OT: Local Legend

If you have ever watched the movie "Forrest Gump" You have seen this man. He was operating the the D7 cable rig bulldozer that knocked down Jenny's house. Most of the Movie was filmed here between Charleston and Savannah. I personally have sat in the "Jenny tree" Deer hunting but this is not about Me. This man is Legend in our area for a couple of reasons. He could fix almost any thing the bigger the better. He owned 2 D7s and 1 D8 all cable rigs which he used for land clearing and grading. He hated hydraulics. When I was a teenager He had a 55 T bird with a 427 He got from Cale Yarborough when they went from big blocks to small blocks. It was the fastest car around for a long time until He quit driving it. I personally saw street cars towed from as far away as New York to race him His name is Bill Newton and was recently in a bad accident and now is in a nursing home. Was there a local legend when you grew up?
Ron

Theres a couple from up here, but the most recent is Chadwick Boseman. Bo Hopkins was from the area, and a couple of child actors whos names escape me. None of them live here any longer though. David Peasron lives in Inman, and Bud Moore Racing, and one other that I just cant think of at the moment.

"Lil" Bud Moore Is from here and a good friend.
Ron

Forgot about Cotton Owens, James Hylton, Phoenix Racing was on 85, I still cant remember one Im trying to think of, but an old buddy had them build his Farmall M for pulling. Ill have to ask him next time I see him.

Folks can correct me if I am wrong, but the only local legend I know of around here is about a large black cat dubbed "The Michigan Panther". Bunch of nonsense and not what you are asking I am sure. Can't think of anyone else. Draft dodging hippie with a bloodlust by the name of Ted Hugent used to live in the area. And we now have "half pint" from Little House on the Prairie living in town of all things. Neither one of them is a legend either. I think we are just SOL around here.

[i:654c4848f0]Draft dodging hippie with a bloodlust by the name of Ted Hugent used to live in the area.[/i:654c4848f0]

Nailed it.

Can't stand that whack job, and it's a total mystery to me why the NRA thinks so much of him. IMHO, he does NOT project the sort of image favorable to gun owners and sportsmen.

Ronnie Hopkins.

As I've stated previously in these forums, I grew up in Burbank, California and all of my "local legends" were Movie Stars such as John Wayne, Roy Rogers & Dale Evans, Gene Autry, Ozzie & Harriet Nelson and Dave & Rick Nelson (I palled around with Rick & Dave before they became famous; and in 1976 I was in a movie with Dave & Harriet Nelson - Filmways Productions of "Smash-up on Interstate 5"), Sterling Hayden, Preston Foster, Broderick Crawford, Lloyd Bridges, and many more - a lot of whom have been over to my house or I to theirs.

"Big Mike Dracowitz" from my days of being a Journeyman Ironworker..

HUGE man, with arms bigger than a man's leg..

Armstrong Steel Erectors used him as a Human Crane.

I personally saw him set 30' long, 12" channel iron
all day at Marzetti's in Cols, Oh when I was an apprentice..
He had been crushed, when building the Delaware (Ohio) Dam by a huge form that slipped out of the Crane..took the weight until his legs crushed..
All he had to do was get hold of something and he could lift it..

"Benny Buck", Ironworker..probably the most intimidating human being that ever lived..!
Good Man, he looked for all the world like a true "Ex-Con" and lived in his old Desoto auto when on a construction job.
Nearly Muscle-Bound, Square-Jawed, shaved head.. he would park on a quiet street and sleep. If a cop came along and inquired, he would look up the street for an upstairs light on and tell the cop "he and the wife had a fight, so he came down to the car to sleep instead of kill her"..!!
They always bought his excuse..!!
Many more that I could mention..

Ron.

I was back in the old home town over the Labor Day weekend. While talking with one old friend the 442 came up. In this town a mention of "The 442" is not about the car, it is about the Ski-doo of around 1961 vintage that was owned by Francis Nadeau. Francis and his brother "Hob" owned an Oldsmobile dealership in town. Francis bought this steel hooded Ski-Doo probably new, and when it was time for a repaint they painted it with Olds "442" paint scheme and trim. Francis was good friends with the people at the local Ski-Doo distributorship, and had access to all the latest special factory racing equipment that was available at the end of the season. Thus every year the 442 got a new motor or suspension or drive system, and was kind of a "sleeper" when young guys thought they could run right by it. Francis never wore a helmet or regular snowmobile suit either. He was more apt to be wearing a plaid hunting jacket and smoking a pipe. Francis was always generous and willing to help a young fellow "without much jingle in his pocket" with a car problem. Francis is long gone now, but within the last two years the "442" turned up when a place in the next town changed hands. The owner of a local snowmobile museum has it now and plans to restore it to its former glory. He says that it is in pretty rough shape and will take a lot of work because one side of it got badly rusted due to poor storage conditions. It seems he never heard of one time when it was borrowed and crashed and needed replacement sheet metal welded in on that side.

George Wendt, aka, "NORM" came from PDC WI. Another close one is Tom Wopat from Lodi WI, best known as Luke Duke! Tom

Charles Manson, Billy Ray Cyrus+ daughter, the Judds, George Reeves (the original Superman) plus many more.

Heck, my supervisor was Sarah Jane Moores brother, the one that tried to kill Gerald Ford!

Francis Curry WW II Medal of Honor recipient also became Hasbro GI Joe action figure. My Dad knew him before the war and Mom was in the parade when he came home.
Francis Curry

Can't think of any "local legends" in the sense that was posed, but my town and the surrounding area has produced quite a few well-known people in sports and entertainment. Sports: Terry Bradshaw, Joe Ferguson, Bert Jones, Stan Humphries, Doug Williams, Ralph Garr, Karl Malone, Robert Parish, David Toms, Hal Sutton, Tim Brando (commentator).

Music: Kix Brooks, Jim Reeves, Johnny Horton, James Burton (Elvis' guitarist); Van Cliburn, Floyd Cramer, Hank Williams, Jr. Hank Williams, Elvis and a lot of the other early country stars got their start here on the Louisiana Hayride.

I'm sure I'll think of dozens more after I post. Also, a bunch of movies have been made here in recent years. Lots of movie stars hanging around.

Well, Level Cross, North Carolina is right up the road from me, ('bout 25 miles). If you have to ask, you don't need to know.

first one i can think of is Preston Pearson of Pittsburg Steelers and Dallas Cowboys fame. went to high school on Freeport Il
Spencer Tracy had an aunt or grandmother who also lived in Freeport.
Jane Adams of Hull House in Chicago Il grew up in Cedarville Il both of theses towns are within 15 miles of me.

Likewise

(quoted from post at 09:17:34 09/07/14) [i:61fe8adde9]Draft dodging hippie with a bloodlust by the name of Ted Hugent used to live in the area.[/i:61fe8adde9]

Nailed it.

Can't stand that whack job, and it's a total mystery to me why the NRA thinks so much of him. IMHO, he does NOT project the sort of image favorable to gun owners and sportsmen.

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