Back in the 60s, radio was all about on-air live promotions. Marie Gifford, then-general manager of KEEL Radio, was very supportive of the crazy ideas that her programming staff came up with. Two staffers, Larry Ryan and Gene Kent, decided to race to KLIF Radio in Dallas, Texas on Honda 50's for a contest sponsored by Powercycle Center.

All the smack talk back and forth between the two was promoted on-air until the big day arrived. The pair hit the road in the big "Race to Dallas" competition, but not without incident.

The combination of heat and the fact that Honda 50's only go about 35 mp/h made for a grueling trip. Then, Larry's scooter broke down in Longview about a block from a Honda dealership. Not long after waiting for repairs to be finished, Gene Kent flies by in the back of a pick up truck with his scooter in the back. His broke down, too!

Gene's scooter was fixed and he was on the road again before Larry got to Tyler. But Larry ended up winning the race because Gene couldn't find KLIF Radio!

The moral to the story is: know where you're going before you start.

Grandmother. Gardener. Mardi Gras fanatic. Guest writer Suzy Ryan does it all. Check out more of her heartwarming memories and funny stories here. If you have a question for The Woo or want to share your own story, drop a line: thewoo3@yahoo.com

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