2025
Event Sponsor Wynn’s Held Thursday March 7, 2025 Hilton University of Florida Conference
Center, Gainesville Florida
Charlie Allen
Charlie Allen has been a competitor all his life, starting in his teen years as a street racer to his years as a successful home builder and racetrack owner and promoter. Charlie got his start in organized drag racing in 1963 when he met Bill Golden of Mavrick fame and joined his efforts as a crew member. In 1964 the pair went on tour as match-racers with a pair of Super Stock Dodges. Charlie went on his own in 1965 with a full Dodge Corporation sponsorship, campaigning a 426-Hemi powered Super Stock Dodge. While his racing career was primarily as a match-racer, he did notch a major win at the AHRA Nationals in Phoenix, AZ in 1966. He was one of the first drag racers to have his car shipped out of the U. S. mainland when his and the Chi Town Hustler Dodges were shipped to Hawaii for a featured match race.
After campaigning a Dodge Charger with a Kieth Black prepared engine and a modified body in 1971, Charlie quit racing and started building custom homes. However, because of his connections at NHRA and knowing so many of the track owners and managers, he learned that Bill Donner, who was operating Orange County International Raceway (OCIR), was looking to retire and in 1979 he managed to purchase the racing rights and assume the lease for the track.
As the manager of OCIR, Charlie opened the door for trend setting special race events, from continuing the super popular 64 Funny Car Show to a special ‘racer introduction night. His special events were introduced at racetracks nationwide with great spectator acceptance. He was also one of the early promotors of the “Wednesday night”, run-what-you-brung events for young enthusiasts. OCIR was among the first and only drag strips to incorporate an onsite, dirt track for motocross motorcycle racing. In 1983 Charlie had to close the doors of OCIR so the owners could develop it into an industrial site.
With his love of, and experience in, operating a racetrack, in 1983 he opened the gates at Firebird International Raceway (FIR) in Phoenix, AZ and has continued to bring new, innovative ways for promoting the sport to the table. FIR not only features a first class drag strip, it also has a lake that features boat racing and a road racecourse that is capable of handling CART events. To add to all of this, he has also managed to form a food concessions business that has sites in several arenas across the country.
In addition to being an avid car drag racing fan and promoter; Charlie has invested a lot of time and effort into the world of boat drag racing. In 1983 Charlie formed the International Hot Boat Association and campaigned for better safety regulations for the sport. Among his notable efforts there was the development of the enclosed drivers capsule and better spectator control, a move that undoubtedly has saved lives.
Today Charlie manages to fit in a few rounds of golf, take care of his properties and still maintain his reputation among the racers as a “superb race promoter” specializing in drag racing.
Phil Burgess
From young fan on the sidelines to a respected figure in the world of drag racing journalism and an avid chronicler of the sport’s history, Phil Burgess’ life has seemingly always been about drag racing.
Burgess's love for drag racing began during his formative years in Southern California, the epicenter of the sport's early growth, surrounded by legendary tracks like Lions Dragstrip, Orange County International Raceway, and Irwindale Raceway. From a young age, he devoured the monthly drag racing magazines and attended his first race at age 11 and fell further in love with the sport.
Beginning in 1982, he was able to marry his passion for the sport with his love of writing when he joined the editorial staff of National Dragster, the official news publication of the NHRA, bringing with him a fresh perspective and a relentless dedication to excellence. Through the encouragement and guidance of several key mentors, his writing quickly earned him recognition among readers and peers for its clarity, depth, and ability to convey the excitement of drag racing.
In 1986, he was named editor of the famed publication and has held that position for nearly 40 years, curating not only the history of the sport but also helping the endearing magazine adjust to the shifting dynamics of time and technology.
In 1995, he helped create and launch NHRA.com, making NHRA the first major auto-racing sanctioning body with a robust presence on the internet, and helped pioneer the online coverage of NHRA Drag Racing through new audio and video innovations. As he does with National Dragster, he still continues to lead and innovate NHRA’s online presence.
His wide range of interests and strengths within the publishing world led to being named NHRA’s editorial director, charged with the creation and leadership of other NHRA publications including souvenir programs and book projects.
Burgess has played a pivotal role in documenting and preserving the legacy of the NHRA while providing fans with his insights into the sport, and his passion for storytelling and keen eye for detail laid the foundation for his future career as a journalist and historian.
Burgess's most enduring legacy may be his role as the NHRA’s unofficial historian. Through his editorials, feature articles, and the popular "Dragster Insider" column on NHRA.com, he has meticulously chronicled the evolution of the NHRA, providing fans with a rich understanding of the sport’s history and its many colorful personalities, striving to capture the stories beyond race results and statistics through the human element of drag racing—the rivalries, triumphs, and challenges faced by the drivers, crews, and families that make up the sport and preserves and explains the legacy of legends of the sport future generations. Through its near 20-year run, the column has allowed him to meet, interview, and befriend many of the legends of the sport about whom he grew up reading and idolizing.
He is also the lead author of an upcoming NHRA history book celebrating NHRA’s upcoming 75th anniversary in 2026.
Beyond his editorial duties, Burgess has been a vocal advocate for drag racing, tirelessly promoting the NHRA and its unique appeal, helping elevate the sport’s profile, bringing it to wider audiences, and fostering greater appreciation among its fans, and giving back to a sport that has given him so much.
Gary Dryer
Gary Dyer was a typical gearhead. Gary grew up in the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago and began his drag racing career at the wheel of an Oldsmobile powered 1933 Ford coupe. Over the next ten years, he followed up in a series of Chevys and Gas Coupes.
After making a name as a builder and driver locally, Gary’s first major opportunity came in 1963 when a local racer, Ed Rachanski, fielded a Factory 427 Mercury Comet that was backed by the Chicagoland Lincoln Mercury Dealers Association with Gary driving and John Farkonas tuning. In late 1963, he started racing an A/FX Mercury Comet owned by Rachanski with which he set the world record in Super Stock at 130.44 mph and 10.75 E.T
Gary spent most of his racing career partnering and working with Norm Krause (Mr. Norm), co-owner of Grand Spalding Dodge (GSD) in Chicago. In 1964 Gary convinced Mr. Norm to allow him to campaign a S/FX Dodge Coronet powered by a Dyer built supercharged 426 Hemi under the GSD banner in 1965 with Gary as the race team owner and GSD its sponsor. During the 1960’s Gary competed in around 125 match races per year.
His 1965 car was a Factory Lightweight ’65 Dodge Coronet powered by a Dyer built supercharged 426 Hemi engine. At the end of 1965, Gary acquired an altered-wheelbase Dodge Coronet, formerly nicknamed "Color Me Gone", and installed a new supercharged 426 Dodge Hemi engine, and upgraded the chassis, becoming one of the very first true Funny Cars. Later that year, Gary set a new NHRA full bodied car record at Lions Drag Strip of 8.63 seconds E.T. and 163 mph.
While Gary was instrumental in making Funny Car racing an integral part of drag racing, in order to pay his bills, he did most of his racing as a match racer where he posted wins numbering in the hundreds. As a match racer, in 1966 Gary competed in a supercharged Dodge Charger with a R&B tube chassis and in 1968 he fielded another Dodge Charger that was ten inches narrower than a stock model and attached to a
“state of the art” RCS chassis. Early that year, Gary experienced a transmission explosion at Houston Dragway that burned the car to the ground, but he escaped from with minor burn damage to him. Unfortunately, later in the season, in the newly built Logghe Chassis Dodge Charger, Gary had an oil filter break off during a run and the resulting fire left him with eight months of burn treatment.
Gary returned to the Funny Car wars in 1969 with a new Dodge Charger body seated on the same Logghe Stamping Company chassis that survived the fire. Still mainly competing as a match racer, he also Competed in the Coca-Cola Funny Car Cavalcade of Stars where he won 11 races and the championship. That same year Gary opened the doors on a new business, Dyer’s Blowers, and began building superchargers for other racers.
He semi-retired from racing in 1970 to focus on his business but he resumed his racing career in 1971, at the wheel of a new Dodge Challenger. Late in the 1972 season, Gary turned over the driving chore to Kenny Safford and became the team crew chief. He also ran a Hemi Colt Pro Stock in races outside of the NHRA sanction, where such cars were illegal.
Dyer retired from racing for good at the end of 1973 selling the operation to Kenny Safford to prioritize Dyer's Blowers, where he can still be found every day assembling superchargers for his many street customers worldwide.
In 2020, Dyer was inducted into the Biloxi Dragway's Hall of Fame, and Mopar Hall of Fame.
Jim Head
Jim Head is not your average racer, he is an accomplished acrobatic pilot, a civil engineer, a successful contractor, a master mechanic and an award-winning drag racer. Jim became interested in drag racing at the age of 15 and, with no help or experience, he turned a 1956 Chevrolet sedan into a small block powered D/Gas class racer. He was able to test his efforts just one week after turning 16 when he entered it at the local drag strip. His next effort was a small block Chevy powered Austin Bantum coupe that was an improvement over the D/Gasser. Improving with experience, Jim’s next car was a 1956 Corvette that he raced in D/Gas. Jim moved into the open wheel arena with a small block powered 27 T Roadster in 1972 and followed that with a small block dragster in C/ED class. Still building his own engines and rebuilding the chassis for them, in 1979 Jim posted a new NHRA national E. T. record of 7.91 for the class.
1980 found Jim in the seat of a supercharged 426 Chrysler Hemi powered T/AD dragster but that soon changed when he experienced his first run with Nitro in the tank at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, IN and made it to the semifinals. The desire to go quicker and faster was part of the reason for moving into the nitro burning arena but it was also motivated by the ability to compete in a more “unlimited” class where new ideals could be tested and proven.
Jim was moderately successful in both the Fuel Dragster and Funny Car arenas, posting wins at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1984, the NHRA Cajun Nationals in Baton Rouge, LA in 1985, the NHRA U.S. Nationals in In1997. He has moved back and forth from AA/Fuel Dragster in 1980 to AA/Funny Car in 1984, back to AA/Fuel Dragster in 1989 and back to AA/Funny Car again in 2003 where he continued the driving chore until 2013 when he gave that position to his son Chad.
A true innovator, Jim is credited with being the first person to bring on-board computer technology to the nitro burning cars and the multi-stage clutch that activates automatically, both technological advances that are now standard units in the sport. He has also made modifications to his supercharger and fuel system that are very successful.
As noted earlier, Jim gave up the drivers’ seat in 2013 to concentrate on being the team Crew Chief and grow his construction business. However, he has continued to field competitive cars in the AA/Funny Car field and while he intends to continue to be one of the quickest and fastest teams, he is also committed to improved safety. Jim’s cars are usually a bit heavier than the other team’s cars but that is because he has added additional padding, impact absorbing materials and other structural features to achieve this goal.
A true competitor, Jim may have stepped out of the drivers seat but he will always be a racer, looking for faster speed and quicker E.T.’s. while doing so safer.
Jay Howell
Pamela (Pam) Hardly is better known as Jungle Pam from her years as Jungle Jim Leiberman’s “back up girl”. Pam is considered by most racers and spectators to be the original back up girl and much like Linda Vaughn who set the standards for bringing lasting attention to the sport, she proved that great looking ladies in colorful costumes add greatly to the “on track” show.
When Jim first met Pam, he already had a reputation as a real showman, making fiery burn outs, 100 mph backups and even full-track wheel stands. Jim met Pam when he saw her walking down the sidewalk and stopped to talk to her and ultimately offered her an opportunity to join him on tour. The pair added greatly to Jim’s “showman” title when Pam accepted his offer and became his back up girl. Dressing in her “patented” short-cut off-jeans and braless halter top, Pam was also responsible for presenting the sport with a sexy but wholesome image and generated a lot of interest from new fans that still exists today.
Unlike many of the later “back up girls”, Pam was also part of the crew. She often packed the parachute, added the water and oil after each run and learned quickly how to check for oil and water leaks. Unfortunately, Jim died in a car crash in 1977 and Pam backed away from any active race participation.
Gary Scelzi
Unlike most of his predecessors, Gary Scelzi got his first start in competitive drag racing at the wheel of a small-block, Chevy-powered sand dragster at the age of 16-years-old. He notched his share of wins in this arena before his world changed in 1996. Following the racing death of Blaine Johnson, Scelzi was selected by Alan Johnson to replace his brother in the family Top Fuel Dragster. Scelzi took advantage of the opportunity as he became the first rookie to win an NHRA title.
Scelzi first came to national prominence in 1985 in a Top Alcohol Dragster when he won the NHRA World Finals. He was victorious twice more in the class before moving to Alcohol Funny Car, where he also collected three NHRA national event wins.
Incredibly, in 1997, Scelzi captured the first two races in the class – the first one the NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif., and the second one the NHRA Atsco Nationals in Phoenix, Ariz. – becoming the first rookie driver in NHRA history to win his first two races as a pro. He went on to earn the NHRA Top Fuel championship and repeated that feat in 1998. Scelzi added a third crown in 2000 when he became the first Top Fuel driver in history to garner nine national event victories in one season. In 2002, Scelzi accepted the driver’s job in Alan Johnson’s second AA/Funny Car.
Scelzi is one of a very few drivers to win in NHRA’s four quickest and fastest supercharged categories – Top Fuel, Funny Car, Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car – with multiple victories in each as well as four championships spread among his nitro-burning career.
Parting ways with Johnson in 2002, Scelzi joined Don Schumacher Racing for the 2003 season in an Oakley-sponsored Funny Car and in 2004 he became the first Funny Car driver to exceed 330 mph. In 2005, Scelzi won the NHRA Funny Car world championship, ending John Force Racing’s 12-year stranglehold on the championship.
Scelzi is one of the very few drivers to rack up the win record he posted during his 12 seasons in the NHRA elite classes with 25 wins out of 39 finals in Top Fuel and 12 wins out of 20 finals in Funny Car.
Proving he is not one dimensional, while Scelzi was competing on the drag strip he owned and fielded a Ford Focus Midget that that won the legendary Turkey Night Grand Prix at Irwindale, Calif., in 2006 and took home the United States Auto Club Championship that year. For the 2007 season, Scelzi sold his Focus Midget and moved up to a standard midget and assumed the driving chore at the Chili Bowl Nationals.
After the 2008 season, Scelzi retired from driving in Funny Car to focus on the family business, Scelzi Enterprises, and his sons’ own racing careers. He has not abandoned the sport he loves so much and had so much success in, but has become even more vocal in his quest to improve its overall safety.
Terry Vance & Byron Hines
Terry Vance began life in Bristol, Virginia but at the age of three, his family mower to Los Angeles, California, the nations hot bed of motorcycle and hot rod activity. His first two-wheel undertaking was a minibike with a engine from a lawn mower. This was followed by a Honda 90 that was replaced with a Honda 350 and in 1970 he became the proud owner of a Honda CB750 Four. As soon as he got his driver’s license, he began racing his Honda at the local dragstrips and posting a steady string of wins.
At this time, Terry was employed at R.C. Engineering (RCE) and its owner, Russ Collins, was so impressed with Terry’s winning streak and style of riding that he approached him with an offer to ride one of RCE’s new bikes. Terry signed his first professional contract in 1972 as an RCE rider. .
Byron Hines made the decision in his teens that he liked owning and working on motorcycles rather than cars mainly because they were more open to work on, and one person can move them around easily. He is basically a self-taught mechanic who thrives on finding new ways to produce more horsepower with greater reliability. His pre-teen years were confined to helping his dad repair the family vehicles and playing around with go carts and soap box derby racers, but motorcycles caught his eye in high school, and he soon owned his first one, a Honda X-6.
Byron had been making improved performance and appearance modifications on his own street bikes from an early age, but everything changed in 1970 when he rode into Russ Collins RC Engineering (RCE) shop for a set of spark plugs. After his first look at Byron’s trick street Honda, Russ offered Byron a job and Byron became his first employee. During his first months at RCE, Byron was taking his own bike to the local drag strip where he was soon able to match the track speed and ET records. With this success under his belt and his wizardry at the shop, after a few months Russ and Byron teamed up with a Honda drag bike and began appearing in the winner’s circle regularly.
IT was at RCE where Terry and Byron met and became friends. With Byron building and tuning and Terry driving their twin engine T/G Honda, the team decimated the drag bike arena in the 1970’s winning 22 of the 23 AMDRA sanctioned races they entered.
In 1977 Suzuki approached him about racing its new GS 750, an offer he accepted and with Byron Hines doing the tuning, Suzuki dominated the drag racing arena. Suzuki capitalized on this success with numerous print and TV ads and combined with their exposure at the racetracks, the two men became the most recognized figures in motorcycle racing. It was also due in a large part to Suzuki’s involvement and the name recognition of Vance and Hines that NHRA added motorcycle drag racing as part of its national championship series in 1987.
Terry and Byron partnered in a new company in 1980, Vance & Hines Racing, and began producing a line of aftermarket parts that included as its first product, an exotic exhaust system for both street and strip. The pair have also designed, developed and are marketing, a very successful line of aftermarket products.
After winning the last five national races in a row, at the end of the 1988 season, Terry retired as an active rider to concentrate on building Vance & Hines Racing. Terry became the winningest motorcycle rider in drag racing and notched championships in both Pro Stock and Top Fuel classes.
Not one to confine his talents to one brand, Byron has successfully built Hondas, Ducati’s, Yamaha’s, Suzuki’s and Harley Davidsons. He has also been successful in road racing as well as drag racing. The main reason for his success in the motorcycle arena is because he is a tireless and dedicated worker and to quote him, “motorcycles represent a more technologically advanced and capable package”. Byron doesn’t confine his engine building talents to just their team either and is responsible for the engines used by other competitive teams.
In 1990 Vance & Hines expanded into road racing where it began to sponsor numerous club-level racing events and to offer contingency money for riders running Vance & Hines exhaust systems. The company signed with Yamaha to become its official factory AMA Superbike entry. While its appearance with a full-sized tractor-trailer rig and distinctively painted equipment into the paddock area was impressive, it was their first time out win at the 1990 Daytona 200 that garnered the most attention. The team won the AMA Superbike Championship in 1991 and continued its winning ways at various AMA events and in 1993 it took home its second AMA Daytona 200 trophy.
Paul Sergi Founders Award
Summit Racing Equipment’s roots can be traced back to a family farm in New Jersey. A young Paul Sergi took a liking to motors and machines, specifically the sounds of the tractors. The farm also taught him many important business philosophies: relying on quality products, reinvesting in the company, and emphasizing the importance of customer service. “When busheling corn, you always throw in two extra ears in case you miscounted,” Paul’s father taught him.
As a young performance enthusiast, Paul fed his interest and curiosity in motors and machines by flipping through the various car magazines at the local drugstore. After college, the engineer and avid drag racer bought a new 1967 Corvette (he still owns it today). When he needed a special tool to adjust the valves on the Vette’s 427 big block, he went to his closest speed shop, which wasn’t close enough to be convenient. Paul wanted better access to the parts he needed, when he needed them, and he wanted them at a good price. He and the owner of the shop struck up a friendship that would eventually serve as the genesis of Summit Racing Equipment. Paul began buying parts for his Corvette at distributor prices. It didn’t take long before his racing buddies wanted to buy parts, too.
The Corvette became a delivery truck, and a spare bedroom became a warehouse. Advertising in the local newspaper followed and the part-time business grew. Soon, Paul had to make a choice—keep his full-time job and give up the business or go all in on his auto parts store.
With his focus fully on building Summit Racing Equipment, Paul placed small ads in national magazines and the business was rolling. The staff grew, and like a true enthusiast, Paul worked in every area of the company—from shipping and receiving to creating magazine ads, and even learning programming so he could build the company’s computer system. The company’s first mail order catalog was created. To help set the business up for growth, Paul hired a highly capable staff in key areas. Marketing was in full force, customer-focused policies like the Handshake Guarantee were introduced, and the company grew…and grew some more. The company’s 24/7 order line went live to serve customers nationally and then SummitRacing.com was launched.
Today, Summit Racing Equipment is the go-to parts source for enthusiasts around the world. With operations in six states and millions of parts in stock, the company has come a long way since 1968. With the guiding principles Paul learned on the family farm at Summit Racing Equipment’s foundation, the company makes it a priority to take care of customers, employees, business partners, and the industry.
You’ll see the Summit Racing Equipment logo at tracks, on race cars, and at a wide variety of events throughout the United States and beyond.
Debbie Bader Pat Garlits Memorial Award
Debbie Bader was raised in Norwalk, Ohio; graduating from Norwalk High School in 1974. After graduation she attended Ohio University, initially majoring in psychology. One year later, she switched her major to nursing, graduating in 1978 as an RN.
Debbie met Bill in 1977. Bill was her mother’s boss. Owner of the then fledgling Norwalk Dragway, Bill needed more help at the racetrack. Deb’s mother volunteered Debbie saying, “My daughter is home from college. She’s broke. She’ll work anywhere.” After the race that night Bill and Deb went out for a drink, walked and talked for hours, and as the saying goes, the rest is history…they married in March 1986.
Restless by nature and always seeking new challenges, Debbie at first worked part time at the racetrack on weekends and as an RN in ICU/CCU full time. She started in the concession stands, then ran the clocks in the tower. She worked as a corner person at motorcycle motocross and BMX races; in the concession stand, timing tower, gates and the payout window at drag races. After 4 years, Deb could see nursing just wasn’t for her. Too many talents went unutilized. Besides for Deb, the racetrack atmosphere was electric. The stars aligned when Bill’s office assistant decided to quit. So one afternoon, Deb surprised Bill at work…she was his 4:00 job ‘interviewee’. Bill was duly shocked…(maybe even slightly horrified)… but he regrouped and hired her.
Deb’s initial learning curve was purely vertical. With no background in racing or clerical work, it took a few years, but she pushed until she excelled. From various marketing tasks, to accounting, operations, human resources and event planning/execution; projects were met with raw enthusiasm. Deb also worked in sponsor services; helping to write and design proposals while servicing various accounts throughout the season. But there were three areas where Deb especially shone. Her innate creativity and people skills were exceptional, while her logical approach to the world and problem solving proved invaluable.
Deb helped discover new ways to entertain fans and unique modes of presenting talent. She oversaw the design and production of brochures & merchandise, and assisted with the design and decor of various facility upgrades. It was Deb who taught team members, “if it’s above the ground it’s either a decoration, or an eyesore…everything matters.” Deb quickly gained great understanding of what each job required and instinctively knew what position a person would excel in. She interviewed, hired and enjoyed training Norwalk team members, ancillary employees and various local groups. Deb embraced customer service. She hired people ‘persons’ and trained them in outstanding customer service at all points of contact. If a guest was dissatisfied, Deb welcomed the opportunity to speak with that person, seeking to fix it for them as well as the next guy. She dove into guest issues rather than avoiding them, and tended to ‘fight fire’ with logic and laughter.
On race day, she was everywhere; because “a person isn’t truly trained until you evaluate them in action”. Bill orchestrated the race. Deb’s realm was everything outside the racetrack guard walls. At major events Deb checked in with parkers, ticket sellers, ushers, the state highway patrol, facility guards, box office managers, and as Norwalk grew - added campground personnel, and suite/chalet hostesses to her route. As the show began, Deb sat in the stands with fans. She monitored the show, it’s pace, delivery and PA levels. The race crew adjusted accordingly. There she also talked with folks around her, gathering information on their likes, dislikes while digging for their ideas on what could be improved. Her notes were often strikingly revealing. Like Bill, Deb’s work ethic was exceptional. She was always among the first ones in and the last ones out. With energy, detail, vision and her love of learning, Deb gave Bill time. Time to evaluate and alter existing programs, to plan and build for the future, and time to listen to his racers, sponsors and fans. No one was better with people than Bill, and his entire team knew it.
A formidable combination was born when Bill hired Deb. Together with their talented family, and an exceptionally driven group of customer service focused team members; the foundation was laid for Norwalk Raceway Park to grow into the Summit Motorsports Park of today:
‘Home Of The Largest Independent Sportsman Event In The World – The Halloween Classic’… ‘Home of The Largest Independent Single Day Event In The World – Night Under Fire’…
‘Home of the Largest National Event On The IHRA Circuit’…
‘Home of one of the most beloved stops on the NHRA Mission Tools Drag Racing Series’.... and Home of 21 ‘Track of the Year’ Awards beginning in 1981.
For 40 years Deb worked alongside Bill in every endeavor that called their name. In 1998, they purchased the IHRA. Deb initially remained at Norwalk Raceway (NRP) with Bill Jr. as he established ‘his’ team. Though acutely reluctant to leave NRP, Deb ultimately went back to work with Bill Sr. by joining Team IHRA. But in 2001, Deb experienced a career ending back injury, removing her from the work force. After 10 years of various treatments and demanding exercise, she at last turned the corner. Meanwhile Bill formally left IHRA. Bill and Deb were then able to retire to Idaho, where they could enjoy their beloved mountain with views that caress Heaven.