Friends, family, cars make T-Roy Rod Run special
The sixth annual T-Roy Rod Run was held Saturday from Wichita to Florence with about 100 friends and relatives of Troy Malmgren enjoying cars and motorcycles, food, fellowship, and memories of Malmgren.
The young Wichitan died Dec. 21, 1997, in a car crash in Wichita. He was 26. Monday (July 14) would have been his 32nd birthday anniversary.
Edna and Jerry Malmgren of Overland Park, Troy's parents, have not missed a single T-Roy Rod Run. They said there were 30 show cars in the parade Saturday in Florence, and later parked at Grandview Park while everyone enjoyed a picnic luncheon.
Edna (Padgett) Malmgren is a Florence native, and Jerry's father came to Florence in 1962 as a teacher. Her father farmed.
"Troy loved this park, and loved to get with his friends and have fun, bring his little cousins here to play and swing," Edna Malmgren said.
They have lived in Wichita, Topeka, and Overland Park. "Troy lived in Wichita, but had a lot of attachment to Florence. He loved cars and his friends."
Troy is buried in the Florence Cemetery.
Tari Malmgren of Wichita, Troy's sister, also was at the rod run.
Kurt Jacobs of Derby and Bill Bowen of Wichita have been the principal organizers of the yearly celebration of Troy's life.
They were close friends of Troy from the ninth and seventh grades on, respectively, they said.
They attended high school and college together, too. "He was a really good friend, as good as a guy can have," said Jacobs.
"This is what everybody was into — cars and car shows. We talked about getting the cars out to go to the (funeral) service," said Jacobs.
Because of wet, winter weather, they decided to wait until summer to have the celebration, "and this kind of hatched out of that," said Bowen.
"The first one was a little disorganized — we had a potluck. But it's lots better now. A good time. We all get together, swap stories, have fun, sit around, have a picnic, till it gets really hot, then we go home," the organizers said.
