Listen to 76 Ball designer Ray Pedersen interviewed on Steve Parker's the Car Nut show, Newstalk 920 K-PSI Palm Springs. Ray talks about the genesis of the ball and his wild and wooly days as an ad exec for Young & Rubicam in the fifties and sixties. Show was recorded 3-05-06.

Visit www.steveparker.com for more info on cars, trucks, motorcycles, auto racing and auto lifestyles.

Subscribe to the Save the 76 Ball feed and stay tuned.

Nathan Marsak, author of the book “Los Angeles Neon” and co-author of the Save The 76 Ball Petition, delivers an impassioned podcast plea that the remaining 76 Balls be kept safe from harm.

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A couple of days ago, I was interviewed on Dori Monson's KIRO Seattle radio show about the Save The 76 Ball petition campaign. Hundreds of Dori's listeners have rallied to sign the petition, including Dori himself (thanks!). But the most extraordinary thing to come from this interview was an email I received from Ray Pedersen, a man with a very personal relationship to the 76 Ball. Well, let's let him tell you about it himself:

 
Kim:  It's a small world.  A friend of mine and fellow alumni of The Art Center School of Pasadena told me you were on a program the other day and sent me this info on you.  I am the guy who was creative director in 1955 on the Union Oil account for Young and Rubican Advertising in L.A.  I designed the ball for the Seattle World Fair (their SkyRide) and it was so stunning that Fred Hartley wanted it done for all Union Oil Stations.  He called it "Pedersen's Balls."  It was much fun.  I had a small one made so it would just fit in my Beechcraft Bonanza and we went all over the country shooting beautiful scenes and put the ball up on a pole and what do you know?.... a gas station in front of the magnificent Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, San Francisco Bay Bridge, etc.

 
Here is a snap of me getting the ball ready at the Grand Canyon location.

Save my ball!   (have a housefull plus a basketball with the logo)

Regards,
Ray Pedersen

Stay tuned for more from Ray, who is still creatively active at 80, and off to Iceland to brand glacial water for Icelandia PLC!