Our thoughts and prayers for Judy and all Dick's family and friends.

Just yesterday we exchanged emails about his health and issues he cared about on the forum. He was waiting for his health insurance to kick in on the first of September so he could get some tests run. He was feeling bad. Wish the new month could have come sooner so he could have gotten some help a little earlier.

It's too bad that so many who thought DB was a heartless, mean old guy never got to really know him. It is true, he could dish out the brutal truth to a newbie or a self-centered user. But once you got past that tough exterior, you'd find a guy who would help you when you needed it and knew more than most others could ever learn about petroliana, especially about gas pumps. He often admitted to me in private that he had been too rough on someone, but only regretted the tone of the comment, not the facts or the need to deliver them.

We going to miss the color commentator and gas pump professor here on the forum and at swap meets in the future. DB really cared about the hobby, the historic knowledge and real collectors. He had no patience for those who were in it for the money and would take advantage of others for their own gain.

Rest in peace, Dick Bennett.

Jim "Oldgas" Potts
Your host and moderator