ad immediately grabbed my attention with this still photo of Graf & Yoshioka's "Stone T" Fuel Altered: I had never heard of a drag racer by the name of "Eves Tall Chief" ... so I decided to do a little research on "them thar Interwebs." I found a bunch of pics and info about Eves and his American Indian Air Force hang gliding ... but very little about his drag racing career ... just a one-liner mention about him once being a starter at the Fremont Drag Strip and campaigning a '69 AMX. So ... Any HAMBers know more about Eves' drag racing past?
Couldn't find any definitive proof that Eves ever crewed for Frank Graf and Mikio Yoshioka on the "Stone-T" Fuel Altered ... but that might be him in this pic: Circa 1970 image by L&M Photos (from Bob Plumer's Drag Race Memories Collection)
This "EVES TALL CHIEF - a Portrait of a Local Legend" video includes a short segment (@ the 2:24 mark) about Eves' drag racing past: ... so it appears that Eves drove a AA / Blown Alcohol (Rear-Engine) Dragster in the '70s ... and that this thread is pretty much Off Topic for the H.A.M.B.
hmmmm... nobody on the HAMB knows him, so he must not exist. wonder what the T has to do with it? I've seen those commercials many times. maybe the dude was just an actor and the story semi-made up. Hard to believe a guy wouldn't have a picture of his dragster to put on the commercial.
Here's a pic of the off-topic (circa '76) Davis ~ Alves ~ Tall Chief AA Blown Alcohol Dragster @ Fremont Drag Strip: image by Dave Kommel ... a pic of his '68 AMX: ... and a 1967 photo (taken in Fremont's Central Chevrolet dealer lot) of Eves Tall Chief & Ed Carter posing with Carter's "Proud American" Corvette Funny Car :
Hi guys, Just stumbled upon this thread. I'm hang gliding buddies with Eves Tall Chief, wanted to give him some credit.
Yep, he got a little sideways, I forget what he said why. Hit the rail at 200+, broke a few bones. I laced my motorcycle gas tank way back when, the lady in the fabric store just didn't get why I was buying the material. Takes an old timer to recognize the style!
THAT pegged the ugly meter....! Invite Eves to join up and share some stories with us... It's always great to hear it from the horse's mouth. Looks like they didn't always get the "tune" right on that altered!
D'oh! ... I've been meaning to bump this thread for quite awhile now ... As I mentioned in the OP, Eves was a starter at Fremont Dragstrip: Eves (in his Fremont Drag Strip coat) with his TR-3 image by Steve Reyes "Chief" has the distinction of being the last FLAG starter at Fremont: ... in June of '67, his flag was replaced by a CHRONDEK Christmas Tree:
It is an honor to have Chief as a part of the Eagle Field Family, the man knows how to live! Chief will be Flag Starting along with Earl Boyajian all day May 17th,from Stockers to PURE HELL. Rocky
No that's Al Nosse. Frank is a buddy of mine, he confirms Chief wasn't involved with this car at any time.
Here's a couple pics of Eves Tall Chief's ("HAMB-friendly") '31 Model A Coupe: with 289 Studebaker with Supercharged Flathead
Just a bump of this old thread ... with some more pics of starter Eves Tall Chief "in action" at Fremont Drag Strip: Eves the sweeper - image by Rich Welch Eves flagging Top Fuel dragsters at Fremont - images by Rich Welch Eves with pies in hand ready to Start the day of racing with some "pie in the face" slap stick with funnycar driver, Richard Schroeder - image by Rich Welch Pie in the face of Richard "wall to wall" Schroeder - image by Rich Welch
Captain Jack McClure's Rocket GoKart - image by Rich Welch Eves started a couple "Low Flying Aircraft" - photographer unknown Eves flag starting the Scorpion (driven by J.D. Zink) - circa 1968 image by Steve Reyes
A couple of color photos ... Mike Bernard (white t-shirt), Jim Guthrie, Eves , & Big Jim at the scales with Bernard's DeSoto HEMI-powered Topolino Altered - image by Rich Welch Eves in the staging lanes with Skip Govia's Chevy-powered Austin Healey - photographer unknown
Jack McClure ran 225 MPH that day front wheels bounced off the ground at the finish line . I was there.
Eves had a varied and interesting life, the name Tall Chief fit him perfectly. I’m surprised the hot rodding community had never heard more of him. Godspeed Eves.
Not a HAMB-friendly video ... but it's a glimpse into the man and how he lived his life: RIP Eves Tall Chief
Ran Fremont for years, Eves started me in: My channeled '30 A-V8; my '32 Highboy 5 window w/big flathead; Mom's '56 T Bird; her '56 Ford ragtop; my '56 Crown; my '63 409; my '63 Plymouth 426; and some other misc. hot rods... Remember him well. Saw him out at Eagle Field, wasn't sure it was him...(busy day, wish I woulda caught him...) So long, Eves...
The Jalopy Journal
