Dale S. Wilson Jr

Dale Wilson of Alpharetta, GA passed away suddenly Wednesday afternoon, May 21, 2014. An award-winning newspaper and magazine journalist, Dale had many hobbies including watercolors, model railroading, and sailing. His true passion was drag racing. He will be remembered by many as the man who brought national magazine coverage to the little guy racer as the editor of Bracket Racing USA magazine and then Drag Racing USA magazine. In earlier years, he also wrote for Super Stock and Drag Illustrated, CarCraft and many other national drag racing media. He had his first drag racing article published at the age of 16 when he submitted weekly drag racing results to a local Birmingham, AL, newspaper. In addition to writing professionally about drag racing, Dale and his wife of 34 years, Fran Gaudsmith, bracket raced at tracks throughout the Southeast. Dale was well known for his front engine dragster and was dubbed "Double A Dale" by his friends. Prior to editing magazines, Dale was a photojournalist for The Tampa Times, The Tampa Tribune, The Montgomery Advertiser, and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In addition to his wife, Dale is survived by a brother, Charles Wilson, of Ocala, Florida, his brother- and sister-in-law, Michael and Portia Bennett, and many nieces and nephews. His beloved dogs Sadie and Joey will mourn his loss. Dale was born on September 23, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Dale and Vera Wilson. They relocated to Birmingham, Alabama, where Dale attended elementary and high school. He was in the Air Force in the Vietnam era and left the Air Force in 1971 to attend college at Memphis State. He graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in magazine journalism in 1972. He will be remembered for his ability to find a story to tell wherever he looked and making the everyday person feel like they were the most important person in the world.