Page 78 - Demo

One day, toward the end of my 8th-grade year, my friend Bobby Worland mentioned that his dad was taking him and his brothers to the Indianapolis 500 race in a few weeks. I had been interested in the race for a couple of years, and immediately asked if I could go with them. Bobby said sure, why not. However, when he asked his dad, he learned that it probably wouldn%u2019t be possible to buy another ticket near the ones he already had%u2014but he%u2019d see what he could do.What Bobby%u2019s dad, Bob, did was phone my dad. They had grown up together in Fowler, and moved their families to Lafayette within two years of each other. What Bob suggested was that my dad buy two tickets for himself and me. Bob was sure a pair would be available%u2014although they likely wouldn%u2019t be near the one%u2019s he%u2019d already purchased. Then he told Dad who he should contact.So, Dad and I went to the 500 Race in 1963. It was the year Parnelli Jones (below) won the Pole with a blistering speed of 151.150 mph, the first qualifying time over 150 mph. Jones also won the race, despite having a significant oil leak.Dad and I didn%u2019t have much in common, and I could tell that he didn%u2019t get much out of the race, but I thoroughly enjoyed every lap, even though we were in the cheap seats on the north short stretch. The next year, he bought a pair of tickets for much better seats, but decided not to go himself. So, in 1964 and 1965, I went with Mom, who enjoyed the race very much. After that, I went with friends for a number of years. The last race I attended was in 1974, when I went with Lynn, and two of my sisters and brothers-in-law.I learned where to obtain 500 Festival Covers from the stamp-collecting column in the . They were both stamped with a cachet and cancelled on May 30, which was Memorial Day at that time. Since 1969, Memorial Day has been celebrated on the last Monday in May.