The more you learn, the more amazing peoples lives become - Tom Medley, who not only was with hot rod from issue 2 until 1985, but played basketball against the original Harlem Globetrotters, and worked on hot rod related jazz records with ScatMan Crothers.

To say that Tom Medley led a full life is indeed an understatement. He played basketball on a level that afforded a college scholarship, but turned it down to journey to Southern California to attend Fullerton Junior College. While still in Oregon after graduating high school he was on an AAU team that played against, amongst others, the Harlem Globetrotters. After the onset of WWII Medley was drafted into the Army and was shipped to Europe in time for the Battle of the Bulge. Stateside after the War, he attended the prestigious Art Center College for a time and worked on hot rod related jazz records with musicians that included ScatMan Crothers.

He fought in the Battle of the Bulge (he was awarded a bronze star), was a national champ of flying free-flight model airplanes

https://www.roddersjournal.com/portfolio-item/tom-medley-1920-2014/
https://www.rodauthority.com/news/artist-tom-medley-is-being-honored-with-a-website-devoted-to-him/