Just who were these Penton ISDT riders from 1968 ?

[Paul Danik]

Greetings,

   I still have my Penton Dealer Seminar folder from 1969, on the back cover is a photo of the Penton Team riders entered in the 1968 ISDT standing by their mounts. They are John Penton, Tom Penton, Dave Mungenast, Basil Butler, Wolf Jackson, Larry Cooper, Les Peckham, Leroy Winters, Dan Richards, Rich Spangler and Tim Hoffman.

    The other day a Penton collector of great note asked me if I knew anything of Basil Butler, which I do not. In looking up this photo I see that there are other Penton riders as well whom I know nothing much about. So how about it guys, can any of you provide any info on Basil Butler, Wolf Jackson, Larry Cooper, Les Peckham, Dan Richards, Rich Spangler or Tim Hoffman?

    It will be interesting to ask about these gentlemen during the "Ask The Experts" segment of the upcoming POG meeting on June 6th to try to find out more about them from the man who's mounts they were riding.

   In the back of the John Penton book where the Penton Rider Performance at the International Six Days' Trial results are listed by year. It shows that in 1968 Tom Penton earned a Silver, while Wolf Jackson, Dave Mungenast and John Penton earned Bronze.

Thanks,
Paul

P.S.  I still remember like it was yesterday going to the High School Principal's office to see if I could miss school to attend this Dealer Seminar, I was in 11th. grade. He asked a few questions about it and agreed that it was worth me missing two days of school to attend. An excused absence was granted  

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

What a COOL principal you had Paul. Mine have laughed at me !

[wfopete]

Basil resides down here in Arkansas. I believe he attended the final ISDTRR in Combs, AR and met John P. and many folks from the old gang. I ride with his son occasionally. I think Basil rode in Italy's ISDT ('68,'69?)

Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good

[Paul Danik]

Pete,
     
     Thanks for the reply. If you ever get a chance to talk with Basil please mention that folks would like to hear his story of riding the Penton and how he got that ride. Possibly he could write it and send it to Al Buehner for the POG newsletter.

   My guess is that a number of the riders I asked about above were Jackpine riders whom John held in high regard and when he needed to get a team together he contacted them. But that is just my guess....


Pat, your reply really got me to thinking back on my highschool days and the support those folks gave me, including being asked twice to bring my motorcycle to school, and then there was the time that they hadn't asked me to do so.  If you bore quickly read no further.....

   My first motorcycle was a 1965 150cc Honda Dream that my brother had lightly crashed and never rode again. I traded him a stereo for it and then "customized " it for riding around the nursery and neighboring farms with a rear knobby and also removing a few items.

   I was on the cross country team at school and Coach Dambaugh mentioned how he wished he knew the milage of our course. The speedo still worked on the Honda and I offered to ride the course and get him the mileage and he was agreeable. The next day I brought the Honda to school and before riding the course Coach Dambaugh mentioned how I didn't need to ride what was known as killer hill at the end of the course, "just go around" he said. When I came to the hill I just put my feet on the rear pegs and in a crouched position leaned over the bars and opened up the Honda and crested the hill easily, attaining the correct mileage for the course.

    In time I got my first Penton and started to do some local racing including some mudruns and scrambles. It was soon track season and each day we had to run a number of laps on the 1/5 mile cinder track at practice and all I could think about was how I might use this line or that line to pass the motorcycles ahead of me, actually they looked like other runners to everyone except me... In time I was totally consumed with the idea of wanting to ride and race my Penton and not be involved with school sports. I asked Coach John Henicheck if I could meet with him and I explained that I wasn't a quitter, but I had something else I really wanted to do, he was very understanding.

    The were several of us at school who were racing Jeeps and motorcycles and on Mondays we would bring our trophies to school and sit in the student lounge and tell of our endeavors. Two interesting things soon occurred. Coach Henicheck made the comment to me that he figured it wouldn't be long till I was racing motorcycles for someone, and the high school athletic director asked if I would mind if he would put a few of my larger trophies in the school trophy case, which we did.

   About this time the school decided to have an all school assembly about air pollution which was now a big topic. On the day of the assembly I was asked if I could get my Penton and run it for a brief time on stage to show how much pollution that it created, which I agreed to do. The timing was perfect as they were doing the school play and there was a ramp that ran from the seating area to the stage. I waited outside and when they were ready they opened the doors and I rode the Penton down the aisle and up the ramp onto the stage and provided them with all the pollution they wanted

    The next time I rode the Penton in the school was uninvited. It was senior day and I had a few friends man two sets of doors, one at the end of the senior wing of the school and the other at the main entrance by the office. I fired up the Penton and ran it right down the hallway past the school rooms, past the principals office and out the front door. Yes, I was still allowed to graduate....  
   
    Years later our youngest daughter Cami became a teacher and she teaches in the Mars Area School District, where I went to school. Before she got married it never failed on open house nights that a grand parent of one of her students would recognize her last name and ask if we were related, soon they would be telling her about my days at Mars High and riding the Penton down the halls or up onto the stage.  How we would laugh

   Pat, I really appreciate you saying how "cool" the principal was, and fortunately for me, forgiving as well.

Paul

[wfopete]

Paul, PM sent.


Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner
Slow but Good

[Pat Oshaughnessy]

Paul I think you must have been a good Student. I was not! I would like to do that part over.[)]