Mari Hulman George Dies At 83

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind – Mari Hulman George, the “quiet pioneer” of auto racing who ordered drivers to start their engines and was instrumental in the expansion of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, died Saturday. She was 83.

Hulman George, the speedway’s chairman of the board emeritus, died in Indianapolis with her family at her side, the speedway said in a statement.

Hulman George was IMS chairman from 1988 through 2016. Her father, Anton “Tony” Hulman Jr., purchased the speedway in 1945 and saved it from demolition after World War II. Racing and the facility became a staple of Mari Hulman George’s life.

Born Dec. 26, 1934 in Evansville as Mary Antonia Hulman, she never ventured far from Indiana. Hulman George attended Purdue University and was an Indianapolis community leader with her stewardship of the speedway.

She launched numerous philanthropic efforts, including benefits for Indiana Special Olympics and complimentary field trips for Indiana’s schoolchildren. She focused on the arts, health care and, in particular, animal care. She served on the board for Hulman & Company, IMS and the IMS Foundation, as well as First Financial Bank, a publicly traded company headquartered in Terre Haute.

Hulman George was especially close to four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, whom she met a year before his 1958 Indianapolis 500 debut. She and Foyt placed a commemorative “golden brick” into the famous “Yard of Bricks” start-finish line in May 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 and the 50th anniversary of Foyt’s 1961 victory.

She hosted for years two events during the lead-in to the Indianapolis 500. The “Racers Party” took place annually on the opening weekend of the “Month of May” for the entrants of the Indy 500, and a “Friends of the 50s and 60s” event was held the week between qualifying and the race to celebrate with racing veterans.

She welcomed all drivers to the parties, setting a standard for providing red carpet treatment to all past and present Indianapolis 500 competitors when they came to the track regardless of their stature with the public.

In addition to son Tony George, she is survived by three daughters, a stepdaughter, seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and longtime companion Guy Trollinger. She was predeceased in death by her husband, Elmer, and a stepson.

Funeral arrangements are pending and being handled by Callahan & Hughes Funeral Home in Terre Haute.

You can read more from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway here.

Mari Hulman George courtesy Indianapolis Motor Speedway