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RIP, Jim Nabors

kann

kann

One Leg Of Fury.
Joined
Apr 29, 2011
Messages
11,640
Location
Cádiz, España
I was fortunate to meet and talk to Jim Nabors on a few occasions at our museum. Heck, he even offered to let us use his airplane for our Maui Barnstorming trips! I knew him from my childhood as the man who sang "Back Home Again In Indiana" every Indianapolis 500, rather than much of his acting work over the many years, admittedly, but I got to know him briefly as a kind and generous person who was never in a hurry and always made time to sit and talk to everyone he met personally. He was a friend of Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor, and a friend to anyone he encountered along the way. Very sad news, indeed.
 
RIP Mr. Nabors. I always thought it rather funny the Marines got Gomer and the Navy got LCDR McHale.

Doc
 
I'm a bit younger than that and, as mentioned, I know him more from the Indianapolis 500 than his acting work. He was a contributor to the museum I work at and I feel fortunate that I was able to meet and converse with him on a few occasions. I don't believe for a moment that it was because of my charming nature (I kind of lopsidedly stand out in a crowd, and that's not easy to forget), but I'm told he asked about me/my program several times when he was there and I was not around, as well.
 
I met him once in passing at a charity function. Outside of the simpleton persona, he was much like Gomer Pyle. Easy going and a nice person all around.
 
I never met Jim, but also know him more from his appearances in the Indy 500 than anything else. Unfortunately, by the time I finally went to Indy last year, Jim had retired from his pre-race duties. Josh Kaufmann sang instead and belted out a great rendition.
 
Nihon_Ni said:
I never met Jim, but also know him more from his appearances in the Indy 500 than anything else. Unfortunately, by the time I finally went to Indy last year, Jim had retired from his pre-race duties. Josh Kaufmann sang instead and belted out a great rendition.
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The 100th running in 2016 was my first 500, but had to miss this year because my buddy couldn't make it. Straight No Chaser sang "Back Home Again" for that race, which I believe was the first permanently without Jim Nabors. Next year, my daughter graduates high school the night before the 500 and travel would be logistically impossible from here. Sooooo... it's looking like 2019 will be my next opportunity to go. Want to start making long-range plans? :P I'm probably going to go to the USGP next year, instead of Indy.
 
kann said:
Want to start making long-range plans? :p
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I've literally watched the 500 from all over the world and have only missed a few races in my lifetime, but never thought I wanted to see it in Speedway until we went last year after my wife bought us tickets for my birthday. We had great seats in turn 4, and Alexander Rossi stopped in front of us on his victory "lap" when he finally ran out of fuel and momentum. I'd have to think it over before committing to returning to the track. The 100th running was definitely a bucket list item, but as much as I love Indy, I'm not sure I'd go again.
 
Nihon_Ni said:
I've literally watched the 500 from all over the world and have only missed a few races in my lifetime, but never thought I wanted to see it in Speedway until we went last year after my wife bought us tickets for my birthday. We had great seats in turn 4, and Alexander Rossi stopped in front of us on his victory "lap" when he finally ran out of fuel and momentum. I'd have to think it over before committing to returning to the track. The 100th running was definitely a bucket list item, but as much as I love Indy, I'm not sure I'd go again.
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That's awesome. We were right in front of Sebastian Bourdais's pit box on the front straight, maybe 75 yards down from the flagstand. We were at the track from Thursday through Sunday. My buddy and I had been planning the trip for the 100th running for several years -- I was still in Arkansas at the time I can remember us beginning to talk about it, so it was maybe 2009-2010 at the latest. Like you, I've watched the 500 on TV from all around the world over the years. One of the ones that stands out was watching from a hotel room in Amman, Jordan when Marco Andretti almost won it in his first outing, only to be passed by Sam Hornish late on the last lap. One of the first ones that really remains in my memory was watching it with my grandmother (who is the one who actually got me into watching auto racing!) when Emerson Fittipaldi and Little Al battled down to the end before touching and sending Unser Jr's Valvoline car into the wall a few laps short of the finish. I know I saw many before that, but I think that is the race that really hooked me.

I'm looking forward to eventually getting back to the track for the race but, like you, the 100th was a definite bucket list item. The only thing missing was (to bring it all back to the thread :D) Jim Nabors.
 
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