LCV Spring 2013 - (Page 34)

FAST TIMES IN KNOT FARRINGTON’S AMAZING T-BIRD MARK SINDLER/LOUISIANA STATE MUSEUM On display in the Sports Hall of Fame entrance, L. W. “Knot” Farrington’s modified 1956 Ford Thunderbird will showcase the history of motor sports in Louisiana in spectacular fashion. “Modified” does not begin to describe Farrington’s T-Bird, which he drove in 1963 to a world land speed record of 241.78 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. To test the outer performance limits of a gasoline-powered sports car, Farrington dropped a huge, 452-cubic-inch, turbocharged Chrysler V-8 under the hood, reinforced the undercarriage with a sturdy 1934 Ford front axle, and faired the sheet-styrene body to near aerodynamic perfection and Buck Rogers contours, from its sleek nose to the tapered boat-tail. A self-taught mechanic, Farrington named his ferociously fast creation “Hell’s Angel”—for his wife, Helen. At age 93, Farrington shows no signs of slowing down. He continues to work around cars full time as assistant fleet commander of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office motor pool. Land speed record-holder L.W. “Knot” Farrington at his Metairie home in 2011 after donating “Hell's Angel” to the Louisiana State Museum. A GOLDEN AGE OF WOMEN’S GOLF W. J. SADLIER\GIFT OF MR. ALEXANDER T. ASPRODITES JR. Women have been playing golf since the game began in 15th-century Scotland. The first recorded round of golf by a woman occurred in 1567 when Mary, Queen of Scots, appeared on the links at Musselburgh, the world’s oldest golf course. With more leisure time and growing freedom from strict gender roles, women’s golf grew rapidly in late 19th- and early 20th-century America. The United States Golf Association held the first amateur women’s championship in 1895. Founded in 1911, the Women’s Southern Golf Association organized annual tournaments across the region, attracting top Louisiana amateurs like Marion Turpie of New Orleans (a three-time WSGA champion in 1926, 1928 and 1931) and Ruth Raymond of Baton Rouge.   Ruth Raymond of Baton Rouge was one of the South’s top ranked amateurs in the 1920s and 1930s. Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Sports History Museum Opening in the summer of 2013, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Sports History Museum will be dedicated to honoring the state’s sports legends. 500 Front Street Natchitoches, Louisiana 71457 Hours: Mon - Fri: 9 am - 5 pm Phone: (318) 238-4255 Email: info@lasportshall.com Website: www.LaSportsHall.com 34 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES • Spring 2013  http://www.LaSportsHall.com http://www.LaSportsHall.com

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LCV Spring 2013

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