By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Eugene Jepson "Jep" Cadou Jr., who covered the Indianapolis 500 as a writer/editor every year but one since 1947, died Oct. 21 in Indianapolis after suffering a heart attack 11 days earlier. He would have been 81 on Halloween.
Cadou, former sports editor of The Indianapolis Star, attended his first race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1927 when his mother and aunt took him to the track as a 4-year-old. The only Indianapolis 500 he missed in the ensuing 76 years was due to illness in 1964.
Cadou's late father worked for International News Service and was one of the country's foremost political writers over the first half of the 20th century. The younger Cadou, who was a high school classmate of famed author Kurt Vonnegut, also wrote politics as well as sports for The Star.
Cadou Jr. was graduated from Indiana University with honors in 1943. But on graduation day he was on Army KP duty at Camp Lee, Va. Later he was assigned to the OSS and spent two years on Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California.
The Star hired Cadou 10 days after he was mustered out of the service in 1946. His first writing assignment at the 500 came the next May.
Cadou was promoted to sports editor in 1953 and remained in that position until 1971 when he left The Star to become publicity director for the United States Auto Club.
During his time in the sports editor's position, he wrote a lead story and a column on the race. He penned six columns a week during the year. He was noted for his ability to write fast and accurately. Even at 80, he was an excellent proofreader.
Cadou didn't limit himself to auto racing coverage. He was in the press box at Cleveland when Willie Mays made his famous over-the-shoulder World Series catch. Cadou also covered Neil Armstrong's historic moonwalk in 1969.
After a three-year stint with USAC, Cadou became a feature writer for The Saturday Evening Post. Later he worked for Bill Hudnut's bid for mayor of Indianapolis in 1975. He moved on to the publicity department of the Indiana Loves professional tennis team and after that became the PR chief for both the Indianapolis Speedrome and Indianapolis Raceway Park. He returned to The Star as a political writer in the 1980s where he remained until his retirement in 1989.
Cadou worked the past 11 years as a greeter at the Wal-Mart in Westfield, Ind. He was voted one of the company's top five greeters several years ago.
During all of this time, he continued to cover the Indianapolis 500 and other races for National Speed Sport News. He attended all three major races at the Speedway the past season, sitting in the Turn 1 stands for the USGP.
"Favorite memory? The 1960 race, which I thought was the greatest of them all," Cadou said in a 2002 interview. "Rodger Ward and Jim Rathmann exchanged the lead countless times before Rathmann finally won.
"Another is Mario Andretti's lone victory in 1969. He had this race won about seven times, but something always happened to his car. He's one of my all-time favorites."
Cadou, who lived in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, was past president of the Indianapolis Press Club, American Automobile Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association and the Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers Club.
Survivors include: Daughter Ruth Ann Hofmann of Indianapolis; granddaughters Alexandra, 10, and Alanah, 8; and grandson Petey, 6. Ruth Ann and her husband, Tony, are longtime members of the Speedway's Media Staff during events.
Calling hours will be from 4-8 p.m. Oct. 26 at Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Home, 1305 Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46220-2083. The funeral will be 10 a.m. Oct. 27 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, 1375 S. Mickley Ave., Indianapolis, with burial in Indianapolis' Crown Hill Cemetery.
Donations should be made to the Indiana University Pediatric Cardiothorasic Research Center.
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