Meet Arthur Rayner Pardington

I found a good link on Arthur Rayner (A.R.) Pardington who was, among other things, the referee of the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911. This role was essentially the chief steward of the race. Pardington was known as a workaholic even compromising his health with long hours and stress.
 
He began his career as a pharmacist and then became a manager at the New York and New Jersey Telephone Company but his passion was for automobiles. He helped found the Long Island Automobile Club and later became chairman of the racing board for the newly established American Automobile Association (AAA). Pardington seemed omnipresent at times, acting in an official capacity at a variety of auto racing events, especially in the northeastern United States. He served as a referee at horse tracks running auto race meets, the famous automobile speed tournaments on Ormond-Daytona Beach but was best known as the driving force behind the original Vanderbilt Cup Race.
 
Pardington was a long time confidant of William K. Vanderbilt Jr. and worked extensively with Indianapolis Motor Speedway founder Carl Fisher on his Lincoln Highway project - the first transcontinental highway. Working for Vanderbilt, Pardington was the driving force behind the establishment of the Long Island Motor Parkway. Pardington passed away in Detroit on July 28, 1915, at age 54.