Remembering Gene and Marilyn
It is all too easy to dismiss the mention of Marilyn and Gene Angelillo with numbers – like 115 or so wins, 107 of them with the Northeastern Midget Association. They won 14 NEMA owner championships with drivers Drew Fornoro, Russ Stoehr and Joey Payne.
Dedication is certainly fitting as well. Both were office holders, Gene serving as president and Marilyn as secretary. The club made full use of Marilyn’s secretarial and organizational skills for years. The generosity of both is legend.
Waterford Speedbowl hosts the Angelillo Memorial Saturday night, the 25-lap Midget feature part of the annual Wings & Wheels show.
Daughter Laura Kibbe continues to honor Marilyn, who passed away in September of ’07 and Gene who died in March of 2010. It has become a major NEMA event.
No doubt, they’ll be some stories told at the ‘Bowl. Over three plus decades, Marilyn and Gene touched a lot of lives. It’s safe to say, if you spent any time at all with either of them you have a story. The always patient Marilyn and the often fiery Gene left lasting impressions. They are part of NEMA folklore.
It was Marilyn who came up with the “Dumo’s Desire” that still adorns the car. It honors Gene’s father Dominic or “Dumo.” Loyalty was high on the list of priorities for them. Gene was 45 when he bought his first Midget (another great tale), reason enough, Marilyn figured, to put it on the car.
Getting back to numbers – the first win is classic folklore. It was 1981 at Hudson Speedway and Drew Fornoro had just recently joined the team. Early in the feature, Nokie Fornoro, in Mike Scrivani’s 21, went off track in turn three, bringing out the red. Drew, concerned about his brother, got out of the 45 and headed for the crash.
It was Scrivani who noticed the right rear on the 45 had gone flat. The still solid right rear was taken off the damaged 21 and, while a Scrivani crew member held the car aloft, put it on the 45. Drew then went out and won the feature beating Lee Smith and Mike Favulli.
Gene loved telling that story. It was one of many.
Sources: Pete Zanardi/NEMA PR