I’m sad to report that after a lengthy illness, we have lost our friend and collaborator, Bud De Boer. Bud was a dear, dear friend that I’ve been privileged to know for many years. We shared a hotel room and the weekend at several California Hot Rod Reunions and he’s joined us at various Draglist events over the years. Most recently, Bud has partnered with Barb Santucci to use his extensive list of racers from all eras to bring them on as guests on our Racin’ & Rockin’ and Draglist Live podcasts. Bud was always a wonderful, kind person who never had a bad word to say about anyone. We will miss him. Our love and condolences to his wife Judy and to Bud’s many friends throughout drag racing. Thanks to John Bockelman for the great tribute poster (photo by Bob Brown), and thanks to our friend Paul Hutchins (on the left in the first shot) for the outstanding photos of Bud. Bill
RIP Bud. See you on the other side… 1,000 foot mark, top of the stands. – Hutch
Golf cart at 2016 CHRR: Paul Hutchins from Front Royal, VA, Bill “Badco” Ott from El Paso, famed Drag News reporter and announcer Bud De Boer from Green Bay, Max Romero of Bradley & Romero Flathead fame from Fremont, CA, and in the cart seat, Warren Walther from Clovis, CA.
Bud, Jess VanDeventer and Jerry Baltes.
Bud in the “Croshier, Baltes, Lavato” fueler with Jerry Baltes looking on. Need the name of the fellow holding the wheel.
I didn’t know Bud very well… only knew him through some short visits when he was out West for the CHRR’s and through his posts on the Standard 1320. He was very friendly to me nonetheless and treated me like an old friend. Rest in peace, Mr. Bud… Bob Brown
Bud tries out the seat of the Astro Magicar (Paul Hutchins)
I’d like add myself to the list of people who will miss Bud.
As a 15 and 16-year-old teenager, I was able to attend all of the ’65 March Meet, and Friday and Saturday, of the ’66 March Meet. I will always be grateful to my father for taking me to those meets.
At those events, I took movies of as much as I could, with my trusty wind up 8 mm movie camera. I could recognize many of the cars that I shot, but had no idea of the elapsed times; miles per hour, winners and losers, what was said, by the teams before and after a race. I was stuck in the stands shooting. But when the “Drag Racing” magazines would hit the newsstands, I was able to read about those meets in great detail. Many years passed until 1990 when I was lucky enough to acquire the Magicar. It was during that time period that I finally “put two and two together”, and added the “Drag Racing” magazine information to my movies. Then came the very first “California Hot Rod Reunion” (in 1992) and I found out that Bud was the guy who collected all of the information concerning those gigantic meets and with the added dimension of great photographic work, assembled those articles. At subsequent CHRR’s, in the mid-’90’s, we had the Magicar running on alcohol, and it just seemed to be the right thing to put Bud in the car.
I will always be grateful to Bud for his fine articles on those March Meets, and just being a guiding light for this fan.
Love and miss you, Bud.
God Speed.
Bill Pitts
On Monday, August 5th, Bud De Boer’s final request was honored when his ashes became one with Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wisconsin. God Bless his wife Judy for seeing this through and God Speed Bud. You will forever be at the drags. – Terry Lorge
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