Anybody from Pomona remember this gasser?

Very sad news. You and your family will be in our prayers.

 

i am at a loss for words ..............this is the worst news, my son Evan and I felt a very close bond to Royce right away and became very close friends with Royce and Vickie. he has had a great influence on me and will always be in my heart.i am so glad we were able to reunite him with his Stude at Bakersfield last year.
Steve

 

Nice picture of Chief Imagineer. You can come up with all sorts of possibilities of what his thoughts are at that moment.

This really is sad news for Royce, his family and all those folks who over many years were involved with the car and those that built and ultimately rebuilt it.

 

Psychochuckie I too have watched this thread since day 1. It brought a joy to many here on the HAMB. When it started it was just an old race car story. I remember the day I saw that your Dad chimed in on the thread. That to me brought a renewed interest for I and I would guess a lot more here on the HAMB had a special auto shop teacher which was most likely their favorite teacher. It sounds like your Dad was VERY SPECIAL auto shop teacher! The thread just grew that much more with all the different " Road Agents" also contributing to the thread. So if it it can help you any, in this time of despair please accept a hig ole virtual hug from this end. I am truly sorry for you and yours.
John

 

why would they tape that cars mouth shut ?

 

I have been following this post and enjoying every bit of it, when I turned the page this Morning my heart sank. I don't know the players involved and was not familiar with the car but now I feel like I've been part of it. That's the beauty of this hobby of ours, total strangers from all over the world with one common thread.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Hunt Family, Royce has had an impact on far more people than you will ever know.

 

i to have been following this from the start and im very sorry to hear this !

we will start a prayer circle for you .

Jerry

 

Very sad news.

Rest in Peace Royce Hunt.

Condolences to his family and friends. It sounds like he truly was the "Chief-Imagineer" for many people.

 

My condolences to your family. Thank you for keeping us informed on your father. We'll keep you in our prayers.

 

Never met Royce, except thru Steve, current caretaker of his Studebaker gasser. I sure did get to know him tho! Royce is a high point in Steve's entire rodding life! He could not say enough about him! Peace Royce, you brought a lot of light to this dark ol' world!
gbgh

 

faster!

 

rest in peace Royce, your spirit will ride with me every time i get in(to quote you) "the old girl". here is my favorite photo.......

 

I got the news of Mr.Hunt's passing from another classmate of mine, and my heart sank to a place where sorrow lives.

Royce Hunt was my auto shop teacher at Garey High back in the late 60's. Mr. Hunt was the kind of teacher that went way beyond just simple explinations on how things worked on a car. he would take the time to go into great detail on just how things operated, and present it in a way that just drew you in and made you want to know more. He had a passion for drag racing, and passing on his knowledge of what makes an engine, or any machine (for that matter) work. You could ask him how your mom's washing machine worked, and he's explain in detail just how a load of laundry gets washed from start to finish. If it was mechanical in nature, he knew something about it.
We tore all kinds of things apart in that garage that served as a classroom. Someone brought in a motorcycle (Cushman) that was DOA, and he brought it back to life, explaining why it had died, and how we could revive it.

But my dealings with Mr. Hunt go way beyond the classroom. There was the Road Agents car club, of which I was one of the original members. He formed a bond with his students, and taught us about life, about hot rodding, about being a better man, and he did it by example. He taught me a little bit about custom car painting, and let me paint the interior of that "old Girl", using acetylene smoke to make web-like black swirls over the fresh red paint on the doors and dash. He showed me how to spray and sand lacquere and shoot candys and flakes. I still remember how we both got light headded spraying the clear over the smoke designs. we came out of the interior and he said " I bet this is how you guys feel when you smoke that pot stuff" we laughed, I didnt answer, and we laughed some more.

This past July our high school had an "all 60's" reunion, which he and his wife attended. The night before, people from my class (1969) gathered at a favorite resturant, and Mr.hunt joined up with us. He sat directly across from me. We had a chance to relive that day, and he had vague memories of us painting that day. We talked as old friends do. I kept refering to him as Mr. Hunt, and he kept telling me to call him Royce. I explained to him that when someone deserves the kind of respect that he earned, I just simply couldent call him that. He was Mr. Hunt: my teacher, my Mentor, and my friend. I owe him a debt of gratitude that cannot ever be repaided. He inspired me to become a custom car painter, drag racer, and just a better person, and most importantly, to seek knowledge, and that curiosity is a good thing.

Right now, I'm sure he's snooping around Heaven trying to figure out how everything there operates, andf I'm sure when I find my way ther he'll be sure to fill me in on all the details.

So just this one time, in the words of Toby Keith: Royce, "I'm not crying for you, I'm crying for me".....
Rest in Peace, Mr. Hunt

 

......any time i asked Royce how the car was when he owned it or what parts it originally had he would say " the old girl" is yours now , do what you want! but i told him she will always stay the same as she was with only changes to improve performance or safety and he liked that a lot .... it would have been cool to be one of his students. it was very special to be one of his friends.

we need to keep this thread going so that others can pass along the story of passion, devotion and kindness Royce gave to his students and the sport.

 

I more than agree 5w32. I think it is incredible what you have done with the car being so respectful of its past history and of the people involved. So the question would have to be how do you keep the thread active? It is tough to do with so many things coming to a conclusion both positive and sadly negative as well.

Certainly photographs of the car over the years would be great but you have already posted so much. I wish I knew the answer to keeping it (the thread) alive out of respect for Mr. Hunt. Someone will figure something out I am sure.

Continued good luck to you with the car and memories of all involved.

 

5w32 what about a perpetual trophy for some gasser/vintage meet of your choice in Mr. Hunts name and honour? Just a thought but I would be willing to contribute something towards the purchase of that if you think it would work.

 

thats a really good idea, He really enjoyed the CHRR at Bakersfield and thats where he was reunited with the car........does anyone have other suggestions of a meet that would work? he liked the image that i had drawn for the showcard, maybe it could be cast for a trophy top......

 

engine update: Bill Trovato ( BTR performance) is now building a completely new 455(496 stroker) for the car and we hope to have it in the car for next spring, we will be at bakersfield for the 2013 CHRR , it would be cool to have as many x-Road Agents there as possible...mark it on your calendar!

 

Steve
you are now the torch bearer for Mr. Hunt's dream. He spoke very highly of you that night back in July. He was really proud that you were going to such great lengths to take the car to a place where we students, as well as he, couldn't go because of limited funds and the technology being what it was back then. To that fact, I say "Bravo"......and a work in progress that every member of the club would be quick to endorse.

I have one near-last comment to make : call it a request. I understand all about the patina of the car, and the mish-mash colors, but here's my thought.

When we first painted the car, it was just another gasser you'd find at Lion's, Fontana, or Irwindale. The "Road Agents" affiliation wasn't a stand-out feature. When the car was repainted to the blue and gold leaf (our school colors), the car gained it's uniqueness. It was then that people started to notice that this was a school project: the first of it's kind. THEN, it was special. The car gained noteriaty because of what it stood for. For that reason alone, if my vote counted anything towards your choice, I'd say to bring that Garey High School / Road Agents paint scheme, and make tribute on the trunk lid to the Chief.

Just a thought, my freind.
You carry the torche now: hold it proudly.....
Jeff

 

thanks Jeff, Evan and I were planning to do a tribute of some kind on the trunk of the car, Royce really liked the Yosemite Sam image and it would be cool to have all the Road Agents sign the trunk, ...if anyone has design ideas ...bring them on!

 

It wasn't as much about Yosemite Sam as it was the old "Highway Man" image. the original sketch was more like an old prospecter, with a bandana across his face. we all offered up suggestions and the image on the raffle ticket I beleive is the one that became the club logo. It was more "Gabby Hays" than Yosemite Sam.
his thinking was that we club members were to be the helpfull highway travelers, willing to assist motorists in need of help.

there's my spin on your logo.
Jeff

 

Looking at the instruments and gas pedal. I think this is the car you have.....

 

LMAO, ain't it GREAT!?!?!?!?!?!

 

Sorry to hear of Royce's passing. As I was reading this I was like man this is awesome. A car found, owner builder reunited, stories told and friendships made. Then I read farther to hear the news and my heart sank. I just Tuesday night went to a funeral for a 28 year old friend that passed due to terminal cancer. God Bless Royce and God's Speed!!!!!

 

My sincere condolences to Mr. Hunt's family and friends.

 

My heartfelt condolences to Royce's family... He was my Auto Shop instructor '73-'75 at Garey HS.... He had a very positive influence on many people, myself included.

 

Hey Steve...trying to get in touch so I can talk to you a bit about the car for magazine article. You can email [email protected]. Give me a call at Canadian Hot Rods 1-888-753-2111 as soon as you can.

 

watch for the upcoming( jan2013) issue of Canadian Hot Rods magazine , there is a great story about the Great Balls O Fire Stude and Royce in it.

 

also keep an eye out for the December 28th 2012 issue of the Vancouver Sun newspaper, Alyn Edwards has written a great article about the Stude and Royce in the Driving section.

 

5w32 any chance you can post a copy of the Vancouver Sun article once it is published? I cannot get the Toronto Sun on line so I am assuming the Vancouver one will not be available either. Thanks for the tip on Canadian Rodder.

Merry Christmas.