Forgotten Powers of the Past

Sometimes articles that seem innocuous or obscure contain bits of information that shed tremendous light on historical facts and serve to flesh out the story obfuscated by decades of dust. Dig into this one for some good insights into a trio of guys who were influencers in their age and anonymous today.

Their names? Frank Hower, Walter Hempel and Homer George.
 
Hower was a controversial figure as the chair of the American Automobile Association (AAA) Contest Board. He was eventually ousted, for reasons unclear to me, in favor of Sam Butler, longtime secretary of the rival Automobile Club of America (ACA). At the time of the article, though, he was the man and that put him in a position to approve requests for sanction dated.
 
The whole purpose of the article was to report that the new Indianapolis Motor Speedway had filed a request with Hower and the Contest Board for dates for its very first auto racing contests. There was great optimism the request would be granted - and it was.
 
As an aside, Hower established the Hower Trophy, a class award for the famous Glidden Tour. That event was something of a road rally and was the premier event for a branch of motorsport referred to as "reliability runs." 
 
As for Hempel and George, they were associated with Barney Oldfield. The storied driver owned his race team and also promoted barnstorming events across the country. Hempel and George assisted him with organizing and promoting such events.
 
Hempel was a noted athlete from Germany. He played football for his home country of Germany, coached baseball and football in the United States and promoted auto races, especially on the west coast. He was particularly active with Ascot Park.
 
That's the thing about First Super Speedway. In this world you not only learn about specific events and people but also you see how they fit into the grand tapestry of history. Dig on it...by clicking thru the links you find above!