It was July 21 and I was in Austin, Texas, for the Texas Heat Wave Show when I got a very painful call from Bill Hancock of Colorado Custom Wheels. My friend, co-worker and the man who influenced me to pursue automotive publishing, Courtney “Tito” Halowell had passed away.
As I sat in my Austin hotel room thousands of miles from home with four walls of sadness around me, I thought about going home. Then I thought about what Tito would want me to do. He would want me to stay, shoot some awesome trucks, make some new friends and do what he taught me— keep the scene rocking. I woke the next morning and headed to the show the next three days to do exactly that. Kevin Aguilar, John Jackson and I pounded those show grounds and scooped up the hottest trucks and event coverage, and the whole time we knew the big man was looking down on us with a smile. We all agreed that that weekend was about Tito. As we all raced the light for features on Saturday night, we knew Courtney was there watching us from the above.
At the awards ceremony on Sunday, we were given a few minutes to say a few words about this amazing man and how he affected our lives. The following is what I wrote and delivered to the crowd. TN Tnoack@beckett.com
Tags: Courtney Halowell, Street Trucks, Texas Heat Wave Show
