Vanderbilt Cup Races

Incredible!

From An Inside Look at William K. Vanderbilt Jr.'s Alva Base on Fisher Island in Florida

The car is a 28 Lincoln Locke body phaeton. Driver Austie Clark.
Drove this Lincoln in the 1981 Smithtown NY Glidden Tour

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

One more screenshot below.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

*Location & Date of Mystery Foto:  Mitchel Field Complex Uniondale NY. This parade - The Islander Salute, occurred on 5/28/1980.

*Reason for Event:  To celebrate the NY Islanders winning of the Stanley Cup due to their victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Islanders won the Cup in 1981, 1982 & 1983.

*People standing in Auto:  Left to right - Stefan Persson or Bob Bourne, I think it’s Stefan. Even though his head is down, the middle is Denis Potvin. I found a similar photo on the site here with Denis face up. On the right is Steve Tambellini.

*Auto Driver & Make,Year: That’s Henry Austin Clark Jr. His personal car here is a 1929 Lincoln Locke D/C Phaeton. I came across information about this on the site here.

*Link photo to VCR’s:  The license plate for the Lincoln   OLD - 32   was chosen in honor of the 1908 VCR winning auto, The OLD 16 ( 16+16=32 ). Joe Tracy in his later years was employed by Austin Clark ( Museum ). Peter Helck became friends with many of the VC drivers, Austin and Peter were friends. Nearby Hempstead Tpke was part of the 1904 VCR.

*Where was this photo published:  I found it in the Newsday archives. Photo isn’t captioned with the players names.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

NY Islanders Stanley Cup victory parade. I think it’s the first one, 1980. That looks like Charles Lindbergh Blvd. The people in the car are NY Islanders players - That looks like John Tonelli standing on the right. The driver looks like Truman Capote, but what would he be doing there? The car must be a ‘32 Lincoln, from the license plate and the emblem on the radiator. I should know more, because I followed the Islanders then, and still follow them now.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

Mystery Foto #32… The Mystery photo was taken on Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale in May 1980. The parade was to celebrate the Islanders winning the Stanley Cup Hockey Championship. Two of the guys in the car are Denis Potvin and Bryan Trottier. The driver of the car was Henry Austin Clark. I will guess that the photo was shown in Newsday.

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

Map of parade

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

Fitting that the Islanders just won their first 3 of 5 playoff round this year.
(answered with a little help from my brother, Fred, an Islander fan forever)
Mitchel Field/Nassau Coliseum Complex, May 28, 1980
First NY Islanders Stanley Cup Championship, The Stanley Cup
Left - Right, Duane Sutter, Dennis Potvin, Steve Tambellini
Austin Clark
The 1904 VCR course on Hempstead Turnpike just south of the complex
Based on the license plate, a 1932 Olds (Roadster). 
Kudos question: Where was this photo published? - Newsday, May 29, 1980

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

Islanders win cup.  1980.  Hempstead Turnpike

From Mystery Foto #32 Solved: New York Islanders Celebrating Their First Stanley Cup Championship in Henry Austin Clark, Jr.'s Old 32

Sam,...The Robert Graves structure on Searing Ave., Mineola…    Over the years it’s been described in many ways including as a hotel, which it never was, nor was it ever just a garage. Graves built it as his man’s cave, to store and maintain his automobiles. Newspapers of the day said built it here because he wanted to be near his friends at the Meadow Brook Club, Old Westbury and close to the Vanderbilt Cup Race course. The entire first floor was for the autos. The two multi story wings were living quarters, one wing for his use and the other for visitors. Some time after the Vanderbilt Cup Races ended on Long Island,  he used it as his Long Island retreat well into the teen years. calling it aptly, “The Garage”.  I have always been curious why, wealthy as he was, he didn’t built a more conventional country estate. in a more upscale community.

From Mystery Foto #31 Solved: The Grave's Garage on Searing Avenue in Mineola

Sam III, this was Robert Grave’s private garage.

Howard I

From Mystery Foto #31 Solved: The Grave's Garage on Searing Avenue in Mineola

Sam, Your question regarding what to do with recovered posts. Yes they are heaving weighting 125 pounds with a height of 6 feet,6 inches.  I donated one to the Wiliston Park Historical Society who attached a commemorating sign to it and placed it on the Parkway ROW near the Village swimming pool complex. I’m sure like organizations, perhaps with some encouragement, would love to have one and do something similar.

From Update: Greg O's Discovery: Then & Now- The Hidden Section Of the Motor Parkway in Cunningham Park, Queens

I should have added that my grandfather was from Cincinnati, and that the metal underneath is indeed a pewter alloy.

From Mystery Foto #29 Partially Solved: A Homan Motor Vehicle Trophy Owned by Henry Austin Clark, Jr.

My grandfather, David Besuden, won a very similar but larger trophy for auto racing.  It was engraved with name of event, date of event, and winner info.  The winged wheels are identical.  My thought is that because it is unengraved it may not have ever been awarded as a trophy?

From Mystery Foto #29 Partially Solved: A Homan Motor Vehicle Trophy Owned by Henry Austin Clark, Jr.

I repeat: “Was the garage a private storage and workshop entity or commercial?”  We, collectively, seem to know everything.  How ‘bout this one?  Sam, III

From Mystery Foto #31 Solved: The Grave's Garage on Searing Avenue in Mineola

This area must of been cleaned up and maintained by someone during that time. The area is considerably overgrown now and it is only 13 years later. If this area was left untouched since the 1930s it would be much worse.

I have reached out to the city. I am going to reach out to local Queens council members as well. If you have any other suggestions to get this done please reach out to me.

Side note, does anyone have pictures or information about the construction of the two bridges going over Francis Lewis Blvd and Bell Blvd that were added at a later time? Would be something cool to see.

Thank you,

From Update: Greg O's Discovery: Then & Now- The Hidden Section Of the Motor Parkway in Cunningham Park, Queens

Graves garage was a large structure!

From Mystery Foto #31 Solved: The Grave's Garage on Searing Avenue in Mineola

Great clear photos and descriptions with this post!  “Post”, a popular topic. (smile)

From Update: Greg O's Discovery: Then & Now- The Hidden Section Of the Motor Parkway in Cunningham Park, Queens

Great history of Graves’ garage, Al. The garage as a sanatorium in the ‘20s, on a dead-end street says it all. I was never a history fan until I visited this web site. Thanks to everyone for their contributions, bringing history alive once again.

From Mystery Foto #31 Solved: The Grave's Garage on Searing Avenue in Mineola

Art’s comment reminded me that when I lived in Mineola, I rode the nearby east-west LIMP segments on my bicycle and got numerous punctures from the broken glass (mostly beer bottles) that littered the RoW then!  Dave and Sam(my) - how’d you make out in that regard?  Sam (the Elder), III

From Update: Greg O's Discovery: Then & Now- The Hidden Section Of the Motor Parkway in Cunningham Park, Queens