Little 500 founder Wilcox dies

The father of the Little 500 and founder of the IU Student Foundation, Howard "Howdy" Wilcox, died Monday morning in Indianapolis. He was 82-years-old.\nWilcox was considered one of the legends of the University by his peers, serving as president of the IU Foundation through the late 1940s and into the early '50s, establishing the IUSF in 1950 and serving as a member of the IU Board of Trustees from 1962-65. \nBut perhaps his most endearing legacy is organizing the first Little 500 in 1951, now considered to be the World's Greatest College Weekend.\nAlex Ihnen, the Little 500 coordinator and assistant director of IUSF, said the start of the Little 500 began out of sheer chance when Wilcox noticed a group of college students riding their bikes around Hickory Hall, a dormitory that is no longer standing.\nThe hall's east and west wings were racing to see which one would give up first when Wilcox grasped the idea of a University-wide bicycle race.\n"He literally called people in the middle of the night, different administrators, giving them ideas," Ihnen said. \nThat idea transformed into what is now the Little 500, modeled after the Indianapolis 500, a race Wilcox's father had won in 1919.\n"He's the reason we have the Little 500, and I don't know if everyone knows that," Ihnen said. \nOne year before the first Little 500, Wilcox established the IUSF to attempt to forge a bond between the students and the University by sponsoring campus-wide events like the Little 500, and raising money for working students.\nToday, the IUSF is housed in the Wilcox House, named after its innovator.\n"If we have a legend, certainly one of the legendary figures in the University system is Howdy Wilcox," said Dick Bishop, executive director to the president of IUF. "He was just one of those figures in University history that meant a lot to a lot of people."\nBefore he began changing the landscape of IU, Wilcox received his bachelors degree in journalism from the University in 1942. \nWilcox was also a member of Alpha Tau Omega during his undergraduate years and was an active alumnus for the last sixty years.\nMatt Hendy, a junior in ATO, along with about 10 other members of his fraternity met with Wilcox on Saturday in Indianapolis, only two days prior to his death.\nHendy said Wilcox was in good spirits when they met. He reminisced about his days at IU and the first Little 500.\n"He was such a great guy," Hendy said. "He meant so much to so many people I don't even know. Anytime you can be around someone with that much wisdom, it is very beneficial."\nA room in the ATO house is specifically dedicated to Wilcox, Hendy said, and the fraternity is now planning to rededicate the room to their famous alumnus.\nPlans are currently underway to memorialize Wilcox during the upcoming Little 500 race, but the University is unsure of exactly what they will do.\n"It seems such a natural and fitting way of remembering Howdy (at the Little 500 race)," said IUSF director Jonathan Purvis. "With a figure like Howdy Wilcox, you want to memorialize him, not just at one race, but forever."\nBishop said he agreed that Wilcox will be the focal point of the 2003 race.\n"If we weren't blessed with Howdy Wilcox, we would not have a Little 500," Bishop said. "He passed the baton. It's ours to take care of now."\nA viewing will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, and a service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Flanner-Buchanan Morturary in Indianapolis.