Charles Leroy Pauley

Charles Pauley of Herington, Kansas is shown here at Abilene, Kansas on September 26, 1932 with the #14 bobtail Chevrolet he drove for his uncle, Henry Pauley.

 

The Henry Pauley owned #14 Chevy bobtail on July 25, 1934

Charles Pauley, seated, with Henry Pauley and the #14 Chevy bobtail

The #14 Chevy bobtail in front of Henry Pauley’s garage in Herington, KS on July 25, 1934

Charles Pauley, left with his uncle, Henry Pauley and the #14 Chevy bobtail

Charles Pauley at speed in his uncle’s #14 Chevy bobtail at Anthony, KS On July 22, 1933

Charles Pauley with his uncle’s Frontenac

Charles Pauley in his uncle’s #28 Frontenac in front of Pauley’s Garage in Herington, KS

Charles Leroy Pauley was born on December 31, 1912 at Herington, Kansas.  As a teenager, he remembers watching such drivers as John Gerber and “Dad” Harrier race at Abilene, Kansas when he attended the races there with his uncle, Henry George Pauley (1897-1962).

          Henry Pauley built a bobtail racing car and attempted to copy John Gerber’s successful machine as closely as possible.  Pauley found Gerber willing to share his knowledge and they visited for hours at a time about what Pauley would need to do to build a competitive racing car.  Pauley’s bobtail utilized a 4-cylinder Chevrolet engine with an Oldsmobile head which increased the compression and had larger valves than a stock Chevrolet head.

          Charles Pauley raced from 1932 through 1934 spending most of that time in his uncle’s #14 bobtail Chevrolet.  Some of the later races were in a white #28 Frontenac that Henry purchased from Jim White shortly after White moved to Herington, Kansas.

          Charles recorded the information about many of the races that he competed in, in a small notebook.  The information in parentheses below has been added by the webmaster:

 

Newton, Kansas – June 1, 1932

1^st in class B - $3.39

          2^nd in finals - $3.14

 

Wichita, Kansas – June 19, 1932 – rained out

 

Wichita, Kansas - June 26, 1932 – rained out

 

Dodge City, Kansas – July 4, 1932

          2^nd in class B - $11.75

          2^nd in match race

          4^th in finals

 

Wichita, Kansas – August 7, 1932

          Smashed up in first race on north curve

 

Belleville, Kansas – September 1, 1932

          Got second place in fourth event – Got $30, $10 mine

 

Belleville, Kansas – September 2, 1932

Drove Murray Earl’s car

          Got third place in fourth event – Got $20, $10 mine

  

Hutchinson, Kansas – September 23, 1932

Got fifth place in sixth event (consolation) – Got nothing

 

Abilene, Kansas – September 26, 1932

          No other record

 

Abilene, Kansas – July 4, 1933:

          Time: 31.5

          2^nd place in class A

          2^nd place in finals

          Got $12, I got $5

 

Anthony, Kansas – July 22, 1933

          Time: 32 flat

          1^st in class A - $10

          1^st in match race - $6.70

          1^st in finals - $33.30

          Total won: $50, I got $17

 

Wichita, Kansas – August 13, 1933

          Time: 31.58

Charles Pauley with his uncle’s Frontenac in front of Pauley’s Garage in Herington, KS

Charles Pauley in his uncle’s #28 Frontenac

Charles Pauley with his uncle’s Frontenac at Hutchinson, KS on July 4, 1934

#500 Posey Reeves, left and #28 Charles Pauley, right at Hutchinson, KS on July 4, 1934

Charles Pauley at left with his uncle and car owner Henry Pauley. The car is the #28 Frontenac

Charles Pauley with his uncle’s #28 Frontenac

Charles Pauley, left, with friend and fellow driver Murray Earl after Charles’ crash at Belleville, KS on August 31, 1934

          2^nd in handicap race

          1^st in consolation race

4^th in final race

          Total won: $27.81, I got $9.30

 

Belleville, Kansas – August 31, 1933

          Time: 28.2

          I got third in consolation race - $12

 

Belleville, Kansas – September 1, 1933

Time: 27.0

          I got 3^rd in third event - $20

          $32 for two days (August 31^st and September 1^st)

 

Hutchinson, Kansas – September 18, 1933

          Got 3^rd in consolation - $10

(He was running in 2^nd place until a brush with the fence dropped him to 4^th place.  He then worked his way back up to 3^rd place)

 

Hutchinson, Kansas – September 22, 1933

Got 4^th in the consolation

I didn’t get anything

 

Concordia, Kansas – September 24, 1933

          Time: 32.2

          Got 2^nd in first preliminary

          Got 2^nd in handicap

          Got 2^nd in finals

          Got $23.55

 

Dodge City, Kansas – September 29, 1933

          Time: 33.0

          Got 1^st in all the events

          Got $15

 

Dodge City, Kansas – September 30, 1933

Got 1^st in all events

          Got $26

          For both days (September 29^th and September 30^th),

Got $41, I got $13.50

 

Anthony, Kansas – October 28, 1933

          Time: 32.5

          I got two firsts

 

Anthony, Kansas – October 29, 1933

I got one first and one second

Got $10.50, I got $3.50

 

St. Joseph, Missouri – May 21, 1934

          I got one 3^rd place - $5.31

 

Hutchinson, Kansas – July 4, 1934

          Got three 1^st places $86.25, I got $29.25

 

Anthony, Kansas – July 21, 1934

          Got a 2^nd and a 3^rd

          Got $33.00, I got $11.00

 

Winfield, Kansas – July 28, 1934

          One 1^st, one 3^rd, got $20.

(Webmaster’s note:  Charles spun the bobtail out in time trials and backed it through the board fence that surrounded the Winfield race track.  Somehow, he escaped injury and was able to repair the car in time to compete in the races.)

 

Belleville, Kansas – August 30, 1934

          No other record

 

Belleville, Kansas - August 31, 1934

          I cracked up.

(Webmaster’s note:  Something broke on Charles’ car at Belleville, Kansas and it veered into the outside fence knocking down several feet of 1” x 12” board fencing.  In spite of wearing a football helmet, he received burns on his head from the flying boards.  The accident also broke the aviator goggles he was wearing.)

 

Topeka, Kansas – September 11, 1934

          One 1^st, got $18.40

 

Hutchinson, Kansas – September 17, 1934

          Two thirds - $20

                    (He placed 3^rd in the 2^nd heat, 3^rd in the invitational handicap dash, and 5^th in the feature)

 

Hutchinson, Kansas – September 21, 1934

          (He placed 5^th in the consolation)

 

Hutchinson, Kansas – September 20, 1935

          (He turned a lap of 32.5 seconds in time trials and finished in 3^rd place in the pursuit handicap)

 

 

          Charles Pauley’s fiancée, Pauline Buckman, enjoyed watching the auto races except when Charles was competing, so he gave up driving and they were married in 1935.  Charles had taken a job with the Rock Island Railroad in 1929 and remained with them for more than 45 years.

 

 

All of the photographs on this web page are from the Charles Pauley collection