On Feb 10, 2024, at 8:11?AM, David Schmidt via groups.io <dschmdt@...> wrote:

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Bill,

was Carolyn Hartley married to Gene Hartley of Indy and Speedrome fame?

Just curious.?

Schmitty

Houston

On Saturday, February 10, 2024 at 03:04:27 AM CST, Bill Blaylock <william.blaylock500@...> wrote:

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I was fortunate to meet Fred and Carolyn as a part of the annual Bench Racing Weekend program in Indianapolis maybe 15 years ago.?? They were regulars up until maybe the last year or two of BRW, and they were regulars at IMS on the day before the race, where they had their two immaculately restored midgets on display for the crowds to enjoy.? Fred was generous with his stories and information on racing.? He was truly a gentleman and a pleasure to be around.

I also admired Fred for his place in history.? He was part of the WWII generation of young men who were called up, as teenagers, for the military.? I don’t want to think where we would be today had these young men not served as they did.? I remember Fred telling me that he had finished basic training and was on a troopship headed to the Pacific Theater when the war ended, and the ship turned around.?? Up until that moment, he knew he was going to be part of the force that would invade Japan.? It would have been brutal.? But, as you may note in his obituary (linked below), he ended up serving in Japan as part of the occupational force until 1947.? ?

I also admired Fred for his place in racing history, as part of the postwar era of midget racing, which were arguably some of the best years of racing.

Thank you, Fred.? Rest in peace.

Bill Blaylock
Dallas

The obit:??

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David Schmidt
Highlands TX USA