Tony Hulman
Encyclopedia
Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. (February 11, 1901 - October 27, 1977) was a businessman from Terre Haute, Indiana
who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500
popular.
Through clever advertising in the 1930s, Hulman popularized his firm's chief product, Clabber Girl
Baking Powder.
.
He was educated at St. Benedict's School at Terre Haute, Lawrenceville School
in New Jersey and Worcester Academy
in Massachusetts. A stellar athlete with a trim physique, Tony excelled in the high hurdles
and the pole vault
at Worcester.
He served with the American Red Cross
Ambulance Corps during World War I
at the age of 17.
Upon graduation from Yale
's Sheffield Scientific School
in 1924, the young Hulman returned to Terre Haute to take his place in the family business, a place he would have to earn. His father, Anton Hulman, Sr., instructed the people of Hulman & Co., "Don't give Tony a place in the business. Let him work for it."
By 1926, Tony was the company's sales manager, and by 1931, at the age of 30, management of the whole company passed from father to son.
ad campaign, which he instigated as a ten-year plan to take the company's top product to national prominence. Salesmen crisscrossed the country, nailing signs to roadside posts and going to individual homes across the country, invariably inviting the lady of each house to try Clabber Girl. It worked, and despite the deepening Great Depression
, Clabber Girl sales continued to climb. Even today, more than 70 years after the first ads of the campaign saw the light of day, Clabber Girl is a top-selling baking powder (if not the top seller) in the U.S.
One remnant of Tony's original sales push, a well-known billboard
, is still visible along U.S. Highway 40 east of Terre Haute. It reads, "Five Minutes to Terre Haute, Home Of Clabber Girl Baking Powder," and has a clock at the top. It is considered a landmark in the area.
Hulman is probably best known for buying the dilapidated Indianapolis Motor Speedway
from a group led by World War I
flying ace
Eddie Rickenbacker
immediately after World War II
. Influenced by three-time Indy 500 winner Wilbur Shaw
(who became the track's president in the early years of the Hulman regime), Hulman made numerous improvements to the track in time for the race to be held in 1946.
Following Shaw's death in a plane crash on October 30, 1954, Hulman stepped into his soon-to-be-familiar role as the "face" of the Speedway. Ever popular with drivers and fans alike, the normally shy Tony relished the job.
He followed the tradition of launching the Indianapolis 500
with the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" Into the 1970s, despite the fact he'd given the command so many times before, he would always practice it extensively beforehand, and on race day, he would invariably pull a card from the pocket of his suit as he stepped to the microphone. Over the years, many have wondered what was written on that card. On it were the words of the starting command written in the following manner: "GENNNNNTLEMENNNNN, STARRRRRT YOURRRRRR ENNNNNNNGINES!" Luke Walton, who with Wilbur Shaw had founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, was for many years a sportscaster and worked annually with Tony (and later with Mrs. Hulman) to make sure he got it "just right," thus the card with its "stretches" to ensure each word was delivered with the proper emphasis!
, the daughter of Evansville, Indiana
cigar factory owner John H. Fendrich, in 1926. Their first child, a daughter named Mary, died just hours after her birth in 1930. In 1934, the couple's second daughter, also named Mary
, but better known as "Mari", was born. Mari would later give Tony and Mary four grandchildren. Their sole grandson, Anton Hulman "Tony" George
, would carry on the family's racing and business traditions.
The Hulmans were well-known in Indiana for their philanthropy
and dedication to higher education
; Terre Haute's Rose Polytechnic Institute and Indiana State University
each received gifts of millions of dollars over the years. The Hulmans' generosity led the board of Rose Polytechnic to rename the school Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
in the couple's honor in 1971. Indiana State would later name the Hulman Center
arena (opened in 1973) and Hulman Memorial Student Union (completed in the mid-1990s) for the couple. Mari Hulman George
established a Center for Equine Studies at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
, west of Terre Haute.
Terre Haute's Hulman Links public golf course is situated on over 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land donated by Hulman in the early 1970s; however, the course was not completed until after his death.
At 76 years old, Tony appeared to be in good health, strikingly fit and trim for a man of his age. He was always busy, maintaining his business interests in Indianapolis and Terre Haute. In mid-October 1977, he hosted the annual Speedway press dinner and, by all accounts, he seemed to be fine. A few days later, he and his close friend, Hoosier sportscaster Chris Schenkel
, were the grand marshals for the Fall Festival parade in nearby Martinsville, Indiana
, where the always-smiling, always comfortable Tony refused Schenkel's offer of his coat in the cool autumn weather. On the night of October 27, 1977, Hulman died of heart failure on the operating table in St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis.
The general reaction to Hulman's sudden passing was, at first, shock. No one knew what the future held, particularly the citizens of Terre Haute, where he owned so much land and ran one of the city's oldest businesses. Hulman's funeral remains today perhaps the largest in the history of Terre Haute. Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of mourners packed the funeral home and the city's St. Benedict's Catholic Church, which Tony's grandfather, Herman Hulman, had donated the funds to build. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery along with other members of his family.
in 1991.
He is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame
.
bottling plants across Indiana (which were later consolidated to Indianapolis), utility companies, newspapers, radio and television stations including Terre Haute's WTHI, WTHI-FM
and WTHI-TV
, and a great deal of real estate, much of which is still held by family-controlled interests, became part of the Hulman empire.
In recent years, however, as the family has concentrated primarily on the Speedway and racing-related businesses, they have slowly begun to divest themselves of some of Tony's real estate holdings and "non-core" businesses, such as Wabash Valley Broadcasting, their radio and television holding company, which was sold to Emmis Communications
in 1997. Emmis sold WTHI-TV
and several of their other television stations to LIN TV
Corporation in 2005.
One such property that the family owned for years that became the subject of much speculation and scorn was the land occupied by the former Terre Haute House
hotel, which stood at the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute (the historic former "Crossroads of America
" junction of U.S. Highways 40 and 41). Tony purchased the hotel in 1959 and closed it to the public in 1970. Noted for the rich and famous (as well as infamous) who stayed there during the hotel's early years, the hotel was the target of numerous attempts at revitalization between 1970 and 2005, with the city of Terre Haute taking a purchase option on the property in 2004 in an effort to finally make something happen. None came to fruition, and in the fall of 2005, the Hulman family (through Terre Haute Realty Corp.) sold the hotel and two other historic buildings to a limited liability corporation, Seventh & Wabash, LLC, owned by Terre Haute developer, Greg Gibson
, who demolished the structures for redevelopment. A new hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn - Terre Haute House, opened in the fall of 2007.
, is the former president and CEO of the Speedway and the Indy Racing League.
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
who rescued the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
in 1945 and made the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
popular.
Through clever advertising in the 1930s, Hulman popularized his firm's chief product, Clabber Girl
Clabber Girl
Clabber Girl is a brand of baking powder, baking soda and corn starch popular in the United States, manufactured by Hulman & Co., which also owns and operates the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League. The Clabber Girl name brand comes from the word clabber which means clabbered milk...
Baking Powder.
Early life and entry into the family business
Born into one of Terre Haute's wealthiest families, young Tony was raised in one of the city's finest homes and seemed destined to enter the family business, Hulman & CompanyHulman & Company
Hulman & Company is a private, family-owned, company founded in 1850 by Francis Hulman as a wholesale grocery, tobacco, and liquor store in Terre Haute, Indiana. Throughout the early half of the 20th century, Hulman & Co. became nationally known for its Clabber Girl baking powder which it began...
.
He was educated at St. Benedict's School at Terre Haute, Lawrenceville School
Lawrenceville School
The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational, independent preparatory boarding school for grades 9–12 located on in the historic community of Lawrenceville, in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, U.S., five miles southwest of Princeton....
in New Jersey and Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is an independent coeducational preparatory school spread over in Worcester, Massachusetts in the United States. The school is divided into a middle school, serving approximately 150 students in grades six to eight, and an upper school, serving approximately 500 students in...
in Massachusetts. A stellar athlete with a trim physique, Tony excelled in the high hurdles
Hurdling
Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...
and the pole vault
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
at Worcester.
He served with the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
Ambulance Corps during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
at the age of 17.
Upon graduation from Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School
Sheffield Scientific School was founded in 1847 as a school of Yale College in New Haven, Connecticut for instruction in science and engineering. Originally named the Yale Scientific School, it was renamed in 1861 in honor of Joseph E. Sheffield, the railroad executive. The school was...
in 1924, the young Hulman returned to Terre Haute to take his place in the family business, a place he would have to earn. His father, Anton Hulman, Sr., instructed the people of Hulman & Co., "Don't give Tony a place in the business. Let him work for it."
By 1926, Tony was the company's sales manager, and by 1931, at the age of 30, management of the whole company passed from father to son.
Making Clabber Girl a household name
Never one to rest on his laurels, and never satisfied with the status quo, Tony's first project was the Clabber GirlClabber Girl
Clabber Girl is a brand of baking powder, baking soda and corn starch popular in the United States, manufactured by Hulman & Co., which also owns and operates the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy Racing League. The Clabber Girl name brand comes from the word clabber which means clabbered milk...
ad campaign, which he instigated as a ten-year plan to take the company's top product to national prominence. Salesmen crisscrossed the country, nailing signs to roadside posts and going to individual homes across the country, invariably inviting the lady of each house to try Clabber Girl. It worked, and despite the deepening Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Clabber Girl sales continued to climb. Even today, more than 70 years after the first ads of the campaign saw the light of day, Clabber Girl is a top-selling baking powder (if not the top seller) in the U.S.
One remnant of Tony's original sales push, a well-known billboard
Billboard (advertising)
A billboard is a large outdoor advertising structure , typically found in high traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertisements to passing pedestrians and drivers...
, is still visible along U.S. Highway 40 east of Terre Haute. It reads, "Five Minutes to Terre Haute, Home Of Clabber Girl Baking Powder," and has a clock at the top. It is considered a landmark in the area.
Savior of the Speedway
Among Wilbur Shaw's many associates was an investment broker named Homer Cochran, about whom little is known. A very quiet and private individual, Cochran had a longtime interest in racing and briefly tried dirt-track racing himself. Cochran had been telling Shaw for quite some time of a gentleman in Terre Haute, Ind., with whom he had been involved in several deals. That gentleman was Anton Hulman Jr.Hulman is probably best known for buying the dilapidated Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race and the Brickyard 400....
from a group led by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
flying ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
Eddie Rickenbacker
Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker was an American fighter ace in World War I and Medal of Honor recipient. He was also a race car driver and automotive designer, a government consultant in military matters and a pioneer in air transportation, particularly as the longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.-Early...
immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Influenced by three-time Indy 500 winner Wilbur Shaw
Wilbur Shaw
Warren Wilbur Shaw was a noted American racing driver and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1945 until his death. Shaw was the automotive test evaluator for Popular Science magazine...
(who became the track's president in the early years of the Hulman regime), Hulman made numerous improvements to the track in time for the race to be held in 1946.
Following Shaw's death in a plane crash on October 30, 1954, Hulman stepped into his soon-to-be-familiar role as the "face" of the Speedway. Ever popular with drivers and fans alike, the normally shy Tony relished the job.
He followed the tradition of launching the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
with the command, "Gentlemen, start your engines!" Into the 1970s, despite the fact he'd given the command so many times before, he would always practice it extensively beforehand, and on race day, he would invariably pull a card from the pocket of his suit as he stepped to the microphone. Over the years, many have wondered what was written on that card. On it were the words of the starting command written in the following manner: "GENNNNNTLEMENNNNN, STARRRRRT YOURRRRRR ENNNNNNNGINES!" Luke Walton, who with Wilbur Shaw had founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, was for many years a sportscaster and worked annually with Tony (and later with Mrs. Hulman) to make sure he got it "just right," thus the card with its "stretches" to ensure each word was delivered with the proper emphasis!
Family and philanthropy
Hulman married Mary FendrichMary Fendrich Hulman
Mary Fendrich Hulman was the wife of the late Indiana industrialist Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. and matriarch of the Hulman-George family which today controls Hulman & Co., the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indy Racing League.-Early life:Born in Evansville, Indiana, Mary was the daughter of...
, the daughter of Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
cigar factory owner John H. Fendrich, in 1926. Their first child, a daughter named Mary, died just hours after her birth in 1930. In 1934, the couple's second daughter, also named Mary
Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George, born Mary Antonia Hulman on December 26, 1934, in Terre Haute, Indiana, is the daughter of the late Anton "Tony" Hulman and Mary Fendrich Hulman, prominent Indiana philanthropists and business owners...
, but better known as "Mari", was born. Mari would later give Tony and Mary four grandchildren. Their sole grandson, Anton Hulman "Tony" George
Tony George
Anton Hulman "Tony" George was the former President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. He founded the Indy Racing League and co-owns Vision Racing...
, would carry on the family's racing and business traditions.
The Hulmans were well-known in Indiana for their philanthropy
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
and dedication to higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
; Terre Haute's Rose Polytechnic Institute and Indiana State University
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
each received gifts of millions of dollars over the years. The Hulmans' generosity led the board of Rose Polytechnic to rename the school Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology , formerly Rose Polytechnic Institute, is a small private college specializing in teaching engineering, mathematics, and science. RHIT is highly regarded for its undergraduate engineering program, which US News and World Reports ranked in 2011 as No...
in the couple's honor in 1971. Indiana State would later name the Hulman Center
Hulman Center
Hulman Center is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA. Initially named the Hulman Civic-University Center, the facility opened on December 14, 1973. Funded by donations and bond issues after an initial $2.5 million challenge gift from philanthropist Tony Hulman and the...
arena (opened in 1973) and Hulman Memorial Student Union (completed in the mid-1990s) for the couple. Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George
Mari Hulman George, born Mary Antonia Hulman on December 26, 1934, in Terre Haute, Indiana, is the daughter of the late Anton "Tony" Hulman and Mary Fendrich Hulman, prominent Indiana philanthropists and business owners...
established a Center for Equine Studies at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is a Roman Catholic, four-year liberal arts women's college located northwest of Terre Haute, Indiana, between the Wabash River and the Illinois state line. There is also a small village of the same name located nearby...
, west of Terre Haute.
Terre Haute's Hulman Links public golf course is situated on over 200 acre (0.809372 km²) of land donated by Hulman in the early 1970s; however, the course was not completed until after his death.
Death
The 1977 "500" would be memorable for many for two reasons. A.J. Foyt won his fourth "500" that day, and Foyt asked Tony Hulman to accompany him in the pace car for the victory lap. The pair were photographed smiling and waving to the fans. It was the first time Hulman had ever taken a victory lap with the winner, and, sadly, he would not live to do so again.At 76 years old, Tony appeared to be in good health, strikingly fit and trim for a man of his age. He was always busy, maintaining his business interests in Indianapolis and Terre Haute. In mid-October 1977, he hosted the annual Speedway press dinner and, by all accounts, he seemed to be fine. A few days later, he and his close friend, Hoosier sportscaster Chris Schenkel
Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene "Chris" Schenkel was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and baritone voice.-Early life and career:Schenkel began his broadcasting career at radio...
, were the grand marshals for the Fall Festival parade in nearby Martinsville, Indiana
Martinsville, Indiana
Martinsville is a city in and the county seat of Morgan County, Indiana, United States; the population was 11,828 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, where the always-smiling, always comfortable Tony refused Schenkel's offer of his coat in the cool autumn weather. On the night of October 27, 1977, Hulman died of heart failure on the operating table in St. Vincent's Hospital in Indianapolis.
The general reaction to Hulman's sudden passing was, at first, shock. No one knew what the future held, particularly the citizens of Terre Haute, where he owned so much land and ran one of the city's oldest businesses. Hulman's funeral remains today perhaps the largest in the history of Terre Haute. Hundreds - perhaps thousands - of mourners packed the funeral home and the city's St. Benedict's Catholic Church, which Tony's grandfather, Herman Hulman, had donated the funds to build. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery along with other members of his family.
Award
He was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaMotorsports Hall of Fame of America
The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
in 1991.
He is a member of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame
Indiana Football Hall of Fame
The Indiana Football Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in Richmond, Indiana. It honors persons associated with high school, college and professional American football in Indiana. It also works to establish scholarships and endowments to promote football in the state of Indiana...
.
Other business interests
Ever the shrewd businessman, Tony Hulman went on a buying spree beginning in the 1930s, all the while adding to the family's fortune. At various times, a string of Coca-ColaCoca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
bottling plants across Indiana (which were later consolidated to Indianapolis), utility companies, newspapers, radio and television stations including Terre Haute's WTHI, WTHI-FM
WTHI-FM
WTHI-FM is a radio station running a country music format in Terre Haute, Indiana. The station's studios and broadcast tower are located along Ohio Street in downtown Terre Haute. The station is owned by Emmis Communications....
and WTHI-TV
WTHI-TV
WTHI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station in Terre Haute, Indiana. Owned by LIN TV Corporation, it operates on VHF digital channel 10. Its transmitter is located in Farmersburg, Indiana...
, and a great deal of real estate, much of which is still held by family-controlled interests, became part of the Hulman empire.
In recent years, however, as the family has concentrated primarily on the Speedway and racing-related businesses, they have slowly begun to divest themselves of some of Tony's real estate holdings and "non-core" businesses, such as Wabash Valley Broadcasting, their radio and television holding company, which was sold to Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
in 1997. Emmis sold WTHI-TV
WTHI-TV
WTHI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station in Terre Haute, Indiana. Owned by LIN TV Corporation, it operates on VHF digital channel 10. Its transmitter is located in Farmersburg, Indiana...
and several of their other television stations to LIN TV
LIN TV
LIN TV Corporation is an American holding company that operates 31 television stations.-History:LIN TV's roots trace back to the founding of its former parent, LIN Broadcasting Corporation, in 1961. LIN Broadcasting was engaged in radio, television, direct marketing, information and learning, music...
Corporation in 2005.
One such property that the family owned for years that became the subject of much speculation and scorn was the land occupied by the former Terre Haute House
Terre Haute House
The Terre Haute House was a historic former hotel located in downtown Terre Haute, Indiana, USA, that was demolished despite numerous efforts to preserve it...
hotel, which stood at the northeast corner of Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue in Terre Haute (the historic former "Crossroads of America
Crossroads of America
The Crossroads of America is a nickname given to the state of Indiana as it, and, more specifically, the city of Indianapolis is the hub for several major Interstate highways that criss-cross the state, connecting Hoosiers to the rest of the United States....
" junction of U.S. Highways 40 and 41). Tony purchased the hotel in 1959 and closed it to the public in 1970. Noted for the rich and famous (as well as infamous) who stayed there during the hotel's early years, the hotel was the target of numerous attempts at revitalization between 1970 and 2005, with the city of Terre Haute taking a purchase option on the property in 2004 in an effort to finally make something happen. None came to fruition, and in the fall of 2005, the Hulman family (through Terre Haute Realty Corp.) sold the hotel and two other historic buildings to a limited liability corporation, Seventh & Wabash, LLC, owned by Terre Haute developer, Greg Gibson
Greg Gibson
Gregory Allan Gibson is an umpire in Major League Baseball who has worked in the National League from 1997 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues since 2000. Throughout his career, he has worn the number 53 on his uniform...
, who demolished the structures for redevelopment. A new hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn - Terre Haute House, opened in the fall of 2007.
Namesake grandson carries on the Speedway tradition
Hulman's grandson, Anton Hulman "Tony" GeorgeTony George
Anton Hulman "Tony" George was the former President and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Company, serving from 1989 to 2009. He was also formerly on the Board of Directors of both entities. He founded the Indy Racing League and co-owns Vision Racing...
, is the former president and CEO of the Speedway and the Indy Racing League.
Tidbits and trivia
- The call letters for Hulman's WTHI television and radio stations were meant to stand for "With Tony Hulman's Interest"
- Most of the construction and improvement projects at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the Tony Hulman years were "handshake deals," done without a contract. Hulman preferred to do it that way, always pointing out that he wasn't in it for the money; he just wanted to deliver the best racing experience possible.
Further reading
- Who Was Who on Screen. Third edition. By Evelyn Mack Truitt. New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
: R.R. Bowker, 1983. - Biography Index. A cumulative index to biographical material in books and magazines. Volume 21: September, 1995-August, 1996. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., 1996.
- American National Biography. 24 volumes. Edited by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes. New York: Oxford University PressOxford University PressOxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as...
, 1999.