As I ready myself for yet another L A Roadsters show, I realized that it has been about a year since Tex Smith passed away. I enjoyed a nearly 50 year friendship with him and toward the end , when we both came to the fact that he was near to leaving this mortal life, that Tex confided to me that he was sure that all he had done in his life would be soon forgotten. I made a solemn promise to him that as long as I had breath, he would never be forgotten. and so, here I am at the one year point and thinking about my old friend. We would talk on the phone or email each other but always managed a few minutes to sit and talk while we enjoyed the roadster show. It was a few years ago that his illness advanced far enough to keep him from leaving down under any more and attending anything up here. So we kept up the emails an phone calls when we could. I am not sure if the younger group of rodders realize just how much we owe Tex for hot rodding in general. He left the Air Force and got a job with the new NHRA and soon was on the Safety Safaris, left there and went across the hall and became a staffer at Hot Rod. He and Wally Parks were close friends and to this day some of his kids refer to Wally as "Uncle Wally". from there he went on to a life of freelance work and gave the seed money for the first Street rod nationals by donating a check for a hot rod article he wrote for Rod & Custom as seed money. That little adventure became the NSRA we know to day because of him, Tom Medley (his closest friend and fishing buddy), Dick Wells, Cotton Werksman and a few others. He later began Street Rodder, Rod Action Hot Tod Mechanix, and headed Old car Weekly and other publications including a Book he wrote entitled "We Came In Peace" about the NASA Moon trips. All the while pumping out articles for lots of diverse magazines. He loved young people and saved more than a few from wayward lives. Just ask Paul Walker Sr. and his son the late Paul Walker JR. of Fast and Furious fame. All the while he drank enough Dr. Pepper to float several battleships and sleep at a moment's notice. He built cars we could all identify with including an Olds powered '34 tub that Mel still owns, the XR6 '63 AMBR winner, his 2 dollar a pound roadster, and my favorite-Walter P. a most unusual hot rod. Ice cream was a favorite of his and I remember calling him in Driggs one day only to interrupt and argument between him and Ron Ceridono about how much of the stuff he was consuming that day. Seems Ron told him that if he ate any more ice cream that day, he was in danger of losing the title of "Sex symbol of Eastern Idaho". Tex was unphased and kept shoveling the ice cream in all through our conversation. Through the years I met lots of people that knew Tex in many other ways than by old cars. No matter who they were, the stories were very much the same just no cars mentioned. Hot rodding owes a great debt to Tex and he was always happy to help our hobby, business, career, passion, addiction (choose any or all that fit you) along. Tex was everybody's Buddy and I have yet to meet a sole that didn't feel like he wasn't. In a conversation near the end, Brian Brennen (just one of a whole fleet of wordsmiths Tex tutored in our hobby) and I were talking and Brian mentioned that we were lucky that he was our friend. I corrected Brian and said it was us that should be honored that Tex thought of us as HIS friends. Rest in peace LeRoi, we do miss you. And Thanks for everything you did for us! Give Peggi a hug for too. I hope lots of you will ad to this for Tex.
His autobiography sits on top of the stack on my coffee table. I think of him often. He left a wonderful mark on hotrodding history and I'm happy to have known him.
I met him once at West Yellowstone Rod Run many years ago. He was driving that roadster with the Pontiac OHC 6 motor. Once again at Bonneville in the early 90's. Nice guy.
Yes, his wit, charm and ability to consume ice cream are unmatched (I know , I tried once). I too am proud to have known him and miss him.
One of my prized possessions, a jacket that represents a phantom car club Tex started years ago. Loved talking to Tex about his passion for fly fishing...always talked about a trip to Driggs, but never made it.
Never blessed with the opportunity to meet him in person but one I've looked up to since I discovered Hot Rods in the mid '50's. He'll never be forgotten in my little corner of the world as long as I'm around. Ed
I guess the XR-6 build in Hot Rod was the first thing Tex wrote that I read, always liked his '34 Tub. I think he had a 1916 Oldsmobile that he talked about someday restoring, talked about painting it red with yellow running gear. When he took over Old Cars Weekly there was a bit of hot rod history that made the paper that not everyone understood, but I loved it, and often had replies posted in the letters section. Funny to remember what pre internet chat was like. Tex would run contests asking people to ID photos, lots of early Bonneville stuff. Won one, and got all three issues of the highlights of Old Cars Weekly. Finally got to meet him at the Hershey swap meet while he was still with OCW, great guy with a writing style that I'll always remember. Bob
Nope, Tex won't be forgotten by me, either. I've already said why, at least a couple of times in other threads. Keep on smiling, Tex. Some of the best writing I've read, & still some of my favorite. . Marcus...
I was a big fan of his work in Rod & Custom and elsewhere. Everything he did was a bit offbeat but logical when you understood what he was trying to accomplish. He should be the patron saint of home built hot rods, I think ordering parts out of a catalog would give him a rash. Only met him once at the first street rod nats in Peoria but he will always be high on my list of hot rod heroes.
No worries about Tex being forgotten, I don't think he had any idea how many of us truly revered him as a Guru of Hot Rodding. As a youngster I eagerly studied the XR-6 build up articles even though I didn't like the visual concept. Tex's approach to hot rodding was exactly what I wanted to emulate and I always have. I was blown away and honored to find several pictures of my '27 T's home-brewed front suspension in his Hot Rod Chassis book. You can't imagine the pride I felt that he included it in his works. R.I.P. Tex, you will never be forgotten down here.
Never met Tex really, talked with him at Americruise in Lincoln NE once and stood and listened to him at Bonneville a few years ago. Felt like I knew him. The year at Americruise he had just finished the dollar a pound roadster (at least in the magazine) and there was no doubts he drove it there, he was beet red. When HRMx failed many were complaining about unfinished subs, I was just glad to have the magazines that were published. Forget him, never.
I liked the fact that he promoted the home built attitude. He wrote many How-to articles for the home builder that couldn't afford the kits. And i think he enjoyed his fishing, almost as much as the car scene.
My memory of Tex was changing a straight 8 Buick in the snow in 1958 when we were going to collage at Montana State Collage.
I thought of Tex last night as I was dug out my old Hot Rod chassis book that he wrote years ago...one of a kind
Tex Smith will never be forgotten. You can't build a car, answer a car question, or eat Ice Cream without thinking of this guy. I use his books frequently, and unfortunately never knowing him personally his ability to write makes even the most distant of souls understand he was the real deal. RIP Mr. Tex and thanks. Your effect and contributions exponentially multiply daily! -Tim
The Jalopy Journal
