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Lyn St. James Papers

Papers, memorabilia, and video recordings documenting the life and career of race car driver, mentor and motivational speaker Lyn St. James. These records include coverage of her participation in the Indianapolis 500, world speed record racing, endurance racing, and the advancement of women in sport.
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Archival Collection Overview

Historical Note

Born Evelyn Cornwall, March 13, 1947, in Willoughby, Ohio, Lyn St. James graduated from the Andrews School for Girls and the St. Louis Institute of Music and headed down a traditional path for young women of the 1960s: becoming a secretary and piano teacher. In 1973, however, Lyn St. James decided to pursue a lifelong passion for cars and speed and began racing at regional amateur sports car events in Florida. In 1976 and 1977, she was the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Florida Regional Ch...

Scope and Content Note

The Lyn St. James papers contain a variety of material documenting Lyn’s multi-faceted careers as a professional racing driver, public speaker and advocate for women’s sports and women in racing. Material includes significant amounts of newspaper and magazine clippings highlighting her career as a racecar driver, spokesperson and advocate for driver education and training. Of special interest is Lyn’s work as a mentor for young women entering professional racing as well as an advocate for wom...

Collection Details

Object ID

2011.264.0

Inclusive Dates

1980-2010

Size

96.71 cubic ft. (144 boxes, 6 oversize folders, 1 oversize roll, and approximately 400 video recordings)

Language

English

Item Location

Not on exhibit to the public.

Access Restrictions

The papers are open for research, with the exception of the following: - All material listed in the 2016 Addendum, boxes 132-142, which has been restricted due to the amount of personally identifiable information (PII) contained in the files - All material in boxes 143-144, which have been restricted due to conservation issues. Researchers interested in any restricted material should contact Research Center staff in advance by email at research.center@thehenryford.org.

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford. Gift of Lyn St. James.

Digitized Artifacts From This Collection