And to Conclude...
Ancient Hixtory usually covers one thing, something that happened and ended long ago, and since has been nearly forgotten. Not this time. Michael Caruso's life has touched multiple worlds (e.g., racing, classic automobiles, museums), and he is far from forgotten. It's been a challenge for me to stitch things together into a narrative of this length; I hope that I have not omitted anything I should not have (but I probably did).
Sadly, we often must rely only on what a man did, and on what he left behind, to learn anything about him. Such remnants of a life rarely reveal what kind of person someone was. Thanks to Mike's family, however, in his case we also have a rich collection of old photographs, which I think tell us more.
Rose at West Barclay Street, 1937
carusomidgetracing.com
For example, knowing what I've learned writing this article, I look at the picture above, and in Rose I see a woman who is proud to be photographed with something her husband has made. Yes, he made it because of his passion for racing, but also so that he and Rose would know a happy and exciting life. I doubt that many other couples in Hicksville got to enjoy life as much as Rose and Mike. At times, racing while raising a family could not have been easy, but they made everything work, and they enjoyed the adventure.
Mike, fatherless from a young age, and too early forced by circumstance to work, married Rose, and with her started a loving family. Today, their grandchildren recall them with pride and affection. I believe those enduring feelings are evidence that Mike and Rose both were good, loving people. That sort of thing may not make for an interesting story, but it's as important as everything else I've written here.
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Many thanks go to Caruso cousins Mark Thomas (Hicksville High Class of 1975), who suggested I write this article, and Brian Caruso for their cooperation and help. At www.carusomidgetracing.com the Caruso Racing Museumwebsite, authored by Brian, has been extremely valuable to me, as has the museum's Facebook page.
A number of sources have been noted in the text and captions above; others include:
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National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum website at www.sprintcarhof.com |
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www.theengineblock.com/little-fierce-storied-history-midget-cars/ |
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Popular Science Monthly, May 1934 |
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https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hsx/2007/03/The-AWOL-Egg---1931-Bugatti-T-37/1424269.html |
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Wikipedia |
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What better way to close than with this delightful Caruso family photograph?
Ro, Fran, and Flo Caruso
carusomidgetracing.com
Ciao!
