Notebook: Donald Davidson’s Indy 500 History

Donald Davidson’s excellent Indy 500 History class is again being offered through IUPUI’s Continuing Learning department. The class will be held on four consecutive Tuesdays from 7-9pm beginning April 5th and ending April 26th. All classes will be held at the Brickyard Crossing Inn, outside turn 2 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

From the IUPUI course description:

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your racing season with this ever-popular review of Indy 500 legends and lore! Meet Donald Davidson at the Brickyard Crossing Inn this spring, and be entertained by his knowledge of historic events, anecdotes, and colorful characters from the 500-mile race. You’ll learn the answers to all the questions about “the greatest spectacle in racing” from the expert himself. Enrollment is limited.

I personally attended the class in 2003 and 2004, and have already signed up for 2005. The great thing about this class is that the direction of the discussion is only loosely based on the chronological history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indianapolis 500. Questions from the class are strongly encouraged, and often lead to a seemingly unlimited number of tangents from the original conversation. That’s what makes the class worth taking year after year… each class is a little different. The one constant is Donald Davidson’s amazing ability to recall the most minute details of every Indy 500 and all of the personalities involved.

Also, note that although the class is supposed to end at 9pm, it rarely does. People are free to leave at that time, but Donald always stays late to discuss whatever topics people have for him. During the last two years of classes, I’m not sure I ever left before 10pm, and sometimes we went even later than that.

If you’d like to sign up for the class, go to:

http://www.cln.iupui.edu/

Click on the “sign up” logo.

In the window that pops up, scroll down and select the “Personal Interest” category. On the right side you should see “Donald Davidson’s Indy 500 History” listed.

Select the course, then click the Sections and Registration tab.

The regular fee is $65, but it’s $58.50 when you register online. As I write this, there are 58 spaces remaining.

If nothing else, it’s a fantastic way to get out of the house and soak up some of the ambiance of the Speedway in preparation for the month of May.

See you there!