41 replies to this topic

[watkins]

Cameron Argetsinger, the founding father of racing at Watkins Glen died Tuesday, April 22, 2008. More on this story can be found on the following link:
http://www.the-leade...page/x883021516

[chuckbrandt]

So sorry to hear that. My sympathies to Michael and the Argetsinger family.

Chuck Brandt

[David M. Kane]

One of the neatest guy I ever met. He made road racing happen in America, a real driving force. Plus he made you feel good to be around him.

[Pils1989]

All my condolences to Michael, his family and everyone at the Research Center.

[JacnGille]

aaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[Gary C]

My condolences to the Argetsinger family.

[Terry O'Neil]

Cameron, a great guy who will be sorely missed.
My condolences to Michael, his family and all who worked with him at the Int Motor Research Centre at Watkins Glen.
Terry

[D-Type]

My condolences to his family and friends

[fines]

Condolences to Mike, Peter and the rest of the family!

Racing has lost a great mentor!

[Doug Nye]

Very sad news indeed - though not unexpected. I am sure that the Argetsinger family's many British friends (and fans) would join me in offering genuine, sincere and heartfelt sympathy. Both Cameron and his remarkable wife Jean - a force of nature if ever I met one - were remarkable people, and in particular his legacy to American motor sport is immense.

Doug Nye

[HDonaldCapps]

While this was not unexpected given his health of late, it is still almost a body blow to realize it has happened. Cameron Argetsinger was simply an incredible man, someone whose place in motor racing cannot be underestimated. I cannot think of the number of times -- hours upon hours, but still too few -- that I spent just talking with Cameron about racing. He was always gracious and absolutely upfront about no end of topics -- people and events from one end of the racing world to the other. I learned a great deal from Cameron about the in's and out's of motor racing and its politics -- national and international -- than I could have imagined possible. It never ceased to amaze me when something would be mentioned in one of the discussions, he would pause for a few seconds, and then deliver a lecture (in the finest sense of the word) that gave you the depth and breath of the issue, person or event. That it was often more pithy than the sanitized version commonly accepted, as well as being far more detailed, often forced me to re-think much of what I thought I knew.

The International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen was a labor of love for both Cameron and his wife Jean. It was always my privilege to sit in his office at the IMRRC and just talk. Cameron and Jean were a great pair -- they possessed that rare ability to talk you into doing things and make you glad you were having your arm twisted and have you thank them for doing so. If Cameron was something, Jean is a Force of Nature. Two wonderful people whose enthusiasm and love of life was contagious.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Jean, JC, Mike, Pete, and all the many other members of the wonderful Argetsinger family. As Mark, Bill, Glenda, and Amanda, the staff at the IMRRC will be the first to mention, it will be different from now on....

Godspeed, Cameron, it was my distinct privilege and honor to be the recipient of your friendship, something I will always treasure.

[Keir]

The family that made Watkins Glen !

[Jim Thurman]

Condolences to the Argetsinger family.

And a big thank you to Cameron for his efforts

[John M Cannon]

My condolences to his lovely family and friends.

[Ray Bell]

I remember well the day Mike Argetsinger began posting on this forum... immediately I realised he must have been one of Cameron's sons and immediately I knew this forum had a font of knowledge right from the source at its disposal.

Since that time I've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time on the phone to Mike. He's either a great ambassador for his family or he comes from a wonderful family. I tend to think the latter.

Talking to him recently about his parents' ill health, Jean being unwell also, he's told me how the children take it in turns to go to Watkins Glen and help out their folks - quite apart from the professional help they employ. "There are enough of us that it's not a big burden," Mike has said to me, but it's always clear that there is travel involved, there is time away from home involved and there is emotional strain. Mike has never conveyed this, such is the family bond of the Argetsingers.

That the head of this grand family should pass is a great loss. The legacy to motor racing is almost boundless, with those first public road races having been an important part of the rebirth of road racing in the US after the war, and an intrinsic part in its growth and acceptance. It was all Cameron's suggestion and driven by him at the head of a committee of his peers.

What a generation! Look at the people who've been closely associated with the Argetsingers in their determination to make road racing an accepted part of the US sporting scene and you see the top men in abundance. And then you look at how, when racing on public roads was rejected, the Argetsinger committee immediately set in place plans to build the iconic Watkins Glen circuit.

Look also at how it rapidly became the home of the US GP. Ask Keir to expand on his simple statement above... how it was more than just a race, rather an experience.

More to the point, look at the US GP has gone since Cameron Argetsinger, through no desires of his own, no longer called the Watkins Glen shots.

Though I will personally convey my thoughts to my friend Mike, I publicly convey here my most sincere condolences to a close-knit family. I also offer the same to those few people of Cameron's generation who survive him, and who will no doubt fly from wherever they are on earth to pay their respects because of their great respect for him. People with names etched on the committee lists or entry lists or special guest lists of the many races conducted in those early years.

An unfortunately inevitable loss... with the loss compounded by the knowledge that his leadership, his ideas, his dreams and unfulfilled ambitions will no longer be. Shoes that can never be filled.

[jj2728]

Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. I 'grew up' at The Glen.

[Dave Ware]

My sincere condolences to the family.

[Cris]

Godspeed, Cameron.

Cris

[VWV]

My deepest sympathies to the Argetsinger Family on their loss.

[Gary Davies]

A great man by all accounts. RIP, and heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends.

[Option1]

My sincere condolences to Mike and the whole Argetsinger family.

Neil

[watkins]

First of all... My sincere condolences to the Argetsinger family.

 In hast, as I had to attend to a family member, I started this post early this morning after hearing the grave news on a local TV station and then reading (to be sure I heard right) in the newspaper that Cameron Argetsinger had passed. Now that I have time I would like to share my thoughts.
 Growing up just 20 minutes from the track, I can't imagine if racing had never happened at Watkins Glen. From my pre-teen days to the present, I've enjoyed attending the races at Watkins Glen for the past 45+ years. Cameron Argetsinger's wisdom and foresight brought to the people of the small town of Watkins Glen and the rural upstate New York area, the sights and sounds of world class racing, elite machines and famous people and celebrities. The result of his dream carved many memories within the Watkins Glen fan base for years to come.
 Today, during race weekends at Watkins Glen, many still sit around campfires at night and talk about their experiences 30 to 40 years ago at the track. My father and older brothers introduced me to the races at Watkins Glen as I have with my sons. Cameron Argetsinger not only created a race and a track but also started a sort of "way of life" and a tradition that has been handed down through families to the next generation.
In other words...One mans thinking, idea and thoughts years ago molded many people, including myself and my family, into what they are today: Race fans.
 Cameron Argetsinger...The man that made it happen...The number 1 marker on the Grand Prix Drivers Walk of Fame in Watkins Glen and deservingly so.



postscript:
A nice piece on Jean and Cameron Argetsinger posted just two days before his death.
Jean and Cameron Argetsinger

[HistoricMustang]

Meeting Cameron only once my phone conversations with Mike and directions from those conversations helped the initial phases of the memorial project here in Augusta.

My initial trip to Watkins Glen and dinner on grounds of the research center with the HSR group will always be cherished. Cameron attended those functions. That was our only meeting.

Godspeed and Good Racing,
Henry

[Darren Galpin]

My condolences to his family.

A few years ago I sent one small article to be filed at the IMRRC, and Cameron Argetsinger took the trouble to personally reply and say thank you - I felt that I should be thanking him more for accepting the article rather than the other way around!

[Rosemayer]

My condolences to the Argetsinger family.Camron RIP

[Dennis Hockenbury]

Having just learned of this, I also offer my sincere condolences to the Argetsinger family.

[Bjorn Kjer]

My condolences to you Mike , and yours.

[UAtkins]

My condolences to you and your family Mike. I will always remember the time you came to Anchorage and we showed you around the area. We so enjoyed meeting you and Lee and were pleased to share an evening with you. Our thoughts are with you.

Ursula

[Frank S]

A bright star in the motor racing firmament.

Shine on.

[Fiorentina 1]

Sorry to hear that. The Argetsingers are a great bunch and I'm sorry for their lost.

[Buford]

Thank you to Ray Bell for calling me all the way from Australia to tip me off about this sad thread. I don't know if Mike is reading this but my deepest sympathies. I guess it was 3 1/2 years ago my dad and I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Argetsinger when we were in Watkins Glen on a great weekend arranged by Mike. It was a thrill to meet him. Now both our fathers are gone. We were lucky to have them as long as we did.

[HDonaldCapps]

Originally posted by cabianca
Cameron Reynolds Argetsinger

Cameron Reynolds Argetsinger, 87, Watkins Glen race founder and lawyer died peacefully, April 22, 2008, at home. He leaves his beloved wife of 67 years, Jean, their nine children, fifteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. He lived in the farmhouse near Burdett where his father was born in 1883, overlooking the family vineyard and Seneca Lake. The only child of Attorney J. Cameron and Louise Williams Argetsinger, he was born March 1, 1921 in Youngstown, Ohio, and spent his childhood summers with his grandparents in Schuyler County. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant in the Army.

Inspired by his love of fast automobiles and the area’s natural beauty, in 1948 he conceived, organized, and drove in the races through the streets in what would become the world-famous Watkins Glen Grand Prix. He brought full international races here in 1958 and inaugurated the U.S. Grand Prix for Formula 1, which had a successful 20-year run on the Watkins Glen Circuit. He was subsequently the executive director of the Sports Car Club of America in the 1970s. A graduate of Cornell Law School, he practiced law in Schuyler County for 48 years, serving for a time as president of the bar association. Retiring from the law in 2002, he became president of the International Motor Racing Research Center in Watkins Glen until retiring for health reasons last year. He was a visionary who made things happen. Despite his many professional successes, honors and recognitions, he always considered his family his greatest accomplishment. He remained close to his children, was proud of the achievements of his grandchildren, and took great delight in his great-grandchildren.

In addition to the grand- and great-grandchildren, he is survived by his wife Jean, his children J.C. and Joan of Montour Falls, Louise and Tom Kanaley of Rochester, Michael and Lee of Chicago, Marya Smith of Elizabeth, Ill., Margretta (Getchie) of New York City, Peter and Sjoukje of Sebring, FL and Watkins Glen, Rob and Elizabeth of Sunset Beach, CA, Sam and Joan of Burdett, Philip (Duke) of Phoenix, AZ, and Susann Gary Argetsinger of Burdett, and also by his brother-in-law Robert and Kay Sause of Poland, OH and sister-in-law Louise M. Sause of East Lansing, MI, and cousins Phil and Judy Smith of Montour Falls, Mary Jane Williams of Horseheads, L. William Argetsinger III of Brackney, PA, and Conrad Argetsinger of Bay Harbor Islands, FL.

A funeral mass will be held on Sunday, April 27, 2:00 PM at St. Mary’s of the Lake Church, Decatur Street, Watkins Glen; the family will meet with friends thereafter at the Racing Research Center, 610 S. Decatur Street. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Racing Center. Arrangements by Vedder and Scott Funeral Home, Montour Falls, NY.

I just thought that this information from Michael T. Lynch should be included in this thread.

[Michael Oliver]

Haven't visited TNF for a few days so just read this - my condolences to the family.

I had the pleasure of visiting the IMRRC a few years ago to do a talk and the whole Argetsinger family went out of their way to make my wife and I welcome.

While Mike drove me round the old road course, Peter's wife Sjoukje took my wife out to see the sights. After the talk we all went out for a meal and so had the pleasure of the company of Cameron, Jean, JC, Mike and Peter (and Paul Medici, another TNFer, among others). I was lucky enough to be sat next to Cameron, who was able to produce anecdote after anecdote about his times running the Glen and dealing with many well-known drivers. What a fascinating man he was.

The IMRRC is a fantastic achievement on the part of the Argetsinger family and long may it continue as a testament to their contribution to motor sport in the US.

[Jerry Entin]

As seen in the New York Times
This article found by Dave Kane

[watkins]

On a sad day for auto racing, I couldn't help but notice this, in the paddock area, at Watkins Glen on Sunday April 27, 2008

[wolf sun]

Sincere condolences to Mike and the rest of the Argetsinger family.

Rest in Peace, Cameron - a true pioneer and enthusiast of motor racing!!!

[Ross Stonefeld]

Does anyone know how to get in touch with Adrian Ketchum? He was the WG track photographer until about 2006. We'd like to look at that photo of Cameron, and see if he has anything of the 48 race.

[HDonaldCapps]

Originally posted by Ross Stonefeld
Does anyone know how to get in touch with Adrian Ketchum? He was the WG track photographer until about 2006. We'd like to look at that photo of Cameron, and see if he has anything of the 48 race.

Contact Mark Steigerwald or Bill Green at the IMRRC.

[GVborsari]

Mike,

I'm very sorry to hear of the passing of your dad. The worst thing about getting old, is losing our friends and family. You have my best wishes and condolences. I went to the USGP 3 times in the 60's, and we all owe a great debt of gratitude to your father.

Best wishes to your entire family

Mark Valsi
Pasadena CA


ps. I was born 10 miles from youngstown, so your dad and I are Homies !

[Paul Medici]

This passed Sunday the entrance to the IMRRC was graced by the Ardent Alligator. Miles Collier
drove the car to victory in the 1949 Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Race organizer Cameron Argetsinger
did not finish the event due to a fuel pump failure on his Bugatti Type 35A. Miles then sold the car
to Cameron who had it registered for street use (sans roll bar of course.)

As fitting tribute the Riley-Merc's present owners, Pete McManus and his wife, transported
the car to the Glen from their home in Pennsylvania.





Pete also removed the hood so we could view the Merc V8; fitted with Offenhauser heads and
intake manifold, Isky cam and Stromberg carbs - in it's day, the perfectly equipped flathead.



Rest in peace Mr. Argetsinger.
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[David M. Kane]

Paul:

What a great gesture by Mr. McManus.

[Mike Argetsinger]

I have read the many fine tributes to my father that have appeared on this thread. Thank you everyone. It means a great deal to me and to the rest of my family. TNF really is a unique place, peopled by some of the most thoughtful and caring people I know. Thank you for the kind rememberances of Cameron Argetsinger. We miss him terribly.