Mystery Friday Foto #21 Solved: Celebrating the opening of the Long Island Automotive Museum on August 27, 1948
Jim Clark, the son of Henry Austin Clark Jr., challenged you with this weekend's Mystery Foto.
Answers to the Mystery Foto questions:
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What was the celebration and its location?
Grand opening of the Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton, New York.
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What was the date?
August 27, 1948
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Who likely hired the helicopter? Hint: He was a co-founder of the Madison Avenue Sports Car Driving and Chowder Society and a CBS executive.
Art Peck
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Identify the automobile.
1910 Buick, Toy Tonneau, 4 cylinders, 18 HP, Model 10,
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Kudos questions: Identify as many individuals as possible. Hints are provided. Some people are still unknown at this time.
Long weekend, so many guesses needed!
Comments (5)
Congrats to Steve Lucas and Lee Irwin for identifying the opening of LIAM.
Kudos to Lee Irwin for identifying 9 people in the Mystery Foto.
Greg O. & Howard Kroplick
Opening Day, August 27, 1948
1910 Buick
Who's Who in the Mystery Foto
Courtesy of Jim Clark
Individual close-ups and some hints
Left #1: Unknown
Right #2: Unknown
Left #3: Unknown
Right #4: Maybe - BJ Corrigan- The owner of the Gulf gas station and the Firestone tire outlet on Montauk Highway between Water Mill and Bridgehampton.
Left to Right
#5: Dorothy (Dot) Hopping- Wife of J. Norris Hopping (#7)
#6:Unknown
#7: J. Norris Hopping- Southampton race car driver and assisted in opening the Long Island Automotive Museum as a mechanic. Husband of Dot Hopping (#5)
#8: Maybe- Eddie Aldrich-An employee of the owner of the establishment
#9-Unknown
Left #10: Alfred Momo-During the 1950s and early '60s he was a mechanic, Briggs Cunningham's team manager, dealer and friend to the likes of Cunningham and Hansgen.
Right #11: Bill Spear- An amateur race driver who drove at Le Mans with Briggs Cunningham. Runner up in the SCCA National Championship in 1952 and 1954, he won the title in 1953.
Left #12: Unknown
Right #13- Lester Cutting- Vintage auto collector and auto parts business owner.
#14: unknown
#15: Unknown
#16: Jerry Nicholas- The nephew of the Henry Austin Clark, Jr. (#18)
#17: Unknown
#18- Henry Austin Clark, Jr.- Owner of the Long Island Automotive Museum
#19- Ann Clark- Daughter of the Henry Austin Clark, Jr.
#20: Unknown
#21: Unknown
#22: Unknown
#23- Maybe Bob Grier-A race driver from New York in the early 1950s who was involved with the early races at Watkins Glen and was the official photographer.
Top #24- Jerry Duryea-He was the son of a pioneer auto maker credited with inventing the first successful American automobile in 1892.
Bottom #25- Alec Ullman- This gentleman took the former Hendricks Army Field, a training base for strategic bomber crews during World War 2, and repurposed it as a civilian airfield and the Sebring Raceway.
#26: Unknown
#27: Maybe Ken Purdy- An American automotive writer and editor
#28 Maybe- Emil Norsic- the owner of a sanitation services company based in Southampton.
Comments
Such a daunting assignment for us on this week’s mystery photo. So as for now, just put me down for trying to guess what kind of car that is hiding behind the men on the right. I’ll just go with a 1910 Buick model 10 tourabout.
That is the youngest picture of “Austie” I have ever seen! Wonderful!
I think the photo was taken on August 27, 1948, at the grand opening of the Long Island Automotive Museum in Southampton, NY. The car could be a 1910 Buick Model 10. Person #18 is Henry Austin Clark, Jr.; #19 is his daughter Cynthia; #14 might be Jim Clark. That’s all I’ve got. Good luck to everyone.
16. My cousin, Jerry Nicholas.
18. Yeah, I know this guy too.
19. My sister, Ann.
I recognize a few of the others as well, but I’m hoping to learn several new names.
The celebration and its location: The opening of the Long Island Automotive Museum at the museum in Southampton, NY
The date: August 27, 1948
Who likely hired the helicopter: Art Peck
The automobile: 1910 Buick Model 10
Best guesses for some of the individuals:
#5 Dorothy Hopping
#7 Norris Hopping
#10 Alfred Momo
#11 Bill Spear
#18 Henry Austin Clark, Jr.
#19 Ann Clark
#24 George Duryea
#25 Alec Ulmann
#27 Ken Purdy
The museum was always a favorite place to go during summer stays at my grandparents. Still have all the postcards that I bought at the gift shop…including two of my favorites cars, the 1911 Mercer 35 and the Ferrari 166 ( 004C ). Also have one of a 1966 Lotus Elan owned by James H. Clark.
I agree with Steve Lucas, #14 the young boy has Austin Clark’s features. Lester Cutting, I’ve seen his name linked to past images of the LIMP. He must’ve done his own explorations and documented the LIMP like we do now.
Howard, Could one of the unidentified men be Montague Roberts ? He won the 1908 around the world race in the Thomas Flyer that Clarke ended up owing,
Montague Roberts was at the museum that same evening for the cocktail party. Southampton photographer, Irving Cantor, took this photo of him in the Thomas Flyer with the HAC Jr family, but he does not appear to be in the photo out front with the helicopter.