[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 197 (Thursday, December 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1670-E1671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF MARI HULMAN GEORGE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN W. BROOKS

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2018

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and legacy of the late Mari Hulman George, a pillar of the Indianapolis 
and international auto racing community and Chairman Emeritus of the 
Board of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The people of Indiana's 
Fifth Congressional District are forever grateful for Mari's passion 
for auto racing, stewardship of Indianapolis as the ``Racing Capital of 
the World,'' and decades of compassionate philanthropic work to the 
State of Indiana and the nation.
  A life-long Hoosier, Mari was born in Evansville, Indiana in 1934 to 
prominent business magnate Anton ``Tony'' Hulman, Jr. and Mary Fendrich 
Hulman. She attended school at St. Benedict in Terre Haute, the 
Ladywood School in Indianapolis, and Purdue University in West 
Lafayette. Throughout her lifetime Mari was deeply involved in the 
Hulman family businesses, serving as the chairman of Hulman & Company, 
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 
Foundation. In addition, she served as a longtime board member of First 
Financial Bank, a publicly traded company headquartered in Terre Haute.
  Mari's deep passion for auto racing began when her father purchased 
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945, saving it from demolition 
after World War II. The track soon became the cornerstone of her life, 
where she spent the majority of her formative years. In 1954, she 
joined with Roger Wolcott to form the HOW racing team, which fielded 
the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the United States Auto 
Club (USAC) cars for several drivers. Among these drivers were Jerry 
Hoyt, Eddie Sachs, Tony Bettenhausen, Roger McCluskey, as well as Elmer 
George, whom she married in April 1957. A pioneer and a rarity in 
racing, Mari became a co-owner of a team that competed at the highest 
levels of Midwestern auto racing in the 1950s and 1960s.
  In 1988, Mari became Chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 
(IMS). Under her leadership, IMS continued to gain worldwide popularity 
with a number of innovations. In 2016, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 
celebrated the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, a race that has 
played a tremendously significant role in the economic development of 
the City of Indianapolis and the State of Indiana. IMS prospered with 
the Indianapolis 500 and expanded its annual schedule beyond the 
``Month of May'' to include the Brickyard 400 in the NASCAR Cup Series, 
the United States Grand Prix in the FIA Formula One World Championship, 
and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP in the FIM MotoGP World Championship. 
These contributions to IMS and her charitable work in the racing 
community led to Mari being inducted into the IMS Auto Racing Hall of 
Fame in 2015.
  Her passion for racing and the Speedway became a platform for many of 
her philanthropic efforts. At the Speedway, Mari hosted the ``Save 
Arnold'' Barbecue to benefit the Indiana Special Olympics every May for 
25 years from 1981 through the mid-2000s. Drivers, racing 
personalities, and media partnered with Indiana Special Olympic 
athletes to complete various activities, raising one million dollars 
for the Indiana Special Olympics. Importantly, Mari created and 
sponsored a program, which is still in effect today, allowing thousands 
of Indiana schoolchildren to visit the Speedway each May to learn about 
the connection between education and motorsports.
  Mari's passion for racing was rivaled only by her passion for the 
arts, education, healthcare, and animal issues. She served as a trustee 
of the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and made contributions to 
the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana State University, Purdue 
University, Indiana University, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, 
among other institutions.
  Passionate about animal care, Mari became a leading charitable donor, 
especially for horses and greyhounds. Her love for animals led to the 
endowment and establishment of the Equine Science Program at Saint 
Mary-of-the-Woods in 1989, which was named the Mari Hulman George 
School of Equine Studies to honor her continuous support. The school 
also conducts the Mari Hulman George Thoroughbred Adoption program to 
provide proper care for horses. Mari personally raised, bred, and rode 
horses at the family's Circle S Ranch near Terre Haute, her family 
ranch in Wyoming, and at various stables in Florida. Her quarter horses 
and thoroughbreds competed in numerous events. As a tribute to her love 
and support of the sport, The Mari Hulman George Stakes was named in 
her honor and remains a prestigious annual race at Indiana Downs. In 
2001, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security renamed its search-
and-rescue training area at Camp Atterbury the Mari Hulman George 
Search and Rescue Training Center, recognizing Mari's contribution to 
the care of animals displaced due to disasters.

[[Page E1671]]

  Mari will be forever missed by her family and loved ones and by the 
entire racing community across Indiana and the world. The people of 
Indiana's Fifth Congressional District are grateful for Mari's service 
to our Hoosier community and it is my privilege to honor her today. I 
extend my deepest condolences to Mari's daughters, Nancy George, Josie 
George, and Kathi George-Conforti, son, Anton Hulman ``Tony'' George, 
stepdaughter, Carolyn Coffey, and their respective spouses, her many 
grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and her longtime companion, Guy 
Trollinger. Her legacy as the matriarch of the racing capital of the 
world will live on for generations to come through her family, friends, 
and colleagues.

                          ____________________