My name is David Libby AKA Dave Libby
By Dave Libby

I was born in 1941 in what is now south Kansas City MO to Ed and Arvilla Libby Both are deceased, my father passed away when I was 15 years old in 1956. I learned then that my Mom was going to need a lot of help to carry on both emotionally
And financially which fell on me. I am proud to say I did that even after I married in 1962.  Mom passed away in 1990 at 84 years old.

I had a brother Bill who passed away in 2005 at 79 years old. Bill is the one who painted hoods and other parts for Dick Harrell including a couple of F/C many reading this know who my wife Norma is, Her and I married in 1987 3 years after my first wife Carol passed away of cancer in 1984.


I have a son who carries my name with ll after it. He has 2 children who now are adult age.
I have a step Daughter Amy who has 3 minor children.If you are counting that makes 5 grandchildren.

This is supposed to be about my history with Dick Harrell so I will as they say “Get to it”. Although I had seen Dick race several times at (old) KCTA drag strip (opened 1955 –closed 1966).  I saw him match race with the local cars (Sites Brothers mainly) with his 63 Z-11 car and his black Chevelle  I had never actually met him.

I met him for the first time in mid 1967 when he was touring with his 67 Camaro f/c. Actually I met Charlie Therwanger before I met Dick. He was at Wes Jerde’s hot rod shop to work on the Camaro. Wes had asked me to help weld up some traction bars he was making to package and sell locally. I had had some surgery and the sitting down welding job to make a few bucks was welcome.

He told me Dick was on his way there and I should meet him as he was going to move his shop to KC that winter and I might be interested in going to work for him. When I did meet him he was very nice to me and talked for a while telling me what he was going to do and what he would need for help in the shop. Was I interested? After we agreed on a salary I told him yes. He wrote my phone number down and said
He would be in touch with me in late Dec. Also told me if he could get it worked out we would be located at the old Town & Country Ford dealership at 11114 Hickman Mills drive.

Dick called me before Christmas 1967 and said “He would see me soon and would need me to help move into the shop before the first of the year.” Well that is how it happened.  We worked our butts off that first week sorting all the stuff he brought with him. Headers, manifolds, gaskets, heads, new short blocks, many items. It looked like the whole stock of a speed shop and actually it was.

I worked for Dick from then until about the first quarter of 1970, to put a date on that is beyond my memory as I write this but I do recall the last vehicle I “done” was a dark blue 1970 El Camino which I put a LS6 454 in. That car was bought locally and destroyed in a bad accident at speed. By the way the first car I worked on was Sam Cangelose’s 68 Camaro racer which by most accounts was pretty fast. Sam was the son of legend top fuel owner and driver Lou Cangelose.

I  have no regrets at all for my time with Dick Harrell, I guard those memories very carefully. I learned much from him and I guard that carefully to. I could go on and on with this but in the interest of it being too long  and boring I will close with this;

I am very grateful to Valerie Harrell for making this possible and selecting me to be one of the first to be inducted into the Dick Harrell Hall of Fame. I am proud to be there and my never to be forgotten jacket that proclaims that wonderful event.

I will never forget that night!

I am proud to call Dale Pulde my friend and will never forget what those two have done for me and with me.

THANK YOU 
Dave Libby

Copyright © Dick Harrell Online All Rights Reserved.