Ralph Gardner, one of the founding fathers of the Prince George Auto Racing Association, died on Sunday after a brief battle with cancer. He was 85.
In the winter of 1952, Gardner was among eight or 10 men who had gathered in the machine shop of Mackenzie, White and Dunsmuir Ltd., an automotive wholesale store at 511 George St. The men were having coffee and chatting, and, before long, they were discussing something they were all passionate about - cars. The suggestion was made that they should start an auto racing club.
The idea led to a more formal meeting the next week, and the seed for the Prince George Auto Racing Association (PGARA) was planted.
Gardner, who worked at the Mackenzie, White and Dunsmuir shop, was barely out of his teens at the time.
Like most of his friends, he enjoyed driving fast but didn't want to do it on the streets where he could cause an accident or otherwise get himself into trouble.
By the summer of 1953, the first PGARA track was ready for use. It had an all-dirt driving surface and was located at a site that had once been home to Prince George's airport.
Today, Costco sits near the same piece of land.
Gardner was involved in what may have been the first-ever PGARA race on Sept. 6, 1953. He was the owner of a car that Bob Joy drove to a third-place finish.
The winner that day, according to a story in The Citizen, was Pat Patterson, while Alf Keibel finished second.
In a 2012 interview with The Citizen, Gardner said the car was a 1934 Ford.
He said he drove purely for the fun of it and that his career behind the wheel lasted only about five years. He vividly recalled how it ended.
"I put a brand new radiator in the car and then that night, Saturday night, it hit a (hole on the track)," Gardner told The Citizen. "On the south end of the track there was a bit of a hole and you tried to avoid it.
"Bob was driving and he was going around and somebody hit him in the back end and (the car) went up on its nose, twisted around, and came back down on its wheels. And it took the brand new radiator out. So I said, 'That's it, no more.' I was spending too much money. Tommy Richardson was my sponsor. He had paid for the radiator and I couldn't go back and ask him for another one so that was it for me and my car and racing."
Gardner was born in Prince Rupert on Sept. 22, 1930 and moved with his family to Prince George in 1936. He graduated from Prince George secondary school in 1951. From there, he went on to work at Mackenzie, White and Dunsmuir, where he earned a four-year certificate of apprenticeship as an automotive machinist.
Gardner later worked for Taylor Pearson, the City of Prince George, and Prince George Motors.
He never lost his love of cars and was the proud owner of a 1965 Corvette Stingray.
Besides auto racing, Gardner was involved in other sports over the years, including golf, football and hockey. On the ice, he was a goaltender.
Gardner is survived by his wife of 33 years, Violet Rose, stepsons Derek and Todd and their families.
A celebration of Gardner's life will be held at 11 a.m. on Aug. 27 at the Evangelical Free Church, 4590 Fifth Ave.
