Thomas Wyatt Wilson Binford (April 6, 1924 – January 14, 1999) was an

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

-based

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. One of Indianapolis' most influential men, Thomas W. Binford, was a pioneer, visionary, and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

leader. He participated in civic, philanthropic, cultural, and political aspects of the city and state and was valued for his sensitivity, wise counsel, personal and financial support, and sincerity. In addition to his many personal interests, Binford spearheaded a group to buy the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

basketball team in 1975 and served as its president and general manager for one year. From 1974 to 1995, Binford served as the Chief Steward of the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

, presiding over its transition from United States Auto Club governance to

Indy Racing League IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...

governance.

Biography

Binford attended

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, where he was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

. He was interim president of

DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...

in 1975–76. Although he did not have any prior banking experience, Binford was elected

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Indiana National Corporation, the holding company for the largest bank in the state of Indiana, from 1976 to 1981, turning the company around after it lost money during the 1973–75 recession. He was instrumental in bringing the

Colts Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States * Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United State ...

to Indianapolis. His greatest contribution was creating an environment in the city of Indianapolis where issues of civil rights and race could be discussed productively and without rancor. A street in northeastern Indianapolis was renamed Binford Boulevard in his honor. Crown Hill Cemetery - 2016-10-21 - Mike Steele 23

Crown Hill Cemetery - 2016-10-21 - Mike Steele 23

Binford began serving as chief steward during the

1973 Indianapolis 500 The 57th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Wednesday, May 30, 1973. The race was held over three days because of rain and two major accidents. Three competitors—two drivers ...

. In 1978, Binford was a candidate in the

FISA The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA, , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the surveillance and collection of foreign intelligence on domestic soil.

presidential election but lost the election to

Jean-Marie Balestre Jean-Marie Balestre (; 9 April 1921 – 27 March 2008) was a French motorsport administrator and journalist. From 1978 to 1991, Balestre served as president of the '' Fédération Internationale du Sport Automobile'' (FISA); from 1985 to 1993, he ...

by 29 votes to 11. His most notable races include the

1981 Indianapolis 500 The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday, May 24, 1981. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history. Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the wi ...

and the

1995 Indianapolis 500 The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART PPG Indy Car World Series season. Jacques Villeneuve was victorious in his s ...

. Binford penalized

Bobby Unser Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer. At his induction into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1994, he had the fourth most IndyCar Series wins at 35 (behind his brother Al Unser, Al, A ...

one lap for illegal passes under a caution in 1981. His penalty was overruled by a USAC appeals board five months later. In 1995, Binford penalized Jacques Villeneuve early in the race for a restart violation and later gave a stop-and-go penalty to

Scott Goodyear Donald Scott Goodyear (born December 20, 1959) is a Canadian retired racing driver. He competed in CART Championship cars and the Indy Racing League. Along with Michael Andretti, Goodyear is the only driver to have won the Michigan 500 more th ...

after Goodyear passed the pace car on the final restart. The 1995 race was his last as chief steward before retiring in 1996. Binford suffered a cerebral hemorrhage while he was at his office in Indianapolis and later died at Methodist Hospital. He is buried at

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...

References

External links

Biography, The Auto Channel DePauw University profile, 1975 DePauw University article, 2005
1924 births 1999 deaths Princeton University alumni Auto racing executives Presidents of DePauw University American bankers American sports businesspeople American motorsport people 20th-century American philanthropists NBA executives Businesspeople from Indianapolis Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery 20th-century American businesspeople Park Tudor School alumni {{philanthropist-stub