Club Awards

The Bowie Gray Service Award was first given in 1994 at Tarheel Sports Car Club’s 30th Anniversary Party. The Award honors the long-time contributions of one of THSCC’s founders and long-time club Treasurer, Bowie Gray, Sr. of Wilson, NC. As was only fitting, the first recipient of the Award was none other than Bowie Gray, Sr. himself. The Award continues to be presented periodically and as appropriate to club members in recognition of outstanding service to THSCC over an extended period of time.

The Heel of the Month Award was started in 1993 to honor one or more THSCC members each month for outstanding driving or for recognition of some special or notable action recently performed either within the club or outside of the club. Each monthly recipient puts his or her special “mark” on the Heel and returns it at the next monthly meeting for presentation to the next recipient. At the club’s year-end party, the decorated Heel is awarded for keeps to a recipient deemed especially deserving of the award. From 1993 until his death in 2002, long-time THSCC member Gene Miller made a new award each year. And, as he has done since 1993, long-time member Neal (Neal Bob) Harrington still wires its flashing toes.

Some years ago, probably 1992 or so, at a CarGuys, Inc. high-performance driving school at Roebling Road in Savannah, Ga., Tarheel member Bill Wilkins was instructing Tarheel member and novice track driver Bill Gratton. Though Bill W. was a very good instructor, Bill G. was just a little too aggressive for his experience and overcooked turns 1 and 2. The two went off on the outside and then back across the track. The car almost came to a stop, but the sand had built up along the wheels and, at about 5 or 10 mph, over on its side it went. Both occupants were unscathed, but Bill W. exited the car with the instructor’s-side door handle in hand, only adding to the bench-racing story of the incident.

The original door handle was returned to Bill G. to mend his car. However, later that same year, Ron Spencer was walking from one worker-station to another at Summit Point and saw yet another door handle on the ground. The Roebling incident immediately came to mind, along with an idea to immortalize the humorous Bill and Bill incident. Together with Queen Jean Wilkins, Bill’s wife, the Golden Door Handle Award was born to “honor” the Tarheel member(s) involved in the most notorious off(s) of the year.