I’m so sad to report that
Thomas C. Lemons, AKA “TC”, “Top Cat” and beloved “Tommy”, passed this
morning around 11 AM January 11th, 2012. This marked the passing of one
of the sport’s great as this man was there and did it all! The work that
he performed on the development of the Rear Engine Dragster cannot be
overstated! Tom Lemons, Connie Swingle and myself did the work and each
one of us deserve equal credit.
I first met TC in 1968,
when he showed up at Seffner with Swingle returning from Bixby OK from
the Christmas holidays. Soon after, he was my Crew Chief and remained so
for many years. For all practical purposes he has been here since that
date with exceptions of a few “vacations” now and then over the span of
4 decades. TC was also very instrumental in the start-up of the Drag
Racing Museum in Seffner Florida, as many of the older restorations are
TC’s work and he spent years helping build the exhibits that we all
enjoy today.
He spent the last 5 years
here on the Museum grounds, living in the “Cabin”, fighting Cancer and
winning. However the radiation treatments had got to his heart and it
was a massive heart attack that got him in the end.
Just yesterday we toured
Ocala, saving all the world’s economic and social problems! TC and I are
just a little right of Attila the Hun! Today we were to travel to Stuart
Florida for a TV Show we were doing tomorrow with Master’s
Entertainment. We were to leave at 2 PM and I called over to the Cabin
around 1:45 to see if he was ready, no answer, I called again, still no
answer! I sensed something was wrong as TC is so punctual! I went to the
Cabin, knocked on the door, still no answer, I knew then to expect the
worst and there he was, dead in his favorite easy chair! TC is in a
better place now as he was suffering tremendously during the last couple
of months.
TC is survived by his older Sister Wanda
Kannady, who lives in MO. He had never been married, nor did he have any
Children. God speed, TC Rest in Peace!
Don Garlits
