VeloceToday.com

Phyllis Devine,
The long time editor of The Alternate: A Chronicle of 20th
Century Motor Racing, Phyllis Devine of Grantville Pennsylvania, passed away Tuesday, December 1, 2009 in the Select Specialty Hospital, Harrisburg.

Phyllis was a remarkable woman and a true friend. She shied, however, from accepting the public credit she deserved. One major service to racing history she performed was publishing the recollections of various American race car drivers of the early years before their stories were lost. She was brave, too, often printing articles in the little homespun “journal” she founded and edited for 21 years that rankled some readers who seemed less interested in racing history than in their version of racing history. She published racers and historians alike. I was delighted to see VT’s Michael Lynch writing for her a few months ago. Although The Alternate dealt only with American racing history through 1970, Phyllis was happy to print my article on the French Bugatti/Alfa racer Helle Nice’s American tour in 1930.

She was implacable, however, when it came to the visuals I sent, one of which was a photo of the dancer-turned-racer in her tutu. That image, Phyllis said, was inappropriate! She printed the others.

Surviving are: her husband, Joseph Devine, racing enthusiast and race car builder; a son, Thomas M. Gutzler and his wife, Grace Lynn, of New Oxford; 2 grandchildren, Jessica and Joseph Gutzler of Florida. She was preceded in death by son Wallace Gutzler.

We will sincerely miss Phyllis–and The Alternate, truly a part of motorsports publishing history–and our condolences go out to Joe and family.

Patricia Lee Yongue

Bill Scott
We are sorry to hear that Bill Scott, 71, the owner of Summit Point Raceway, passed away on Dec. 7, 2009. He had been in the hospital since Thanksgiving. Bill was instrumental in developing Summit Point since he purchased the West Virginia racetrack in 1980. As Summit Point was less than two hours from Washington D.C., Scott enhanced the facility by adding courses in accident avoidance and counter terrorism techniques in addition to sports car and motocycle events. He will be sorely missed.

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The National Geographic Channel will be broadcasting a show on Thurday, December 10th called “Ultimate Factories”. It is a one hour tour of the Ferrari factory and follows the building and testing of a 599. Our thanks to Dick Irish for this note.