Mel was there from the very beginning. Forgot more than any ten of us could ever know. We hear many great stories of Odell Lewis...he was a wild man, but don't forget Mel was right next to him through most of it.
Cats....yes, way back in the early 70's Mel was the rigger and throttleman / mechanic on this cat long before anyone thought they had a real chance of winning. That is Mel changing the broken prop....then they caught up with everyone and almost won.
They almost won....they ran out of gas......even Mel is human!!
Happy Birthday, my friend...thank you for all your help over the years.