I met Gary only once. That was in the Big Bear parking lot on Brice Road in 2001. He was rather outgoing and quite complimentary about the hot rod. His car was far nicer than mine but he was much more enthusiastic about my car being there.
We've discussed little things here and there over the years. He is one of the few that never criticized what I was doing or how I was doing it.
It's pretty obvious that we've lost one of the good guys. My only regret is that I never told him how much I appreciated his honesty and good nature.