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McHenry - Monroe

Source: Crawfordsville Journal and Review Monday July 31, 1950

Monroe McHenry, Jr, 20, son of Mr. and Mrs. Monroe McHenry, former residents of Mace was fatally injured in a two-car crash at Plant Field near Tampa, Florida, Sunday afternoon July 23. McHenry was the pilot of his No. 14 Hal car, involved in an accident with another car on the initial lap of the consolation event at the big car race card at Plant Field. Death occurred in a Tampa hospital Monday morning, July 24, several hours after the accident. Hospital authorities said he died of a skull fracture. He also suffered a fracture of the shoulder and numerous other lacerations in the crash. He would have reached his 21st birthday on September 1 of this year. Known to his friends in Tampa as "Sonny Boy McHenry" the youth was racing for the third time in the half-mile dirt oval. One other driver was injured in the crack-up and a third narrowly escaped injury. The crash occurred as the cars hurtled out of the last curve on the north turn of the opening lap of the race. McHenry apparently lost control of his car in a skid. His car flipped and went into the wire fence, strking the other car which fell on top of him. THe driver of the other car was not seriously injured. When the McHenry family resided in Mace, Mr. McHenry conducted a garage. The family resided in Logansport, 7 years after leaving Mace 10 years ago and before going to Tampa. The youth was associated with his father in the garage business there. McHenry served a year inthe US Air Corps in Texas and was in the reserved at the time of his death. Funeral services were conducted wednesday at a funeral home in Lakeland, FL with burial in Oak Hill cemetery there. Race drivers from Tampa were honorary pallbears at the service. One of the pallbearers was Charles Norman of Crawfordsville. McHenry is survived by his parents and a sister, Carol McHenry with the WACS stationed at Camp Gordon in Georgia.

Note: A different obit (but similar) and a picture of this young man is on findagrave.com
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