[ISF]

Just wanted to give a heads up for a long deserved recognition of one of the greatest midget drivers ever. Thanks in no small part to the tireless efforts of Kevin Olson there will be a marker sign unveiling and dedication for the late, great Bob Tattersall in Bob's hometown of Streator, Illinois. It will take place on Tuesday, August 10th at 11:30 AM CDT on East Main Street near the huge mural of Bob.

Our dear friend Delores (Dee) Tattersall, Tatt's widow, who KO describes as The Lady of Honor for the dedication, will obviously be in attendance at the unveiling. For those of you who have never made Dee's acquaintance she is one of the most delightful people you'll ever come in contact with and is a stranger to no one. Dee is in her mid 80's now and still as vibrant and fun as ever and can tell racing stories all day and all night!

If any of you racing fans are so inclined and can make the trip it would make Dee's day and it would mean a lot to her and the family and friends of Tatt & Dee. I'm sure Dee will be delivering some hilarious anecdotes of her days of living the racing life with her Beloved "Tatt".

On October 27th of this year Bob Tattersall will be gone a half century. For those not familiar Bob lost a long and agonizing battle with cancer at the age of 47. Tatt won the 1969 USAC National Midget Championship which contained the most points races of any season before or since and he still stands 4th on the all time USAC National Midget wins list. Bob would undoubtedly have many more USAC wins but his Australian racing exploits cut into his USAC starts. Bob was, and still is, revered and treated as one of their own in Australia. "Two Gun", as he was affectionately known in Australia, won everything there was to win in The Land Down Under.

Thanks to Kevin Olson and all who have made this long overdue honor possible. Hope to see many of you at the unveiling on Main Street in Streator, Illinois this coming Tuesday.

[ISF]

The unveiling of the Tattersall plaque and the luncheon that followed was a huge success thanks to Kevin Olson and several others who I regret not recalling their names. There was a very nice turnout with Merle Bettenhausen, Mel & Don Kenyon and Don's wife, Tim Delrose, Bob Wente in attendance and several others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

It was a hot and a bit breezy (which made it bearable) Tuesday in Streator and the ceremony was informal but sufficiently apropos. The luncheon following the unveiling was full of stories and many laughs.

Finally Tatt gets the permanent recognition he deserves in his hometown!!

Dee asked me to give a huge thank you to all who made the day such a delightful success!!

[jdull99]

https://www.speedsport.com/other-ser...ob-tattersall/

[Grocery Guy]

Thank you for covering this dedication. Growing up in Streator, I was a little too young in the 60's to truly appreciate what a legend Bob was. At that time the local Streator paper only did not follow up on his results. I never found Speed Sport till about 1970 so I missed most of his accomplishments. Reading his book I realized he was a world wide racing star.

One event I do remember was a benefit parade and dinner for Bob, probably in 1970 or 71. I remember midget cars on trailers parading down the Streator Main St in his honor. Also remember my dad writing a poem which was in the dinner program. So proud Bob has gotten his recognition. I've seen the mural, now I need to stop and see the marker sign.

Thanks to KO and everyone for their efforts.

[ISF]

Originally Posted by Grocery Guy Thank you for covering this dedication. Growing up in Streator, I was a little too young in the 60's to truly appreciate what a legend Bob was. At that time the local Streator paper only did not follow up on his results. I never found Speed Sport till about 1970 so I missed most of his accomplishments. Reading his book I realized he was a world wide racing star. One event I do remember was a benefit parade and dinner for Bob, probably in 1970 or 71. I remember midget cars on trailers parading down the Streator Main St in his honor. Also remember my dad writing a poem which was in the dinner program. So proud Bob has gotten his recognition. I've seen the mural, now I need to stop and see the marker sign. Thanks to KO and everyone for their efforts.

The parade you speak of was not long after the passing of Tatt which was October of 1971. I too was quite young at that time. I've read that poem that your Father authored. I believe it was included in Tatt's biography. Legend has it that the original draft of that poem was penned on a paper grocery bag. You probably can confirm that.

Dee has spoken of that dinner banquet and of all the racing personalities who were in attendance.

My Dad spoke many times of watching Tatt in his very early days of driving a race car in a Ford Coupe stock car #B29 at the old 3rd Street Speedway in Streator. Someone at the luncheon yesterday brought up the fact that Tatt, during one of his early seasons, won 26 of 29 starts in that Ford Coupe!

[GlobalSpeedway Tours]

The included photo shows Dee Tattersall standing in front of her late husband’s mural in downtown Streator, Illinois on June 12th 2019.

Our tours often call into the Tattersall home to see Dee and her racing memorabilia shrine to her beloved hubby. Tatts certainly loved racing in Australia and he simply dominated whenever and wherever he drove out the pit gate.

What a fabulous lady Dee is …..

[Grocery Guy]

ISF,

Thanks for verifying and commenting on the parade & banquet. Oct 1971 I would have been a soph in high school. I'm gonna have to go up in my attic and find the program. That was the beauty of open wheel trailers back then - you got to see the cars up close. I'm sure many came a long way to support Tatt. I wish my dad had taken me to the banquet. I like how you mention that Dee commented on the parade and banquet. My next trip to Streator I'd like to stop in and see her, plus the shrine mentioned by GS Tours. Dee sure looks good.

You might have enlightened me on the poem. Maybe it was penned on a grocery bag. My dad must have written it at his package liquor store.

I bought a photo of the Streator Speedway at the memorabilia show held every spring in Peotone. It looked like a great track. Ole Bob sounds like he was almost unbeatable there. I'll bet Bob was fun to watch at Mazon and Fairbury, too.

Thanks for sharing you memories.

[ISF]

Originally Posted by Grocery Guy ISF, Thanks for verifying and commenting on the parade & banquet. Oct 1971 I would have been a soph in high school. I'm gonna have to go up in my attic and find the program. That was the beauty of open wheel trailers back then - you got to see the cars up close. I'm sure many came a long way to support Tatt. I wish my dad had taken me to the banquet. I like how you mention that Dee commented on the parade and banquet. My next trip to Streator I'd like to stop in and see her, plus the shrine mentioned by GS Tours. Dee sure looks good. You might have enlightened me on the poem. Maybe it was penned on a grocery bag. My dad must have written it at his package liquor store. I bought a photo of the Streator Speedway at the memorabilia show held every spring in Peotone. It looked like a great track. Ole Bob sounds like he was almost unbeatable there. I'll bet Bob was fun to watch at Mazon and Fairbury, too. Thanks for sharing you memories.

My wife & I have had the distinct and relatively rare honor of being allowed to cast eyes on Tatt's trophy room. It is quite impressive, to be sure. The one trophy missing that I was the most excited to see was the 1969 USAC National Midget Championship trophy. Unfortunately Dee doesn't have it, she believes the car owner's family is in possession of it but isn't positive that is where it's at. However, a member of the Ligori family has the 1969 American Motors AMX car that was given to Tatt by USAC as a part of the National Champion winner spoils. It was on display at the unveiling and is very special in it's own rite.