Another member slips away

p_whitworth

Active member
Conference has now become a venerable organization in that those of us were there at the start are slipping away as the years pass. In recent days we have had to say good-bye to one more pillar that has supported us through many years, Dan Rowland.

Dan was passionate about racing and about Conference, to which he gave many years of his life. He began by taking the Bondurant racing school course at age 18 and raced with Conference first with a Datsun 510 and later with a Datsun 240Z. He won championships with both cars. The 510 in 1978 and with 240Z in 1990.

He also served Conference in administrative functions. He was Assistant Race Steward in 1980 and Race Steward in 1985. According to Bob Grey, the President that year, Dan and his assistant, Wes Tipton, were hugely successful in that they were able to avoid having to run from the angry mob which always seems to be attracted to stewards as the competition year wears on. He went on to serve three one year terms as President in 1995, 96, and 97. Declining health forced him to curtail his involvement after he left office of President but his heart was always in the sport and the organization.

We send our heartfelt condolences to his widow Diane and we are confident that he is now able to race with all the great drivers and that the machinery and the tires never wear out.
 
Dan and his wife Diane devoted 3 years of their lives to the Conference President's office even as his health was failing. You could not find a more devoted individual to Conference racing. His last year was very difficult.

When I was Steward he was the neutral 3rd party mechanic chosen to preside over a 240Z protest. He knew all there was to know about Datsuns.

Involvement in Conference as an official leaves a life long positive imprint and one that you will never regret.

Godspeed Dan, I know you are looking down on us and making sure we are doing it right in Conference.
 
It’s always tough to lose the great ones. I was lucky enough to get to know Dan in the early 80’s when he and my Dad shared a house in Bellevue. Dan had a great sense of humor, and you couldn’t find a bigger car guy. Dan can likely be blamed for the fact that I have two Datsuns myself, as I clearly absorbed much of his passion for them. As president, Dan gave it his everything, and as he handed me my year end trophy in 97, darn near made me tear up with his kind words. Over the years, I watched Dan build some well turned out racecars (often in Black and yellow livery) including Formula Fords, Datsuns, and one notable Ford Capri with a funny story behind it.

Dan didn’t go off track a lot, but when he did, he made it exciting. As such, Dan had the “opportunity” to build a new racecar one year (yellow Capri), and of course it was beautiful and clean. The car made its debut in Portland, and upon returning to his pit following the drivers meeting, Dan discovered someone had siliconed four medium duty casters to the roof of the car as a fitting gag. In typical Rowland style, Dan walked over to his tool box without saying a word, grabbed some WD40, and oiled up each wheel, making sure they spun freely. Still makes me snicker to this day.

Thank you Dan. Rest in peace my friend.
 
This comes as a real shock to me. We had some great times the 2 years we lived together in the early 80's, with me bringing home a new lady friend frequently, to his dismay, and he living on pizza and pepsi, which he loved! We spent many long hours in the garage working on my FV and his Capri/FF/kit car that he built for his father.
I was his best man when he married Diane but sadly we didn't talk much the last 10 years. I will miss you buddy.
 
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