Cheryl Linn Glass

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Cheryl Glass
Indy Lights career
Debut season1990
Current teamGlass Racing
Car numberNo. 18
Starts3
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish22nd in 1990

Cheryl Linn Glass (December 24, 1961 – July 15, 1997) was an American professional racing driver. She was the first black female professional race car driver in the United States.[1]

Biography

Glass was born on December 24, 1961, in Mountain View, California, the first of two daughters born to Marvin and Shirley Glass. She moved with her family to Seattle in 1963. Her father was a vice president of Pacific Northwest Bell and her mother was an engineer for Boeing. She attended Nathan Hale High School, graduating with honors at 16, and studied electrical engineering at Seattle University.[2]

At the age of 9 she started her own business, making high-end ceramic dolls and selling them to local businesses such as

half-midgets.[3]

At 18 she dropped out of college, bought her first sprint car, and began racing at Skagit Speedway in Mount Vernon, Washington, where she was the first woman sprint car driver. That year the Northwest Sprint Car Association named her Rookie of the Year. After winning the season championship race at Skagit Speedway, she went on to compete in more than 100 professional races, making her the first African American female professional race car driver. She was nicknamed "The Lady." Her dream was to race in the Indianapolis 500 and eventually become a Formula One driver. Her career was cut short, however, either due to injuries, as reported by the LA Times,[4] or lack of funds.[2] Her last race, at the Phoenix International Raceway in April 1991, ended in a crash.[5]

In February 1983 she married Richard Lindwall, designing her own silk and lace gown for the ceremony. Soon afterwards she opened a custom design studio, Cheryl Glass Designs, where she worked for 12 years designing wedding and formal evening wear. She also gave speeches to groups of students and political action groups;[2] for example, she spoke to 1,500 junior high school students in Washington D.C. in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation's drunk driving and drug abuse prevention program.[6]

In 1991, she survived a rape that occurred in her home during a burglary. The intruders also defaced her wall with a hate symbol. Authorities dismissed her rape report, claiming there was not enough evidence to bring charges. On July 15, 1997, she committed suicide by jumping from the Aurora Bridge in Washington.[2]

Honors and awards

  • Candace Award for Trailblazing from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, 1987[7]
  • Wendell Scott Greased Lightning Award from the Wendell Scott Foundation[6]
  • Named one of America's Top 100 Black Business and Professional Women by Dollars and Sense magazine[6]
  • One of five African Americans featured in an hour-long
    TBS special, The Achievers, during Black History Month, 1988[6]

References

  1. ^ "HONORING 7 WHO 'DO AND DO'". The New York Times. June 19, 1987.
  2. ^ a b c d "Cheryl Linn Glass; She Accomplished Much In A Short Life". The Seattle Times. July 23, 1997.
  3. ^ Robinson, Louie (January 1980). "Racing Against the Odds: Amateur racer Cheryl Glass begins long drive to Indy 500". Ebony.
  4. ^ "The Hall Welcomes a Black Pioneer". The Los Angeles Times. August 1, 2003.
  5. ^ "1991-02". Racing Reference Info.
  6. ^ a b c d "Obituary" (PDF). Cheryl Glass.
  7. ^ "CANDACE AWARD RECIPIENTS 1982–1990, Page 1". National Coalition of 100 Black Women. Archived from the original on March 14, 2003.

External links