Harold E. Grist Sr. was born during a time that children with severe disabilities were often institutionalized or left to die, Hal was born with a birth defect that left part of his spine missing. Una ...Show More
Harold E. Grist Sr. was born during a time that children with severe disabilities were often institutionalized or left to die, Hal was born with a birth defect that left part of his spine missing. Unable to walk or even sit up for the first few years of his life, he eventually had experimental surgery done at the Shriner's Hospital where they took a section of his leg bone and constructed a spinal column for him. After this, he was able to walk, but he had a severe shortening of his lower limbs and one of his legs remained substantially shorter than the other due to the bone loss. He did not grow to be over 5 feet tall. However, he did not let this stop him, and even joined the military during the Korean war (without telling the army) but was eventually discovered and removed. He had very little money, but had a dream of racing cars on the dirt track. He began racing and it became his passion. Soon after, he started out first as a driver for Hollywood actors such as John Wayne and Lucielle Ball, and eventually became a stunt car driver - driving such well known cars as Herbie the Love Bug, and the Batmobile, and even the Delorian in Back to the Future. He was married three times and had four children and four stepchildren. He passed away from pancreatic failure in the mid 1990's, leaving behind him many children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and a loving wife. Hide
