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Faces


The need for speed & loving every second of it A


s a child Dale Schaefer could hear the engines roaring from the nearby Quaker City Drag


Strip in Salem, Ohio—where he hoped to one day be in person, burn- ing rubber down the racetrack. Cars became a major part of his


life until his mid-30s, when he was called to the ministry, eventually becoming Pastor Dale. Now 68 and retired after 15 years at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Bowl- ing Green, Ohio, Schaefer is again able to feed his passion for all things racing. In fact, he set a personal best the month he retired at the Summit Motorsports Park “Halloween Clas- sic” in Norwalk, Ohio. “I went a quarter-mile in 9.7 seconds and hit 142 miles per hour,” said Schaefer, adding that his time might soon be even quicker because he is rusty. “My reaction time is not as good as it used to be because I’m out of practice.”


100 plus


103: Chersty Person, Bethlehem, Wahoo, Neb.; Una Bonkrude, Dallas, Dallas, Wis.; Hilma Bennett, Salem, Rockford, Ill.; Martha Mangels, Beth- any, Elmhurst, N.Y. 101: Carol Black- well, Holy Trinity, Lafayette, Ind.; Evelyn Matz, Zion, Republic, Ohio. 100: Margaret Berg and Edna Dahlsten, Bethany, Lindsborg, Kan.; Marga- ret Bloom, South Beef River, Osseo, Wis.; Myrtle Knudson, Our Savior, Butternut, Minn.; Emma Seidel, Cha- pel of St. John, Lutheran Home, Arlington Heights, Ill.


Share your accomplishments, awards and 100+ members in “Faces.” Send to lutheran@thelutheran.org or “Faces,” The Lutheran, 8765 W. Hig gins Rd., Chicago, IL 60631.


Dale Schaefer customized his 1980 Plymouth Arrow with a 750-horse- power, 452-cubic-inch engine. It tops 140 mph in the quarter mile. The retired pastor continues his ministry, leading pre-race prayers and serving as chaplain at a drag strip.


RNS PHOTO BY DAVID YONKE Before Schaefer’s life in the ministry, he spent time in his dad’s garage,


learning to fix and rebuild cars. His first was a 1949 Studebaker that he drove around the family farm when he was 13. The first car he took to the track was a 1949 Chevrolet that he had modified. From that first race he was hooked. “It was sort of an addiction,” he said. “I wanted to keep going a little faster and a little faster, and I wanted to have a little bit nicer equipment. I evolved over the years, though I’m nowhere near a professional.” Before the ministry, Schaefer worked in the automobile industry, and after serving in the Army he sold insurance. “Then the Lord called me and I went to Trinity Lutheran Seminary (Columbus, Ohio),” he said. “I graduated when I was 38.” Racing became a rarity for the next three decades, though he continued to work on cars when he had free time. Although he is retired, Schaefer continues his ministry, leading pre-race prayers and serving as chaplain for the drag strip. He supplements the work done by the organization Racers for Christ. “I get to lead worship services there,” he said. “I get involved with per- sonal issues with staff and the racers. There have been several weddings at the track too. People say that’s crazy, but my philosophy is that Jesus never said he would be at the temple from 9 a.m. till noon. I carry the Gospels to where the folks are.”


Schaefer is working on retooling his top car, a 1939 Buick hot rod. In the wings is a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda, which he hopes to restore to classic racing shape.


“I grew up loving cars, and I still love them just as much,” he said.  Jeff Favre


Favre is a contributing editor of The Lutheran.


February 2013 43


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