The longtime and respected racing reporter, authoritative historian, and lifetime enthusiast Tom Schultz died a week ago in the Dominican Republic, and the family is simply trying to bring him home.

Tom was the “official historian” of and for Road America, publishing a book of the track at the turn of the century, and a second biographical recounting of the career of driver Augie Pabst. He also spent almost every annual vacation working at the SCCA Runoffs to cover the events for Sports Car magazine, a work of strictly passion over profit.

A GoFundMe was in the process of being set up by his daughter Kris to cover $15,000 in medical bills accrued before returning to the US for treatment, his wife Jean there with him, but tragically Tom passed before the account posted.

The GoFundMe is now a recovery effort to cover the medical bills before the Dominican Republic will release Tom’s trip home — plus $50,000 for a scheduled medical transport that was apparently too late to cancel. While Tom was not a man without means, how many of us could cover such expenses under these terms?

It is unclear whether that transport will be used at all, but regardless, payment is being demanded.

This would be an unbearable situation for any of us. Please donate if you’re able.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/tom-schul...f+share-flow-1


Personal Note:
A then-fellow Milwaukee Region SCCA member, I received a letter from Tom after I published a magazine about the 1975 Runoffs, stating he wanted to cover SCCA races in future issues. I already had a writer signed on, so reluctantly declined his offer as his enthusiasm was clear and contagious, but regardless, at 15 I decided to move on to other pursuits.

I next ran across Tom eight years later when we both reported for On Track, and then read him when he covered the Runoffs. It was wonderful to see he’d pursued his passion, and his Runoffs reports were a gift to SCCA members for decades.

Some twenty years on, I was referred to Tom when he and Jerry Entin started a forum feature on a mutual Hero, asking for photos to support it. That call has had me active on that forum since, where he was an incredible fountain of history and ensuring that history stayed true. Another gift to racing.

In the last two years, I bought some images from Tom of our lost friend Eddie Miller, and of a friend’s newly-acquired Anson Super Vee we’ve tried to document. Tom was most gracious in all aspects of the process, and I raised his fee in knowing he was undercutting himself to support racing.

I wonder just how many times Tom has done that, for how many, and hope racers can now help in support of Tom’s efforts over 50 years.

RIP Buddy, and know your passions and your work were as well-placed as they were respected.