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VOL. 54 ISSUE 11 MARCH 21, 2017 P143 That year, in fact, he was the high-point novice rider in all of the AMA. Shortly thereafter he picked up sponsorship from the famous Milne Bros. (former speedway champs) motorcycle dealership. Everett was an outgoing person. He loved to promote the sport of motorcycle racing and made a point to stop by newspaper offices in the area he was racing just to introduce himself to the sports editors and answer any questions they had about racing. Pasadena Independent Sports Editor Bob Shafer became a good friend and followed Everett's racing career in his column. By 1955, Everett's talent really began to show. He high-pointed in the amateur class, as he had in the novice ranks, and more importantly made some great showings against the pros. In the 1955 Pacific Coast TT Championship, Everett finished second to Brad Andres. The kid from Louisiana was for real. Everett got his expert license in 1956. He made the trek to Daytona Beach, Florida, and finished an amazing third in the Daytona 200, his very first AMA national race. Everett's dream of becoming one of the best in the sport was coming true much faster than even he had imagined. After his outstanding Daytona debut, his name was now known through- out the country to fans of motorcycle racing. For the rest of the 1956 season, Everett stayed close to his adopted home of Los Angeles to partici- pate in the lucrative local weekly races, but he did go cross-country once again to race in the famous Peoria TT Nationals. At Peoria, he was every bit as impressive as he'd been at Daytona, taking second and third in the two nationals at Peoria's Club- grounds. Competing in just three nationals, Everett managed to finish tied for fourth in the final 1956 AMA Grand National point standings. Everett came back in 1957 to Peoria, riding a BSA, and earned his first AMA national victory. Again, he finished ranked in the top 10 in the national championships despite racing in only half of the events. In 1958, Everett solidified his reputation as one of the all-time greats at Peoria by winning for a second straight year. He also proved his versatility that year by winning the Dodge City Grand Prix road race (a non-AMA national, but a race that attracted most of the country's top riders) and earning another top-10 result in the Daytona 200. Back home in Los Ange- les, Everett won the Pacific Coast TT title and was the high-point rider at Ascot Park. He also found time to race in and win speedway races in North- ern California. He was really coming into his own. Everett was entering his fourth year in the pro ranks in 1959. He seemed to be on the verge of making an even bigger impact on the national scene when he was sadly struck down in a multi- ple-bike accident on June 19 during the weekly Fri- day night program at Ascot Park. Everett lingered for three days before succumbing to his injuries on June 22. He was 28. Everett's death struck the racing community very hard, especially in Southern California. Described by those who knew him as a fine, humble, soft-spoken and humorous man, Everett was generally considered to be the best- liked rider by both fans and fellow competitors in his home district. In just over three years of professional racing, Everett had earned a solid reputation as a true professional in every sense of the word. His old friend, Bob Shafer, wrote a fitting eulogy to Everett in his newspaper column: "It is not easy to say goodbye to a friend. The only measure of solace is found in the notion that George went out doing what he liked best; living life, as he saw it, to its fullest. He is beyond hurt. It is those he leaves behind who suffer the deep ache now. His was an occupation whose dangers he fully realized and oft-times freely discussed. Were it to be done over again he undoubtedly would chose the same kind of life. "We really have no kick coming. We are all bet- ter off for having known him." CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives