Ron Toomer, 1930-2011
Sep. 27th, 2011 07:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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derspatchel, I heard that Ron Toomer, chief roller coaster designer for Arrow Dynamics from the 1960s on, just died. I think he designed every steel coaster I rode prior to this year: the beloved Loch Ness Monster, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg; the Canobie Corkscrew at Canobie Lake, and my very first, the Trailblazer at Hersheypark. Toomer was on the short list of giants of rollercoasterdom, right up there with Herbert Schmeck, John C. Allen and Werner Stengel. His coasters taught me that near-vertical drops can be good times as long as you scream a lot and loops are not scary. Thanks for all the fun, Ron.
derspatchel, I heard that Ron Toomer, chief roller coaster designer for Arrow Dynamics from the 1960s on, just died. I think he designed every steel coaster I rode prior to this year: the beloved Loch Ness Monster, the Big Bad Wolf, and the Drachen Fire at Busch Gardens Williamsburg; the Canobie Corkscrew at Canobie Lake, and my very first, the Trailblazer at Hersheypark. Toomer was on the short list of giants of rollercoasterdom, right up there with Herbert Schmeck, John C. Allen and Werner Stengel. His coasters taught me that near-vertical drops can be good times as long as you scream a lot and loops are not scary. Thanks for all the fun, Ron.