Another great one gone...RIP Tom " TC "Lemons

[ls7gto]

Today Tom T C Lemons past away today. He was The man behind Don Garlits.

GOD SPEED TC, GOD SPEED

[ls7gto]

as seen on FB

For immediate release:

January 11th, 2012 6 PM EST

From; The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing
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 Pease!

Don GarlitsI

[Brian Lohnes]

Damn.....

One of the great quotes in drag racing history is attributed to him. To paraphrase, "I couldn't tell me mother I was off drag racing, so I told her I was in prison."

A sad day.

[studemax]

RIP TC - he was one of the greats. His like will not be seen again.

[Joe Grippo]

Damn. Losing them too fast.

[SpiderGearsMan]

great that tommy and garlits stayed buddies all of these years

[Brian Lohnes]

That is pretty neat. They took a couple of "breaks" over the years and Lemons used to like to brag that he had been fired by Big one time in each of the last five decades but you are right Spidey, they were pals for the last large portion of TCs life and that is truly cool.