 Al
Garz, a long-time member of Empire division, died in a car accident on
October 1. He was 93 and lived in Connecticut. JCNA members from the Northeast
knew Al well as a leading Jaguar race preparation expert and a trusted
source of Jaguar service and repair for 50 years. He is survived by one
son.
Born in Germany, Al trained as a machinist and learned car repair before
emigrating to the US in 1929. In fact, as a merchant seaman, he jumped
ship in New York and found work as a mechanic. In the mid-1930s he opened
his own car repair shop and later became involved in stock car racing
as a driver and performance engineer.
Al was introduced to Jaguar by a friend, Fred Dagovar, who bought an XK
120. All prepared and raced the 120 with Fred, including entries at Sebring
in 1953-54 and 55.
Al bought his own 120 in 1954 and became a recognized Jaguar service expert.
In 1970, Al was introduced to Peter Schmidt, a Long Island, NY autocross
champion driving an E-type. Garz suggested that Peter try some track racing
and their partnership resulted in Schmidt winning the SCCA Northeast C
Production Championship, the North American Road Racing Championship and
several invitations to the SCCA run-offs.
Although he closed his Brooklyn shop and moved to Connecticut, Al Garz
did not retire. Since 1994, he had been working with vintage racer Guy
Deutermann who competes successfully with an XK 120 in vintage events.
Al was on his way to work on Guy's car when he had the accident.
Al was an early JCNA regional representative in the
east and was a significant contributor to the club. He served as a judge
at shows, acted as a driving instructor and presided over countless technical
sessions. A perpetual fund is being set up in his name to send two local
high school students each year to the Skip Barber driving school at Lime
Rock Park. For more information on donating to the fund, Contact Guy Deutermann
at 860 434-0382 or write him at 100 Joshua Town Rd., Lyme, CT 06371.
A memorial service for Al will be held on Saturday, October 26 at 11am
in the First Congregational Church of Lyme. Contact Guy for the directions.
Mike Cook
Posted: 10/14/2002
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