Michael Wallis, author of the seminal "Route 66: The Mother Road" and 14 other nonfiction books, was elected to the Class of 2010 for the Tulsa Hall of Fame, according to an article in the Tulsa World today. "Route 66: The Mother Road" became a best-selling book shortly after it was published in 1992 and … Continue reading Michael Wallis elected to Tulsa Hall of Fame
Category: People
Salute to a Mother Road advocate
A flattering profile was written by Layne Rider of FavoriteRoad.com about longtime Route 66 champion Jim Conkle. Conkle is chairman of the Preservation for Historic Roads and Corridors, the Route 66 Preservation Foundation, the Route 66 Alliance, Highway 99 Alliance, and general manager and editor of the Route 66 Pulse newspaper. But it was Conkle's … Continue reading Salute to a Mother Road advocate
“Rawhide” was once filmed in Tucumcari area
"Rawhide," the TV western that helped launch the long career of Clint Eastwood, used the Route 66 town of Tucumcari, N.M., as a base to film five episodes in 1959, according to a story in the Quay County Sun. If you have fuzzy memories of "Rawhide," this might jolt your brain: The Sun reports: Actors … Continue reading “Rawhide” was once filmed in Tucumcari area
Walking in the name of fallen police
The Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader tells about three men -- one of them an Evansville, Ind., cop -- walking in cities from Evansville to Santa Monica, Calif., as part of Relay for a Cause Route 66 "to honor the nearly 19,000 officers across the United States that have given the ultimate sacrifice for our safety." The … Continue reading Walking in the name of fallen police
One long bicycle trip
Claudia Heller, in her ongoing series about Route 66 in Southern California, tells the story of Dan Hyke, who bicycled part of Route 66 and beyond from Santa Monica, Calif., to Virginia Beach, Va., in 1982. Hyke was moved to try the cross-country feat after the death of his father. Averaging a little less than … Continue reading One long bicycle trip
Anxiety in Arizona
Like others, I've been watching with morbid fascination the reaction to Arizona's new illegal immigration law. It makes failing to carry immigration documents a crime, and gives police broad power to detain those suspected of being in the country illegally. Because the issue seemed to be peripheral to Route 66, I initially decided to observe from … Continue reading Anxiety in Arizona
Child actor in “The Grapes of Wrath” dies
I missed this a few weeks ago, but Shirley Mills Hanson, 83, who portrayed a young Ruthie Joad in the 1940 classic film "The Grapes of Wrath," died on March 31 from complications of pneumonia at a hospital in Arcadia, Calif., according to the Los Angeles Times. Known during her acting career as Shirley Mills, … Continue reading Child actor in “The Grapes of Wrath” dies
Journalist dies in train-car crash near Amboy
I saw a story in the San Bernardino County Sun yesterday in which a man from Las Vegas had been traveling Route 66 west of Amboy, Calif., and suddenly stopped his car on the railroad tracks, where he died when a freight train hit it. The article didn't mention it at the time, but the … Continue reading Journalist dies in train-car crash near Amboy
Notes from the road
Richard Talley of the Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M., says a lot has been happening in his town lately. Here's what he said by e-mail (with some minor editing): Here's a shot of the new AutoPros auto care center across the street from us on Route 66 (used to be Tucumcari Tire Co., closed for years). … Continue reading Notes from the road
Bob’s last ride
Dave Bakke at the Springfield (Ill.) State Journal-Register has the details about the burial Sunday of the cremains of Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire at the family plot near Rochester, Ill. The other half of his ashes are to be released along the Mother Road. True to Bob’s wishes, some of his ashes have been … Continue reading Bob’s last ride