Mary Fendrich Hulman

Mary Fendrich Hulman (March 13, 1905 – April 10, 1998) was the wife of the late Indiana industrialist Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. and matriarch of the Hulman-George family that controls Hulman & Company.

Early life

She was born in Evansville, Indiana. Hulman was the only child of Fendrich Cigar Company president John H. Fendrich (1867–1952) and Nettie Buttriss Fendrich (1875–1975). The Fendrich family was among Evansville's prominent Catholic families; Mary attended Catholic schools.

Marriage and family

Mary met Tony Hulman in the early 1920s. The rather headstrong young lady was not impressed by Hulman. Hulman eventually won her over, and on October 6, 1926, the couple were wed in a lavish ceremony in Evansville.

The couple settled in Terre Haute, Indiana following a European honeymoon. Tony became sales manager of Hulman & Co., while Mary set up housekeeping in the city's Farrington's Grove neighborhood.

Their first child, Mary, was born in Evansville in 1930, but died shortly after birth. She apparently suffered from an enlarged liver. On December 26, 1934, the couple's daughter Mary (Mari Hulman George), was born. She died in 2018.

A sporting life

Like her husband, Mary was sports-minded. She was an avid golfer. Unusually, she also enjoyed shooting skeet competitively and was considered an excellent shot.

When Tony purchased the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945, she chose to play an active role each year at the race. Drivers and fans alike loved her.

Philanthropy

In the early 1970s, the Hulmans donated land and a "challenge grant" of $2.5M (25% of the estimated construction cost) for the construction of Indiana State University's Hulman Center arena and the city of Terre Haute's public Hulman Links golf course.

Mary became a major contributor to art museums and schools; particularly the Sheldon Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute and the Indianapolis Museum of Art, along with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and other institutions of higher learning.

Later life

When Tony Hulman died on October 27, 1977, she became the chairman of both the Speedway and Hulman & Co. At the 1978 Indianapolis 500, she took over Tony's traditional role, delivering for the first time the famous call of "Gentlemen, start your engines!" She would continue to give the command (with few exceptions, when daughter Mari delivered it) through 1996.

In 1986, ''Forbes'' magazine named Mary to the list of the 400 wealthiest Americans, worth nearly $180 million at that time. With her vast wealth, Mary continued her long-standing tradition of giving generously to her favorite institutions and charities in her later years.

As her health declined in the 1990s, Mary gradually relinquished her roles to her daughter and grandchildren and finally moved from the family's longtime Terre Haute home to Marquette Manor Retirement Community in Indianapolis.

Death

Mary Fendrich Hulman died from complications due to emphysema on April 10, 1998, at age 93. Following her funeral in the church where Tony Hulman's funeral was held 20 years earlier, she was buried by his side in Terre Haute's Calvary Cemetery.

References

Sources

Associated Press article on the occasion of Hulman's death

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hulman, Mary
1905 births
1998 deaths
Deaths from emphysema
Hulman-George family
Indianapolis 500
People from Evansville, Indiana
20th-century American philanthropists