Fran and LaMarr Anderson

LaMarr and Fran met in 1953 in Manhattan Beach, California, where 13-year-old LaMarr had recently moved from his parent’s farm in Blackfoot, Idaho. Fran was eleven years old, lived in San Francisco, and was visiting her aunt and uncle’s house that was next door to LaMarr’s family. Little did they know what was in their future.At the age of five, LaMarr drove the farm truck down the rows of potatoes. His racing career began around the age of fourteen when he built a Soap Box Derby car. In 1959 he ran his first oval track race at Saugus Speedway in a 1949 Olds.From 1959 to 1974 he ran Destruction Derby cars at Gardena Stadium and continued racing stock cars at Saugus, Gardena Stadium, Ascot Park, San Bernardino, 605 Speedway, and the NASCAR road course at Riverside International, as well as various race tracks in Northern California and Colorado. His final race was a 250 mile “Enduro” at Ascot Memorial Day 1984 in a 1973 Monte Carlo.LaMarr has always been interested in anything with a motor. His truck driving career began as a route salesman for Coca-Cola in 1959. He bought his own dump truck in 1960 and hauled asphalt until 1964 when he went to work for Texaco hauling gasoline.In 1966 he made a career change and went to Santa Barbara Aviation Flight School, where he earned his pilot’s licenses, including commercial, instrument and multi-engine. In 1968 he went to work flying twin-engine DeHavill, and Otter commuter planes in Hawaii and Southern California, and also was a flight instructor for two fire seasons. He flew DC-7 Air Tankers out of Redmond Oregon in 1975 and 1976. He retired at the age of sixty-four on October 1, 2003, after working for almost 23 years as a Teamster hauling heavy equipment for a road paving company.LaMarr is now 82 years old, and he and Fran will celebrate their 59th anniversary in October. They are the parents of four children and nine grandchildren. He is still tinkering with anything that has a motor.

You can reach LaMarr and Fran by email: FranAnderson42@gmail.com

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