John "Broom" Kavook??

[STEVE FRENCH]

Our Greens equipment guy at Marion Lake Club Golf and Marina was in last week....His name is Tom Kavook......He saw I had a MODIFIED Nationals T-shirt from Zanesville 2009....Tom ask'd if I race'd and knew his Brother John who hit a course marker at Millville, NJ........Said it was before my time but would post.....He knew Bowmans, Runnes', DeFebo' etc.

Any reply's?....he has web address and may join.

[G Stillwill]

Knew broom well he was the one that my Dad cut his long hair off on stage at the Dayton Nationals in 1975

[dwilderacer]

Broom!

I grew up around him out here in CA. He was a great guy, treated me like one of the crowd when I was pre J age. Then he moved away. Lived in NJ the year that he won 20ss at the nats and then died in an racing accident the same year (can't recall what year). He made the Hall of Champions postumostly if I recall.

[MGallagher]

John "Broom" Kavookjian was my buddy Ian's dad. I remember that day as a little boy and so do many on here. I grew up in the same town and still see his sister Mary and his brother, big Tom. I've kept in touch with Ian all these years. Great man, great family...many a races sitting in his boat pretending to race as a boy. Tell big Tom The Gallaghers says hi and hope to see him soon.

[MGallagher]

Dan, his son owns a restaurant in Granite Bay CA called Eight American Bistro. If your ever up in that neck of the woods look it up and pay him a visit. I'm sure he'd appreciate a couple Broom story's.

[1100-one]

Broom

We had a prop that had Broom written on it along with the name Kavook. The prop had a notch out of one of the ears on the prop like it hit something. It won the Nationals at Depue for my brother in the old Novice 350 class and a couple after with other drivers using it.

We always wondered about all this writing on the prop and maybe its the same person. We got some info from the late Larry Lister on it as he knew Kavook and thought it was someone he raced with years ago.
Unfortunately we borrowed the prop out and it ever made it back.

Todd

[dwilderacer]

!

Thank you Matt. My father and I both live nearish to there , we will have to stop bye. Broom was such a huge part of my early childhood pit memories with the whole East Bay bunch... MacKay, Lister, Seaman, Hamilton, Seburg.......

[1100-one]

Broom

Dan,
I remember Larry telling us about Broom. This sounds like the same person as I remember him saying that he passed on.I didnt now he lived here in Ca though.

Todd

[dwilderacer]

One and same

He moved @ 1980, when I was 7 or 8. He was an East Bay Boat Club fixture, and always at the Lister house and all the stock races. He ran B, 25 & 35 hydros when he was here (again, the 30 year old memories of a 40 year old man)

[Ron Hill]

"Broom" Kavookjian

As I recall, "Broom" told George Still, Sr. , "If he didn't win Super C Hydro, they could shave his cruely hair". Seems he didn't win and George shaved his head at trophy presentation. There is a picture of this is the book, "Speed and Spray".

After the 1976 Nationals in Hinton, West, Virginia where Jack "GLASSES" Neeley won DSH with a BeZoats. I ordered a new DSH BeZoats. I told Craig I had some new thre blades that worked pretty well and maybe he should trad me props for the boat as I'd give him $2,000 worth of props for a $1,500 BOAT.

WELL, BROOM ENDED UP WITH SOME OF MY THREE BLADES. At the 1977 Bakersfield Nationals Broom told me he'd sent a couple of my three blade to John Czpluzski in Chicago and that John had worked on them. But he added that Joh said they were truest props he ever had worked on.

I respected "Brooms" honest.

Broom raced with us all the time. He came to Stockton to a race in July of 1978. I was racing Mod VP, but he and Julie Seaman sort of crewed for me. I parked my motorhome in th pits and Broom and Julie bar-b-qued with us and drank too many beers. Broom was going help me a 8 he next morning, but he didn't show tell NOON.....I should have made Julie and Broom sleepin th motorhome ans Broom got a DUI that night.

I don't know if it was that fall or the next but Broom got hurt real bak at Lake Lawrence. He got his ankle the prop. He moved by to Jersey. Hank Menzies was killed in the 35 SS Hydro class in 1978 and Broom was killed in 1979 (or around the time). I quit Stock racing over Hank and Broom's death.

The irony is, as much as Broom and I were friends, I never after that night in Stockton. To know was to love him. He had a wonderful personaity and was a great and honest competitor.

ADD: Broom's BEzoats had a green stain on the deck, it was "SUPER COOL"...

LAST ADD: In 1977 I won every DSH race in California except the Nationals where I ran second I loved that BeZoats, though I did "Fall out" of it three times...Opps..4 times.



At the 1977 Nationals I don't recall if Broom ran D Hydro. But after the first heat of 35 SS Hydro, the Region 7 guys told Hank Menzies, just finish behind Hill an you'll win, even if he's 11th. I knew this also, and Menzies was on my ass for four laps, I had speed on Broom but he was driving me all over the course. Finally, on the last corner I got by Broom and figured I'd won the 35 SS Hydro Nationals. When I got to inspection I found out they had "KICKED" Broom out for rough driving me...We had brought Phil Sharland out from NJ to Referee. Phil was adamant the Broom "Rough Drove" me. I said, "No way, we were racing."

About the next year, Broom moved to California. I remember playing pool with him in Jimmy Dawe's bar in Needles. Broom old be I was the best salesman he'd ever know, and that I should quit teaching and become a salesman. We shot pool, drank a few more beers, but I didn't quit teaching.

[Dew1us]

Hey Matt,
I need to talk tou about Ian. I use to camp out with all the time. Would like to get in touch with him. I'll see you this week about it.
Craig

[MGallagher]

I'll be there friday Craig. We will catch up. I'm sending him the link to this thread so he can know how many people still think of his dad.

[John Schubert]

Whitney Point

Hey Matt,
I need to talk tou about Ian. I use to camp out with all the time. Would like to get in touch with him. I'll see you this week about it.
Craig

Craig,

I'll be there tomorrow about noon until Sat. I have the Sid-Craft DSH which is in my avatar, that your father made for me to show you guys as I would think that he will show sometime during the week. Look for me.

[oldpitguy]

.... Broom told be I was the best salesman he'd ever known, and that I should quit teaching and become a salesman. We shot pool, drank a few more beers, but I didn't quit teaching.

Ron... if Broom told that you were the best salesman he'd ever seen, you would have made a very great salesman indeed! Broom could sell ice to Eskimos, as they say. He was a great friend, and we all miss him very much...

Great to hear these old stories!

otto