Folks Of Interest R.I.P. Stroker - Tom Medley

Wow he was a vital reason for the growth of the hobby we all love. So glad he got to see his car raise from the ashes before he passed away.

 

Another great one lost, but he left a wonderful legacy. Godspeed Mr. Medley...

 

Sad news indeed. I'm glad he got to see his beloved 40 Coupe rise from the flames. I wonder what he is driving up there? I'm sure its Kool. Thanks for the memories Tom.

 

He's up there B.S.ing with "ol' Dad " Baskerville. So glad he got to drive his '40 and see it restored.
He won't soon be forgotten.

 

sad

 

A true loss. He (and Stroker) will be sorely missed. RIP.


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Sad news indeed,I never had the pleasure of meeting Tom but he made a big impact on me through the years..Rest in peace. HRP

 

I still wear a stroker cap because of those cartoons. RIP Mr. Medley.

 

R.I.P. Tom.......

 

So long Tom,..... And thanks for the ride !

 

Sorry to hear of his passing. R.I.P. Mr. Medley.

 

R.I.P Mr. Medley(Stroker) & condolences to his family & friends. A sad day today.

 

Damn. Rest in peace, Mr. Medley.

 

Man, that bums me out... atleast I have some of his artwork inked on me to remember him by. RIP Tom.

 

So Long Stroker. Chris

 

I met Tom many years ago through mutual friend Stan Betz. On one of my visits to Betz' shop I mentioned Medley's name and Betz said "oh he's a swell guy let's go see what he's up to". We hopped in the car and drove over to Burbank to see him.

"Well what are ya standing out on the porch for, c'mon in" he says. Betz is laughing and Medley is treating my brother-in-law and I like he's known us our whole lives. We hung out at his house, checked out all the original drawings, his go karts, his Doberman, his beloved '40. We went down the road to his favorite diner where his favorite waitress waited on us and he had everybody in the place in stitches. He would come out with these really witty comments..pulling away from the curb he would shout " Follow that car and step on it !"...he was like a little kid.



Original artwork for HRM_ 1953 .



Tom Medley, my brother-in-law Dick Schuster, and Stan Betz

We stayed good friends after that..he even did some ad work for a product I developed. To have the phone ring at home and have my wife say "Tom Medley is calling" was almost sureal as I had grown up being such a huge fan of his . Sometimes he would call about one thing, and we get talking about vintage karting or fishing in Alaska and completely forget why he called in the first place.



Some years ago my daughter was enrolled at the Kubert School of Commercial Art...one of only a handful of accredited cartooning schools in the nation. Occasionally she would get discouraged, so I'd give Medley a ring..."Put her on the phone!" he'd say...and he'd give her some ecouragement or words of wisdom. Imagine having a kid in cartooning school and getting pointers from Tom Medley. This is akin to having Babe Ruth give your kid batting lessons. But that's the kind of guy Tom was.




An original copy of HRM Dec. '51....a Christmas gift to my son :



Each year that passed I would tell Betz "I gotta get back out to Cali this summer so we can go visit Medley"....but I never found the time. Another one of life's hard lessons...don't keep putting things off.

I talked to Betz this morning..I said "you know after I sold off my old hot rod and all the parts I never really missed any of it...but I miss Medley already"..and he agreed.

In the end it's not really the material things that matter, but the people you meet along the way.

I know there are many other stories out there just like mine...he had a way of making everybody feel like that.

It was a privelidge to know this man, and an even bigger thrill to call him a friend.

So long Tom...see you on the other side.





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Another Icon gone!!

 

He'll be remembered around the world! RIP Tom!

 

Damn, seems like everyday, another hot rod hero is gone. See ya on the other side.

 

Pest in Paradise.

 

Rip Tom, I'll be hoping to meet you one day when my own time is up.

 

One of my Hot Rod hero's. Tried in vane when I was a kid to draw like him. RIP

 

R.I.P. I never got the chance to meet him, but it is a huge loss to the hot rod world. Seems like too many lately, on a good note it was awesome for him to have his '40 restored for him before this sad time. I would bet it made the world to him.....

 

Rest in Peace Tom

 

Great stories about a great man.

 

Very sad to hear. Joyed by the full and fun life it seems he lead.

 

I too was inspired by Tom's work, which helped get me started in my career of graphic design. RIP my friend.

 

R.I.P Stroker....GODSPEED my friend.

 

RIP Stroker.

Glad he got to see his '40 rebuilt after the fire. From all the photos, you can tell that he was totally thrilled and really appreciated all the hard work and donations.

JH