05/30/08: Saratoga Automobile Museum. Brock is not pregnant!
Category: General
Posted by: Brock Yates
On Saturday, May 17th, the Saratoga Museum honored Brock Yates with the Museum’s Award for excellence. Brock was one of the founding Trustees and suggested that, “Let’s not open another museum, let’s dedicate and celebrate the Saratoga Automobile Museum to the wonderful history of the automobile and racing in New York State.”
Even though my husband Brock is endearingly known as the Assassin to the world beyond our home and private lives, I must take this opportunity to confide to you that to me, he is a warm and caring man and to quote the Duchess of Windsor when referring to the Duke, “He is my great romance.”
We have been partners for over thirty years and the Museum’s celebration of his life that night must be hailed as one of our most treasured memories. Roasting Brock that night were many of his long time colleagues and friends. Bob Bailey of Racemark and a founding member of the museum made a warm and poignant introduction and one of the great surprises of the evening was a Commendation by the Legislature of New York State. The Commendation was read to all those present at the dinner that evening by Lewis Golub, also a founding member of the museum and head of Price Chopper’s chain of supermarkets.
As with all things done at the museum, the dinner, tables and food were first class. It is a small museum but is housed in the Saratoga water bottling plant. Along with horse racing, culture, gambling and mineral water from the springs that dot the landscape makes Saratoga world famous. For anyone who has the opportunity to travel there the museum is a must. But also don’t miss the lovely Saratoga downtown. It is a place locked in time with active and vibrant shopping and dining areas.
Although the museum staff is small, it is filled with dedicated professionals who work with great enthusiasm and camaraderie. Richard Seliekof is one of the newest editions to the museum team. Richard is truly a dimensional fellow, one of his many credentials is he is a constitutional lawyer. He said, “I only pursued that degree because I was fascinated by the legal niche.” He is very broad gauged and gracious. He and his wife packed up their life in New York City and moved to Saratoga because it offered them the culture and atmosphere of city life while enjoying the peace, beauty and safety of Saratoga, New York.
While Richard did not make his living in the car business in New York City his love of cars drew him to the museum when they arrived in Saratoga. He was offered the job of Director of Development and did a crash course in the world of museums and automobile collecting. He was responsible for planning, coordinating and hosting that wonderful evening. Although it was the first time we had met him face to face, I felt as if we had known each other forever. Brock and I were most appreciative of his efforts and enthusiasm.
The event that evening was filled with old friends, peers and new friends that we look forward to seeing again. Brock was roasted that night and to our amazement Ken Gross, Denise McCluggage, William Jeanes, David E. Davis Jr., John Fitch, Sam Posey and Bill Warner came from the far corners of the country to take their best shots at Brock. He was a bit overwhelmed I think, and kept saying “I can’t believe they came here for me.” As the roast progressed the insults and loving jabs tempered his warm fuzzy feeling a bit but he receovered.
Denise McCluugage admitted that Brock’s life was filled with fun and interesting brilliance but like the Cannonball and One Lap of America one would have been just fine without having to repeat the idiocy so often. Pals like William Jeanes, Sam Posey and Ken Gross even had some nice things to say about Brock and Bill Warner’s comments about his past experiences with Brock were even refreshing to me after all these years. Surprisingly I leaned a few things about my Assassin that I never knew.
David E. Davis, one of Brock’s oldest friends, with a friendship spanning over forty years, was the roaster everyone had been waiting for. Throughout the evening people were whispering about what David E. would have to say, seeing the David had fired Brock at least three times over the years. The on again off again friendship had been a source of endless years of gossip and amusement for others. Only I knew the real story and the real depth of their linkage and I wasn’t about to spoil it for everyone else in the room. David E. spoke eloquently, as usual (he does have the gift) about Brock and their forty year relationship.
David opened with the line, “There has been a great deal of idle chatter about Brock’s health,” with that the room was silent and people slid to the edge of their seats, myself included, as he went on to say, “I want to take this opportunity, here tonight, to lay that rumor to rest once and all. Brock Yates is not pregnant. I repeat Brock Yates is not pregnant and William Jeanes will fight anyone in this room who says that he is, and that includes the women.”
Certainly, you can image my relief and those of the rest of the audience to finally know the real story. People have been speculating about Brock’s health for some time now.
It wasn’t until David E. made the apologies for Csaba Csere of Car and Driver not being able to attend that I knew the old David E. we have come to know and love was emerging. “Csere you know only fired Yates once, I hold the record. I only regret that I cannot hire him one more time just so I can fire him again!” With that statement, I knew that to take a page out of Sally Fields Oscar winning acceptance speech, “You like me. You really like me.” David E. Davis and Brock Yates will always be best friends drawn together with like interests, talent, mutual respect and years of experience doing the things they love most in the world, their love of the sport and the people that surround them which has created a bond that transcends simple friendship.
I salute all those friends that were present and have enriched our lives.
LADY PAMELA
Even though my husband Brock is endearingly known as the Assassin to the world beyond our home and private lives, I must take this opportunity to confide to you that to me, he is a warm and caring man and to quote the Duchess of Windsor when referring to the Duke, “He is my great romance.”
We have been partners for over thirty years and the Museum’s celebration of his life that night must be hailed as one of our most treasured memories. Roasting Brock that night were many of his long time colleagues and friends. Bob Bailey of Racemark and a founding member of the museum made a warm and poignant introduction and one of the great surprises of the evening was a Commendation by the Legislature of New York State. The Commendation was read to all those present at the dinner that evening by Lewis Golub, also a founding member of the museum and head of Price Chopper’s chain of supermarkets.
As with all things done at the museum, the dinner, tables and food were first class. It is a small museum but is housed in the Saratoga water bottling plant. Along with horse racing, culture, gambling and mineral water from the springs that dot the landscape makes Saratoga world famous. For anyone who has the opportunity to travel there the museum is a must. But also don’t miss the lovely Saratoga downtown. It is a place locked in time with active and vibrant shopping and dining areas.
Although the museum staff is small, it is filled with dedicated professionals who work with great enthusiasm and camaraderie. Richard Seliekof is one of the newest editions to the museum team. Richard is truly a dimensional fellow, one of his many credentials is he is a constitutional lawyer. He said, “I only pursued that degree because I was fascinated by the legal niche.” He is very broad gauged and gracious. He and his wife packed up their life in New York City and moved to Saratoga because it offered them the culture and atmosphere of city life while enjoying the peace, beauty and safety of Saratoga, New York.
While Richard did not make his living in the car business in New York City his love of cars drew him to the museum when they arrived in Saratoga. He was offered the job of Director of Development and did a crash course in the world of museums and automobile collecting. He was responsible for planning, coordinating and hosting that wonderful evening. Although it was the first time we had met him face to face, I felt as if we had known each other forever. Brock and I were most appreciative of his efforts and enthusiasm.
The event that evening was filled with old friends, peers and new friends that we look forward to seeing again. Brock was roasted that night and to our amazement Ken Gross, Denise McCluggage, William Jeanes, David E. Davis Jr., John Fitch, Sam Posey and Bill Warner came from the far corners of the country to take their best shots at Brock. He was a bit overwhelmed I think, and kept saying “I can’t believe they came here for me.” As the roast progressed the insults and loving jabs tempered his warm fuzzy feeling a bit but he receovered.
Denise McCluugage admitted that Brock’s life was filled with fun and interesting brilliance but like the Cannonball and One Lap of America one would have been just fine without having to repeat the idiocy so often. Pals like William Jeanes, Sam Posey and Ken Gross even had some nice things to say about Brock and Bill Warner’s comments about his past experiences with Brock were even refreshing to me after all these years. Surprisingly I leaned a few things about my Assassin that I never knew.
David E. Davis, one of Brock’s oldest friends, with a friendship spanning over forty years, was the roaster everyone had been waiting for. Throughout the evening people were whispering about what David E. would have to say, seeing the David had fired Brock at least three times over the years. The on again off again friendship had been a source of endless years of gossip and amusement for others. Only I knew the real story and the real depth of their linkage and I wasn’t about to spoil it for everyone else in the room. David E. spoke eloquently, as usual (he does have the gift) about Brock and their forty year relationship.
David opened with the line, “There has been a great deal of idle chatter about Brock’s health,” with that the room was silent and people slid to the edge of their seats, myself included, as he went on to say, “I want to take this opportunity, here tonight, to lay that rumor to rest once and all. Brock Yates is not pregnant. I repeat Brock Yates is not pregnant and William Jeanes will fight anyone in this room who says that he is, and that includes the women.”
Certainly, you can image my relief and those of the rest of the audience to finally know the real story. People have been speculating about Brock’s health for some time now.
It wasn’t until David E. made the apologies for Csaba Csere of Car and Driver not being able to attend that I knew the old David E. we have come to know and love was emerging. “Csere you know only fired Yates once, I hold the record. I only regret that I cannot hire him one more time just so I can fire him again!” With that statement, I knew that to take a page out of Sally Fields Oscar winning acceptance speech, “You like me. You really like me.” David E. Davis and Brock Yates will always be best friends drawn together with like interests, talent, mutual respect and years of experience doing the things they love most in the world, their love of the sport and the people that surround them which has created a bond that transcends simple friendship.
I salute all those friends that were present and have enriched our lives.
LADY PAMELA
