page_title: Mari Hulman George
section_title: Chairperson
hierarchical_section_title: Mari Hulman George / Chairperson
caption_attribution_description: English: Mari Hulman George at the 1997 Indianapolis 500
context_page_description: Mary Antonia "Mari" Hulman George was the daughter of Anton "Tony" Hulman and Mary Fendrich Hulman, prominent Indiana philanthropists and business owners. She was the chairperson of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway from 1988 to 2016, and also of Hulman & Company.
context_section_description: After the death of Tony Hulman in 1977, his widow Mary F. Hulman (Mari's mother) was named the chairperson of the board of directors of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hulman & Co., the family's primary business. Mari Hulman George was named to the position of vice president and board member. When Mary F. Hulman's health began to decline, she retired and was named chairman emeritus, a position she held until her death in 1998. The chairmanship of the companies was passed to Mari Hulman George in 1988. Mari Hulman George held those positions until the summer of 2016. Shortly after the 2016 Indianapolis 500, Mari was facing declining health and was elected chairman emeritus of the family companies. At that same time, her son Tony George was elevated to the chairman position.
  Like her father and mother before her, from 1997 to 2015 Mari officially started the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 races with the famous starting command, "(Ladies and) Gentlemen, start your engines!" In 2014, she was joined by Jim Nabors, and for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016, she was joined by the entire Hulman/George family. Mari had also given the command as a substitute for her mother in 1981.
caption: Mari Hulman George at the 1997 Indianapolis 500
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