txguy
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by txguy on Jun 9, 2009 16:00:56 GMT -5
I wanted to drop in and introduce myself. I am the grandson of Bill Tracy's sister, Laurabelle and her 1st husband, George Madsen. My mother Mary Anne (Madsen) Leach was raised by her paternal grandparents and Laurabelle "Lolly" later remarried Edwin Rice and had another daughter, Patricia. I only seen my grandmother Lolly twice in my life. Once in the early 1970's and again in 2003 two years before she died.
Lolly was estranged from her mother and as far as I can tell, had very limited communication with her brother Bill later in life. The story my mom always told was that her Uncle Bill ran off to join the circus in Sarasota, Fl. I don't know if Bill really joined the circus but it is interesting to think this is how he got his start.
Lolly was a pen and ink artist and also painted. My mom said Lolly drew the Christmas cards that went out one year during the Jimmy Carter administration.
I will be sharing a few family pictures including a couple of young Bill and other members of our family. I also have in my possession, some typewritten pages written by Lolly that will give you some insight on her and Bill's family life growing up. Stay tuned!
I would like to thank the founders of this website for all their hard work butting this together. Without this, I would not have discovered the life contributions that Bill Tracy made.
Larry Leach
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Post by Robert on Jun 13, 2009 10:15:50 GMT -5
If you're in Texas there are two Whacky Shack-like rides, the Lumalusion at the State Fair in Dallas, and the Fantastic Journey at Wonderland Park in Amarillo. Bill built the Lumalusion but the other one was a copy cat that was built by the park to look like a Bill Tracy Whacky Shack.
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txguy
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by txguy on Jun 16, 2009 20:19:00 GMT -5
I've been on the Lumalusion multiple times over the years. I had no idea until recently that my grandmother's brother was involved with the design. That's totally cool.
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Post by wayne1977 on Sept 10, 2009 13:03:20 GMT -5
The Bill Tracy Project is currently releasing photos of Bill Tracy's father, mother, sister, and of himself as a boy and young man. These pictures are being released in the updates section over the next few weeks. A special thanks to Larry for contributing these outstanding photos!
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