Mari Hulman George was born in December of 1934 in Evansville. When her father bought IMS in 1945, Hulman George was immersed into the world of auto racing.

According to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hulman George served as IMS Chairman from 1988 to 2016.

Hulman George was well known to race fans as the individual who gave the command to start engines for the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 for more than 15 years.

Family members say she touched the lives of many Hoosiers throughout her life.

“She would treat everybody as if they were on the same level as she was,” says Daniel McCarthy, Mari Hulman George’s cousin. “You know she was not a pretentious person which was the beauty in that. That was a beautiful thing. I would say that that’s a legacy, but just the speedway everything that it stands for, you know that means a lot to Hoosiers and to be able to trace that back to Evansville.”

The family says she will be buried in Terre Haute, Indiana.