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IMS President on Florence Henderson: She was a lovely lady

Posted at 10:25 AM, Nov 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-25 10:25:20-05

INDIANAPOLIS -- Florence Henderson sang 23 times during the Indianapolis 500 pre-race festivities, and served as Grand Marshal during the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

After her death on Thursday, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles said she was a beloved member of the IMS family.

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His full statement reads: 

“Florence Henderson had an amazing impact on generations of Americans through her platform as an actress and an even more profound impact on Indianapolis Motor Speedway fans through her passion for and contribution to those special moments leading up the command to start engines at the Indianapolis 500. Our fans looked forward to seeing her on Race Day each year and her pre-race involvement became one of the expected annual traditions that makes the Indianapolis 500 so powerful. This past year, we were pleased to have honored her as the Grand Marshall for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. More importantly, Florence Henderson was a treasured friend of the Hulman-George family for many years and the bond between them was as strong as family. We thank her for her friendship and love for our sport and her friends and family will be in our prayers. She was a lovely lady and she will be missed.”

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