Watkins Glen, The Street Years: 1948-1952

It is one of the great stories in the history of sports. A human story a journey of discovery of camaraderie ambition and accomplishment. Of young men and risk. Of Heroes and mission. And of great tragedy and personal loss. It is the story of how one town created a legend. Funding for this program was provided by the donors to the 1999 W-S K.G. trustees challenge campaign and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and by support from viewers like you. Glen has 50 years of history behind it

now. Competed on the circuit this is I think an essential part of any drivers career. What I think of Watkins-Glen. I think about the site where roadracing began in America and I when I grew up in Europe in the 50s and 60s the only. Name that Europeans knew in terms of car racing outside of the Indy 500 it was Watkins-Glen. I think when you come to walk in sclayn you can see just a little bit of everything in sports car racing. At any when it Wonka's what it is it is very special because this is the track is made out of here.

It. May be that people are. Because the race is. So big here. Now. Its fun to look back and see how. How humble the beginning was. In 1948 Watkins-Glen was a magical place. The rustic cottages built on the shores of Seneca Lake had created a bustling summertime community. People like summer homes on the lake of course and there were a

lot of them that came in primarily before the Depression hit and bought land and a lot of their cottage sites have been owned by three or four generations now in the same family back when all I can remember when we were kids a lot of us boys especially we go up into the glen in the afternoons and stuff and people would come up through there looking at the Globe and we'd be setting on the ledges they'd throw money into ponds and we'd dive right in the paragraph you know that's how we made our spending money. They were always looking for ways to increase tourism because it was one of the major incomes around here. So some of the business people got together and had sort of a brainstorming idea what can we do. They would soon be approached by a young law student with a passion and a dream. Cameron Reynolds argot singer was born on March 1st 1921 in

Youngstown Ohio. The only son of a successful lawyer for the Youngstown steel and two corporation steel industry of course was an important part of my growing up in Youngstown one of the biggest steel summers in the country. The steel mills themselves are pretty fascinating watching the operations. You know the traditional pictures are very close to me. My heart. Sparks flying in the steel being poured into the wall. You can read the newspapers at midnight the light of steel now is reflected in the sky. On October 13th 1936 a young argot singer poured through newspaper accounts of the first international road races held in the United States in nearly 30 years. The revival of the Vanderbilt Cup race is long long I'm. Fascinated Camry

and fueled his growing passion for road racing. But to most Americans road racing was foreign. There were some road racing in this country in the early centuries where the famous Vanderbilt cuts in Long Island and they were very popular. But the problem quickly became crack control on public roads and the risk of accidents and little by little. That for me disappeared before the First World War in this country. United States. After World War won oval tracks. Somehow became the center of interest. One reason was because basically those races were taking place in a stadium like place and it was easy to control the crowds to ensure their safety and also for the promoters. To guarantee ticket sales because it's very easy to fence off. An oval stadium of course and to only let people in who were paid.

After World War 1 and throughout the twenties and thirties numerous attempts to revive road racing in America fell short. They did stage a number of races in various states. Frankly it looked that from a world perspective they were totally minor local events and with practically no public present it was the races those races were staged more for the pleasure of the contenders than for any other reason and it suddenly wasn't covered by the national press at all. So the only people interested in road racing which means racing on open public roads 10 power really close for one or two days for the purpose of car racing did not exist at all in this country. But Cameron Argetsinger loved road racing and studied the great races of the day. The man's Monaco and Germany's nürburgring.

He memorized the courses and idolized the great champions of the time. And dreamed of one day competing on the world stage. Just programmed to bring you a special news bulletin. The Japanese have attacked by World War to put an end to all racing in the United States and Europe and for the time Argetsinger and Watkins-Glen would have to wait. With. The end of World War Two Americans who had sacrificed so greatly for victory once again turned their attention to leisure. And their love affair with the automobile continue. By May of 1946 racing. Indianapolis return. But road racing existed only in Europe. Despite the destruction and the impoverishment of Europe after the war

that there was a tremendous outpouring of public interest for racing. And very quickly roadracing recovered in Europe and by 1948 30 major races took place in eight different countries in Europe France Spain Belgium Holland Sweden and so on and so forth. So it shows you how important again the sport was on that continent. By the spring of 1948 Argetsinger a husband and father of five was often found speeding through the back roads of upstate New York. A law student at Cornell University Cameron had returned to the playground of his youth. I was very fortunate. My grandparents lived up here and I spent most of my summer vacations up here in beautiful downtown Watkins-Glen for a long long time. Cameron is a wonderful and strange man and tales of his

roaring from town to town at 100 miles an hour are legendary. When he was going to law school at Cornell the 25 miles away he would roar his Jaguar over the hills. I guess I've always loved driving and driving fast. There is a certain thrill sure speed itself. There's a different world over a hundred and fifty mile an hour through. The narrow roads and steep climbing hills that snake through the village inspired Argetsinger to act on his passion. I do remember the winter of 1947 the fall of 1947 when my father. For years it always had the fastest American cars. He liked to drive fast he had high production high speed production cars and he ordered what was called an M GTC of course we'd never seen one there weren't any in the area and he

ordered one in the fall of 1947 from my Jasin skip and he took delivery in DC in January of 1948 was a beautiful car I had never seen a right hand drive car. And everywhere we went. People would stop and look at it it was like something from outer space. It was so unlike the American cars. And I do remember all winter long on our living room rug. He had a little play course that he was designing and how we kinda raced through Watkins-Glen. That winter of 47. We were. Mapping out the circuit and considering all kinds of things. You know. I wanted that to have the flavor and the excitement of a great European circuit. I wanted it to start in the village. You know shades of Monaco.

I didn't really think about circling Glen although the hill was great you know. It was intriguing that you incorporated hill climbing of course with that original go around the globe. Yeah that's right. You know it was in the classic tradition. That's what we wanted. Sure. The nürburgring is probably the greatest circuit of our time and spies. Tremendous. But this one had many of the characteristics. Margaret Singer's vision was complete. But to gain public support for a road race through a tiny village seemed improbable. It seems far fetched. It was a crazy idea if you think about that sort of thing today to talk the community into something they had never seen. After all sports cars were not readily available. His was the only one in Lee County in this part of the state and to

have a speedy trial road race on the open roads. I think it was his enthusiasm Cameron's enthusiasm was infectious and it was the support of three key residents of Watkins-Glen that would make the race possible. When I contacted the people here and Arthur Richards who was. The person I knew best. Luckily Don Brubeck was here and was president of the Chamber of Commerce. Without him it might well have died of morning. Somehow I don't know why but the community really acceptive. Normally you wouldn't think of that by your Counselman are going to join up for a life of their village was fortunate in having a mare. Named Alan or away who was somewhat crippled and ran around in a

motorized wheelchair. But he had tremendous courage because you close the village streets I suppose in this litigious age. One wonders if it ever would have happened. By late April. Cameron had received the full support from Watkins-Glen Chamber of Commerce. The next move would be to get the cars. He and my mother went to in May of 1948. He had just joined this group the Sports Car Club of America the year before and he went to their first event. And they took a lot of their rap classic and veteran cars out to Indianapolis to have some time trials in conjunction with the Indianapolis 500. And he got so excited and he said fellows we're going to have a race in Watkins Glen this fall you bring the cars and I'll organize it. Now you have to remember the club that had less than 200 members and we went to a cocktail party and we presented

the plan and. Obviously there was enthusiasm. We thought about from the beginning an annual event. Don Brubeck said that it should be. Organized and thought of as an annual event. Otherwise there was more worth all the tremendous amount of work that went into it. I remember. Art Richard saying to me we'll call it the American Grand Prix. And I said no art we won't. We'll call it the Watkins-Glen sports car Grand Prix and we hope that some day we will have the American Grand Prix. That was the nutty thing about it because he chose the name of Grand Prix which really was poetic license because Grand Prix is reserved for the highest race in each country and he called it the Watkins-Glen Grand Prix because he was setting the seeds to get an international race here.

With the religious approval and support from the Sports Car Club of America. The first hurdles have been cleared but Cameron six and a half mile course didn't just pass through Watkins-Glen throughout the summer. He would need to approach nine different local and state officials to allow the cars to race on their rolls and there was one more problem. One of the obstacles they had to overcome was the New York Central Railroad. And in those days the New York Central Railroad was all powerful because the race had to cross one of their tracks. And the New York Central stop for God or no one. Frank Che's was the local train master for the New York Central Railroad and a close friend of Watkins-Glen mayor. Anyway he agreed to alter the busy railroad schedule around the race October 2nd 1948 was picked as the day they would stop

the trains. The way the community came forward and. Embraced it. You know they were bold they were courageous too. This was such an unusual. Event. Someone has said most people at that time. Thought about racing at tracks. They were about as for me here is sports car as they were with the rationale for that. And it it it was. A. To see all these people come forward and it was like a family effort and a lot of the families in the community worked on it. Our local churches worked on it. It was a it was a large community effort. I had made just one stipulation. In undertaking. This vision of general first term and organized the race

was that my duties would cease to. Have. Night or. A race. Morning. Or. So that I could devote myself to. Racing the car. While he was organizing the race. He also would take every day and go round the course and the course was open to the public like just like it is today and we would drive very fast laps around there. And my mother was his biggest supporter and she said Cameron You've invited these 50 or so people and you have the unfair advantage because you've driven this course every day and you're going to win it and they're going to be so unhappy and they're going to go home sick. Dude I was so stupid about cars. I thought that the MJR. Of course I said there but it's going to go away mad because you know the cars still work. I do remember Frank Griswold who had raced out for all males before the war flew up in August and my father picked him up in his very

fast 1948 Packard convertible which was souped up and had a pair of raiders and the two of them drove around the course. And Frank described his car which was one of the legendary line Alfred Mayo's. I remember that car when I first came to Watkins Glen. And I was up on the back field near the railroad and it was getting dark. And Frank Rosewell was out practicing and of course the roads were open but people were practicing at high speeds. And to hear the high pitch tone of that car as it went by had about a hundred and ten miles an hour just a little flame coming out of the tailpipe. I've never seen anything like it. And my father had dinner that night said I met the man who was going to win the race. And I said oh no you win. You know the course better than me. My guest tonight is representing a sport which is beginning to collapse about the sport of automobile race on Saturday

in America 1935 1930 drive in 1929. We read the label race on Saturday. All right Mr. Stack going to make a. On Friday September 30th with the race still two days away. There were signs that Watkins-Glen would never be the same. Workers have begun placing hundreds of hay bales and setting miles of snow fencing along the racecourse. In the heart of the village directly in front of the county courthouse. The starting line was laid out across Franklin's street. And the drivers had already begun to arrive. A few of us had head raced. I had done so little stock car racing. An awful lot of us really knew nothing about road racing. But most of us agreed that we wanted to try it and so we came up here and really not knowing what to

expect during the war. I was working at the Boeing company in Seattle. I was actually on the first flight of the very first B-29 So after that experience when I came back to Buffalo to work for us right I sort of figured I'd probably never have anything exciting ever happen in my life again. You know I had all kinds of exciting things happen in flight tests and so once I bought a sports car and the people in the sports club were very anxious to get some kind of a race started. I got pretty interested to the idea of actually competing. On the eve of the race. The entry list included some of the wealthiest sports car enthusiasts in the country. Sam and Miles Collier founders of the RCA and heirs to an advertising Empire had joined the

SCCA just days before the race. They represented a small handful of contestants with actual racing experience. Briggs Cunningham was by far the wealthiest of the contestants. The son of a banker and industrialist Cunningham had dropped out of Yale and had become one of America's most prominent sportsmen. But world famous cartoonist Charles Adams creator of the popular Addams Family was the races most intriguing participant. And Cameron Argetsinger whose vision had brought these men together was about to touch his dream. That first race became a carnival atmosphere all over the place. Everybody was really happy. And walking around. You couldn't drive

much downtown walking around to see all the sights. I went to the first race in 1948. And then do an automobile race. So we went on that morning and you know there was quite a few people around in cars and of course you know an 8 year old kid. They don't like you go very far. And I remember I had a whole 50 cents with me and I bought a program which is my first piece of memorabilia. And I was quite excited because of the noise and the atmosphere. The town was. Full of people. It was like Fourth of July. The cars were in various garages up and down the street. Spectators came in from all over because I want to see the cars and they knew the people would be there. By late morning the population of Watkins-Glen had more than tripled over

10000 people had flooded the streets and surrounded the course shortly before noon. The cars took their positions. Finally the cars you're on the grid and it was kind of a call had been raining. It was dry that day but there were wet leaves on the gutters and things like that. And the. Sun came out. Remember I had a pocket type jacket and the necktie. And. We were on the grid. And. Your starting position was well to the back as I recall because I didn't draw the. Numbers out of the hat. And then the flag dropped and I said it was sturm and drang it was dust and smoke and thunder and it was a completely. Delightful. There's an awful lot of traffic in the first quarter. Second quarter. Your first couple of laps.

The first and of the competition I'll never forget. When when we started off on the first race course. I just drove as hard as I could and I got through. I don't remember what it was the first or second lap. But I had just passed Charlie Adams a big old Mercedes. And then we started down the hill into the stone bridge and I just went through the stone bridge too fast that's all I got in a bunch of gravel and really lost the rear end and there were a bunch of spectators standing there that had to kind of jump back out the way. I think I got some rocks off and a few others rolled really a pretty slow roll. It wasn't fast wasn't a violent roll but I just roll down into the there and play and I couldn't believe it. When the car started to turn over. I actually put my hand out to stop it. You know it's just a reflex. People ran up to me and said I wonder if he's dead. And I said why don't you get it off me and find out.

And I really wasn't hurt but I took my crash helmet off and threw it at the car and Dano rally the editor of age magazine happened to be at that corner and they took a picture of me throwing my helmet at the car and he caught the helmet halfway between me and the car. It's a great picture. When the race started. And you know I was pretty cranked up. We were a family five back in the field and the two Katju brothers were here with a couple of injuries. I had heard a lot about the Katia's race free law. You hold the NCAA. OK. So when I pass over to call you brothers going up the hill I just couldn't believe it. So then I really started to work at it you know and I don't know I think I must have been doing. On the button. Well what. Well over 100. In fact the control forces were so high. I had two hands on one side of the steering

wheel to keep the damn thing running off the turn. So it was. Fairly. Exciting. And I finally did manage to walk up and to well third place when I lost it. And it spun out went backward actually fairways hit the hay and rolled over. When I talked to Bill Milligan. Recently and we were discussing his famous rollover he told me Felipe I wanted to win you know I was there to win. And I was trying to regain a position and I just got a little too fast in that big bend downhill and that's how I missed the corner. So there was that desire to win but under fair sportsman like conditions. It seemed to end as soon as it began. And as Cameron had predicted Frank

Griswold took the checkered flag at the first Watkins-Glen Grand Prix. After the racers cool off lap. Of course people are leaving by then and the cool off lap you can kind of think about you know how many people came to see this thing. There were a lot of people. The inaugural Watkins-Glen sports car Grand Prix and announced to the world that roadracing had arrived in America. The race had been an absolute triumph Argetsinger had been exhilarated by the enthusiastic response and all his dreams seemed within his grasp. But he would soon come face to face with the grim realities of a cruel sport. I can.

That. It was a quiet vacation town quintessentially beautiful quiet when the racist came to town. I think that the town was galvanized by the great gatsby rolled into town from. Those first races. They were very interesting to local people because not only did the race cars come in and take over the home. I just I just wanted to race cars when. They. The Canucks would take them apart and put them all back together again so they would be in perfect condition for the race. Would we be up there every minute that we could. Basically we just run one brush or another one looking at cars you know look at the mechanics and how they did it you know and then we go down the street and we would watch them test drive them around through town. It. Was the entire community that worked together to do this by Lester Smalley for example ran a garage here in town and he donated all of his time to

the technical inspection area and of course he didn't receive any money for this but he turned over his garage. He and his wife and family did the technical inspection because this was good for the community. People of Watkins-Glen did not have time when good singers and those people didn't know anything about car racing and they just thought it was a great grand party and it was. It had only been one year. And Watkins Glen had a new identity. The races had changed the face of auto racing in America. On June 12th 1949 a second road race was held on Bridgehampton long island. Watkins Glen had introduced the new heroes of American racing to the world. Where Cunningham was without a doubt one of the very most important people in an American road racing.

His cars were always meticulously prepared. He could afford and always had the best and he had the best drivers he had felt while he had John Fitch He later had Walder hands on. And if you had the Cunninghame cars that your race. You were big league. You'd done it. You'd made it. All the Collier brothers are terribly important. First place. They were among the very few people who had some experience in racing because Miles and Sam had. Really been the mainstay of the automobile racing Club of America. In those days before World War Two they had this love for racing cars and this great knowledge and tremendous ability as drivers race car. Also let you know when you get bitten by that bug. You're done for life.

On September 17th 1949 nearly 20000 spectators watched. Miles Collier when the second annual Watkins-Glen Grand Prix the race had drawn better competition larger crowds and more publicity than the year before. But more importantly through two races Watkins-Glen had avoided the pitfalls that had always plagued road racing the momentum had given Cameron's wild dream of an international grand prix an outside chance and 1950 promised to take the race to a whole new level.

In 49. There were so many more people and in 1950 it was like. Have you seen the pictures of downtown. The huge crowds just bursting over the sea. You know it was way around the whole way around. So somebody said there were 200000 people. I wouldn't dare call them a liar if they doubled that because nobody will ever know. But there were an awful awful lot of people. It was so crowded that you couldn't could hardly walk on the sidewalk. And whenever you see somebody that you know it's really exciting to see somebody and people did that. The local people go down and just walk around and see and then the cars too. There were some really unusual. Race cars. Parked along. At. The different.

Service stations. One car that do a lot of attention that day was a beautiful read 1950 Cadillac Allard. But few in the crowd realized the controversy that surrounded its driver. And my father had always wanted to go international. And in 1958 he had invited international clubs there have been several clubs that had been had been excluded. Quite frankly the Sports Car Club of America was very restrictive. They didn't want certain people in. And my father thought that was a terrible thing. And he invited a New York City club which Garwin Goldschmidt was a member. Erwin Goldsmith was a wealthy and outspoken New Yorker. He was also Jewish. Many of the SCCA leadership opposed Goldsmith's participation Argetsinger however believed in attracting the best drivers he could to Watkins Glen Irwin Goldschmidt was one of them. The

prevailing attitude of the SCCA was to keep the race exclusively a club event. With the battle lines clearly drawn. Cameron would rally behind Goldsman. New Yorker cartoonist Sam Coleby who had become close friends of the Argan singer's lampoon the ongoing controversy. In the end Goldsmith was allowed to register for the race. Despite the controversy. At 11 a.m. Underdark and threatenings guys Neill's Mikkelson drunk the starting flag for the day's qualifying race. It was the beginning of a very long day. It was raining and it was slippery. I man a Jaguar around me

off the course. Unfortunately I'm sure he didn't realize he was doing it. I was passing him he set me up for a four wheel slide sideways about 100 miles off the turn and there wasn't a damn thing I could do was upset there. But unfortunately there were some spectators there that weren't supposed to be there and there was a fireman there that was supposed to keep the spectators from being there. And I hit a bunch of them as I slid off the track and one thing I could do about it. But of course I felt like a martyr when run car stopped out in the field and I saw people laying around with two guys with broken legs and just really made it made me feel terrible. In fact the fireman was one of the guys that got hit in his fiery sting or she was just erupting in the field. It was all busted up and I looked at my car and there was actually somebody is part of their pants legs hanging on one of my exhaust pipes as the pipes came out straight back to the side of the car. It was the first time a serious accident had occurred at Watkins Glen. And although the

injuries were not life threatening it was enough to shatter a few nerves. The races continued and lived up to all expectations in what turned out to be some of the most competitive and entertaining races seen at Watkins Glen. At four o'clock the cars took their positions on Franklin Street in preparation for the day's final race. The third position however remained curiously empty. Erwin Goldsmid who had qualified for that position was forced under NCAA rules to start from the back. The cars thundered down Franklin Street and up old Corning Hill for the first time. Drivers and spectators were experiencing the true feel of European road

racing. But on the second lap tragedy struck. Every once in a while. During the years I've met someone. And they will tell. Where they were. And this man was a doctor. Is. A doctor. And he said to me. He will always remember he was. Across the glen. From where the accident happened. And he saw the car. Go up and the sky. Went up so high. I remember the 1950 race when people could see across the valley from Archie Smith's corner. People there could see what happened that there was an accident in someone's. Something was thrown up in the air. Most of them Sam Collier.

It just didn't seem possible that it could have killed him. But it did. His brother Miles. They were great friends. And Miles realized he didn't come around and he realized something was wrong and he began to rise. Avery can you run around the course till he came to the side of the accident. And by that time they had taken Sam. Away. No one had realized that Sam Collier had been killed. Irwin Goldschmidt had battled his way through the field and into the lead to hold off Briggs Cunningham for the 1950 Watkins-Glen Grand Prix championship after the race. The grim news began to circulate. It was a tremendous personal loss to almost everyone because we were very close knit group

and everyone knew each other and we'd see each other you know from time to time and everyone was there. That was fun because he was such a good friend and such a fine person. It didn't dampen body's enthusiasm for the race or plans to go faster next time but it certainly put a tremendous. Well it was a tremendous blow. The events of 1950 had made safety the top priority under Cameron's guidance. Several improvements were planned for the 1951 race including the addition of a field hospital and an enhanced communication system.

But the Goldsmid ordeal had created a serious division among the members of the SCCA. Argetsinger wanted professional road racing at Watkins Glen. But the growing sentiment among many of the members was to keep the races amateur only. By late spring. A vote was taken and Cameron had lost. But Cameron remained a member of the SCCA and plan to race in the 1951 Grand Prix. But it was not to be. He was coming home. He had. Purchased a race in 1951 and he left it at Smalley's and our friend Sam Colby was there and he said he'd bring him home. It was a hot summer afternoon July 2nd. And. A car turned in front of Sam had red Jaguar car turn

in front of him to go into a driveway and he swerved and hit a tree. And. Cameron was the passenger and he was thrown out. And had a concussion. And. Sam. On. The Jaguar. There was a horn that was. It had in those early days. It was like came to a peak. And his body was pushed against it. He drove with wheel close. And it he was stabbed to death. And. I got there just as. We were they were very far from the cottage and he died. And it was so it was a physical and an emotional blow. Or the second time in less than a year. Argetsinger had lost a close personal friend.

His injuries weren't serious but his doctors advised him to avoid racing. He was now completely removed from the race he had created and the sport he loved. And don't really want to hear more than from 200 miles above be racing. I've got to find three people who and along with. You. Write in just four years. The race had become an enormous success. Watkins-Glen was now the premier event on the American racing calendar. The crowds were phenomenal and the removed from the Organization of the event Argersinger had been consulted on improvements in safety. Wankers like you want me to take her place. I'm here to talk about why the races went off without incident and it seemed for the moment that the future of the race was on limited.

Know. What happened really is the popularity of the Grand Prix at Watkins Glen was set after having 10000 spectators in 1948 and 15 and 14. The crowds grew and grew and grew. So the dream that came when I could sing I had to. And plus the other people of SCCA was becoming reality. But nobody really knew how to control it. And how to make it safe for everybody. As it grew bigger and bigger. The people in wagons just you know they were all you know about all these people that they were getting. You know they didn't they couldn't believe that you could get that many people in like you know. And you really couldn't even walk into the main street you know very very well because they

were just you know Mumper But you know people were shoulder to shoulder. My father had severe concerns about the crowd control on this race track. But as long as the crowds were kept back behind the sidewalk they were all right. But in 1952 my father had warned them keep the people out of the end of Franklin Street. At the races ran a little late and people were getting tired and they did move down into that last corner and sat on the curb. Before the main race. My cousin Jack and I we were like across the street and up up the street from where my dad and my brother

were. And we had a spot and we thought well you know that's going to be a better vantage point. So we just got right down through went right across the racetrack went right over and got right in front row. I think I was sitting between my dad's legs and my cousin was over on this side and my brother I think was on this side and then we my brother wanted to change. So my brother got where I was. We're talking about you know the. Who were picked to win the race. And my brother said. I'm going to take number eight. So we will go watch him and then pretty soon we see you know the car cars coming. If I remember rightly they were two or three abreast coming up Main Street but there was the spread Wacker. He was on the inside toward where we were and he

was in like third place. And he was trying for second. And as he come up the road he just you know tried to pass on the eye on the outside where you know like where we were and when he gets up there were we were all three I had to get like an inch over you know because they had to make a big sweep. And when the cars started coming down the street. I mean you know you lunged out when you got past the ropes where you had you know you're looking down because you're trying to see you know through you know hundreds of thousands of people you know and they're all leaning in and so you're leaning to get an advantage. And pretty soon just like that it was all over. I mean he'd come into the crowd and he'd gone and he didn't even know that he had hit anybody. Right after it happened.

I couldn't remember nothing. You know because I was in such pain. You know we were spread all over the place. And. Matter of fact I think my brother after you know because. He caught me. My brother was his. Rear fender. And he put his head in the fender and just you know cut my brother's head right off. And my brother laid you know up the road. Somebody you know if I remember somebody threw a coat over it. But I didn't even know he had died. I was watching the race. In the room of a friend of mine second store corner room in the old Jefferson Hotel. I was there with my family and my friends and family and so forth and. And he came back from the start finish line and there's been a very bad accident. What I remember is James Melton who was an opera singer. Who hit

who was crazy about the races and was always here. He sang all day moving. And the crowd was just as quiet. As. Is where he went went through the crowd. The race was canceled. A shaken Fred Wacker was briefly detained and questioned by the state police. The tightly knit community of Watkins-Glen was shattered. I remember going to. Their home. The next day. And. I was sad it was. The fellow that killed my brother. He was at the funeral. And. He told my dad. Then. He says the. Best of it was I said I'll. Take your ring.

I will never race again. Said can't race again. I really couldn't hold you know hold anything against him. I mean you know it was just a race. I mean you know. It happens. Throughout the community where there was a sorrow and sympathy for the family sorrow but there was no feeling that I ever detected. We must stop these races. This is terrible. There may have been an individual who felt that way but there was certainly the public sentiment it was quite the contrary as I. Experienced. Despite the tragedy. Watkins-Glen could not ignore the tremendous impact that the races had on the village. The community wanted the races to continue.

The New York state police were opposed to any further racing on public roads did not refuse to close the streets for a 1953 race. It looked briefly as if there would be another Grand Prix run through the streets of Watkins-Glen. But its time had passed. Lloyd's of London who had ensured the race from the beginning refused to support any race through the village streets. Road racing through the village of Watkins-Glen was over. I father realised after that as did other people in the community that there was a need to to build a new course and that whenever my father got back involved with the community and the community then formed what was called the Watkins-Glen Grand Prix Corp. It was a non-profit corporation. My father became the executive director of that and they started their process of building the new tracks. Watkins-Glen began to rebuild.

By the summer of 1953. The newly formed Grand Prix corporation was given permission by the nearby town of Dix to alter and enclose four and a half miles of country roads on the hills above the village. On September 18th the 6th Watkins-Glen Grand Prix was held with a huge crowd safely contained behind miles of fencing. And for the next nine years our good singer continued to focus on his original dream of international roadracing. On October 8th 1961. Cameron Argetsinger watched as the flag dropped on the first American Grand Prix at Watkins Glen. And launched what many still consider to be the golden age of racing in America. Being

just tapes of those programs available for 20 495 some check or money order to Watkins Glen W-S KGTV box 3000 Binghamton New York 1 3 9 0 2 2 water with a credit card call 1 800 4 6 4 9 7 5 4 extension 3 1 7