Im Memory

Esther Beyda

Beyda, Esther
79, passed away unexpectedly at home on May 22, 2009. She lived her life as a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. She spent the last two years as a mentor for students at Sunburst Elementary School, where the children and staff loved her as much as she loved them. Ironically, the woman who refused to sit down and eat her own cooking brought so much joy to those at the table through her classic Jewish recipes. Her family takes comfort that she is now with the love of her life, Sam Beyda, who we lost almost three years ago. She is survived by her son Jack (Mary) Beyda, daughter Michelle (Craig) Anderson, grandchildren Cyndee (Travis) Markel, Suzzanne (Adrian) Ravitz, Brian Stolt, Eric (Shelly) Anderson and Ryan Anderson, and six great-grandchildren. Graveside services will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at Beth El Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice of the Valley or ALS Valley of the Sun. We miss you already…give Papa a big hug for all of us.

The INDY Mechanic-My Distant Cousin

As the Indianapolis 500 approaches, it seemed fitting to pass along this "discovery" by some distant relatives about another distant relative

                            Here is the webaddress for the complete site: http://brawnerhawk.com/index.htm   

                    We currently live just a few blocks from Clint's 7^th Street and Glendale shop location, now considered Central Phoenix.

 

 

 

Indycar Chief Mechanic

Clint Brawner was born on December 15, 1916 and grew up in what was then the north
Phoenix. From an early age his mechanical skills were obvious as he maintained and
repaired the family's farm equipment and when he was old enough to drive he started
going to the local races and helping out in the pits.

He saw his first Indy 500 in 1938 and in the late forties he started running his own Midgets
at some of the local dirt tracks. His talent as a race car wrench was recognized and in
1950 he went to Indianapolis at a crew member before starting an unparalleled run of champ
car success in 1953, when Al Dean asked Brawner to prepare and care for the soon-to-
be-famous Dean Van Lines Specials.

By then Clint and his wife Kay had bought a house on 7th Street and Glendale, still
considered the outskirts of the Valley of the Sun, and built a race shop. That was where
Clint Brawner helped to elevate the Offy roadster and Indy racing to the pinnacle of
professional motorsports before doing the same thing with the new rear-engine cars;
specifically, the Brawner Hawk.

Driven by Mario Andretti, Brawner Hawks won USAC National Championships in 1965,
1966 and 1969, finishing second in 1967 and 1968. The Hawks found Victory Lane 30
times, the same number of pole positions Andretti earned while driving the creations Brawner
built in Phoenix, Arizona.

Clint retired in the early eighties and passed away on December 23, 1987. He left a legacy
of being a self-taught, tireless genius at engineering, fabrication and race car preparation,
epitomized by the Clint Brawner Mechanical Excellence Award presented annually every May
to one Indy 500 chief mechanic who "exemplifies the mechanical and scientific creativity,
ingenuity, perseverance, dedication, enthusiasm and expertise"
of its namesake.

 

 
 

Finally We Agree On Something

As I was watching TV the other night I noticed that car commercials remained ubiquitous. I started scratching my head when I realized they were for companies who the government has been nudging into bankruptcy. The prudence of this advertising seemed dubious at best, even recognizing these contracts may have predated the real troubles (they could still be pulled upon the request of the advertiser). Then I saw this headline at http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/12/report-obama-administration-slashes-chrysler-ad-budget-by-50/

Report: Obama administration slices Chrysler ad budget by 50%!

The fact that they had to be told to do this is astonishing and revealing all at once.

Watch the Senate Armed Services Committee

grill my friend Chuck Blanchard as the final vetting for his coming stint as General Counsel of the Air Force:

http://armed-services.senate.gov/Webcasts/2009/May/05-12-09Webcast.htm

Who Thinks Up This Amazing Stuff:?

DANCE OF 1000 HANDS...
Read the paragraphs below FIRST before you watch the video
There is an awesome dance, called the Thousand-Hand Guan Yin, which is making the rounds across the net. Considering the tight coordination required, their accomplishment is nothing short of amazing, even if they were not all deaf. Yes, you read correctly. All 21 of the dancers are complete deaf-mutes. Relying only on signals from trainers at the four corners of the stage, these extraordinary dancers deliver a visual spectacle that is at once intricate and stirring.
Its first major international debut was in Athens at the closing ceremonies for the 2004 Paralympics. But it had long been in the repertoire of the Chinese Disabled People's Performing Art Troupe and had traveled to more than 40 countries.
Its lead dancer is 29 year old Tai Lihua, who has a BA from the Hubei Fine Arts Institute. The video was recorded in Beijing during the Spring Festival this year.
If your Internet connection is very slow, start the download and come back later after the download is complete - it's an extraordinary piece of live art that shouldn't be missed . . . .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgHmSdpjEIk

Canalscape

Here is a podcast http://president.asu.edu/files/ASUPresidentsOfficePodcast161.mp3

About the genesis of the Canalscape project in the Phoenix area. As Dr. Nan Ellin points out, we have more canals than Amsterdam and Venice and they are the reason we can be here. So why not make something of it?

Related website: www.canalvillages.asu.edu

CULTIVATE. FEAST. HEAL.

  

Join a Farmer, a Chef and a Naturopath as they explore how consciously grown and prepared food can keep you healthy.

 
 

  

 
 

 
 

Monday, May 4th | 5pm – 6:30pm
at the Farm at South Mountain | SW corner of Southern & 32nd St.
in Maya's Farm shed at the west end of property
$45 | To register, call Maya at 480-236-7097.

Payment is required to reserve your spot.

 
 

Farmer Maya

           from Maya's Farm talks about cultivating the soil and the soul.
Chef Ana

           from Sapna Cafe prepares a global feast for the attendees.
Naturopath Dr. Kim

           from the Farm at South Mountain explores the healing nutrition
           behind the flavors.

 
 

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food." - Hippocrates