Otis Victor "Vic" Edelbrock Jr. (August 23, 1936 – June 9, 2017) was the son and only child of famed mechanic and Edelbrock founder, Vic Edelbrock. He was the president of Edelbrock from 1962 until his death in his home in Rolling Hills, California at age 80.

Early years

After graduating from Dorsey High School, Vic received a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

scholarship to the University of Southern California(USC) and joined the Delta Tau Delta

fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

and graduated in 1958 with a degree in

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

from

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

.Vic Bio at Edelbrock website media center
Vic joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), hoping to become a fighter pilot. Vic was scheduled to graduate second lieutenant and had been accepted to flight school. After Congress passed a law making it mandatory to serve five years to earn combat wings, instead of three years, Vic gave up his dream and went back to helping his father run the family business. Vic met his wife Nancy Crook during his senior year during rehearsals for Songfest charity show at the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in America by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018. The Hollywood Bowl is known for its distin ...

. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, the sorority chosen for the annual show. They were officially engaged on Christmas in 1958 and married at Our Savior's Chapel at USC on March 21, 1959.

Business management

After the death of his father Vic Sr. in 1962, Vic Jr., age 26 at the time, took over to lead the company as president and CEO. He held both positions until 2010, when he stepped down as president; he remained chairman of the board of directors.Edelbrock IOP press release
/ref> At the time he took the reins, the company consisted of just ten employees and annual sales were $450,000. For the next several decades, Vic helped grow the company his dad created into a major name among hot-rodders, sanctioned

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

and short track motor racing. The company grew considerably with Vic, Jr. as president and 2004 revenue exceeded $125 million.SEC listing
/ref> Vic served as the president of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) from 1971 to 1974 and was on the

board of directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

from 1967 to 1989.

Flying

Vic earned his Private Pilot certificate in 1968. He rented Bob Hedman's (of

Hedman Hedders Hedman is a Swedish surname. It is an ornamental name composed of the elements ''hed'' "heath", "moor" + ''man'' "man". In 2014, the surname was most frequently found in Sweden, followed by the United States and Finland. Notable people with the su ...

) airplane to learn to fly. Once a week, Vic flew the company plane from Edelbrock's headquarters in Torrance, California to the company's foundry, located in San Jacinto.

Other hobbies

Edelbrock and his family were regulars at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in

Monterey, California Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bo ...

. They usually drove Ford Mustangs. Vic Edelbrock drove a 1963 Corvette Z06 Coupe at the Monterey Historics (Now called the Monterey Motorsports Reunion) and a 1970 Ford Mustang Fastback.

Career awards
*He was selected as the fourth recipient of the
Robert E. Petersen Robert Einar "Pete" Petersen (September 10, 1926 – March 23, 2007) was an American publisher who founded the Petersen Automotive Museum in 1994.Hevesi, Dennis (March 27, 2007)Robert Petersen, Publisher of Auto Buff Magazines, Dies at 80.''Ne ...
Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for his contributions to the evolution and prosperity of specialized automobiles. *He was inducted in the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. *He was selected to the SEMA Hall of Fame. *He was named "Person of the Year" by the Performance Warehouse Association, in 1982 and 1987

Quotes
"I've played football at USC, raced ocean boats and ski boats, but I've never felt anything like the adrenaline rush I get in a race car."

Notes and references

External links

Edelbrock official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edelbrock, Vic Jr. 1936 births 2017 deaths Marshall School of Business alumni American manufacturing businesspeople Susan Miller Dorsey High School alumni