Ashley Carrol Award for Overall Excellence
The Ashley Carrol Award for Overall Excellence
was won in 2010 by James Wolcott.
The Women's Award for Overall Excellence
was won in 2010 by Diana Poole.
This award is given annually to that Fiesta del Porsche participant who competes in all three competitive events during the weekend and who completes the best overall score in the three combined. The event is named for Ashley Carroll, who was Executive Vice President of PCA back in the early days. He was a long time officer of PCA and was from the Connecticut Valley region. He spent winters in Arizona and loved the Southwest and loved Santa Fe. He loved to come to Fiesta back in the early days and he was one of our first early supporters of Fiesta. During the 70s and early 80s there weren’t many multi-day events like Fiesta del Porsche, other than the national Porsche Parade.
Ashley was short, bald, elderly, red-faced and had a great smile. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any pictures of him. But he got more hugs from the ladies out in the parking lot than anybody. He drove to Fiesta in his Mercedes but nobody cared. On many occasions he acted as the unofficial grand poobah of Fiesta and rode into the Plaza in the oldest car. It got so that on the Thursday and Friday before Fiesta everybody asked, “Is Ashley here this year?” He called one year saying he could not make it and we all signed the Fiesta poster and sent it to him. In 1981 he sent a letter saying that although he loved his memories of Fiesta del Porsche, his health would not allow him to attend any more of the events.
In recognition of his devotion, it was decided to name the prize for the overall winner of the event The Ashley Carroll Award. It is a deserving way to honor this wonderful gentleman for all he did for our event in the early years. If there are any Fiesta attendees from years past who have a photo or two of Ashley, please send them to the Fiesta Chair so that we may honor him by including his image on the award.