Calling hours and a memorial service celebrating the life of longtime motorsports public relations representative and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Staff member Lynda Havens are scheduled for Tuesday evening, July 10 at Brickyard Crossing Pavilion at IMS. Havens, a lifelong resident of Indianapolis, died suddenly at home July 3. She was 60. Havens worked in professional motorsports public relations for race teams, sanctioning bodies and racetracks for more than 30 years, primarily in open-wheel and sports-car racing. Butler University graduate Havens was a member of the IMS Media Staff during events at the Speedway for more than 20 years. She was instrumental in creating the Indianapolis 500 News Bureau, which distributed daily driver updates and features to global media throughout the Month of May, in 1998. She continued to work as the lead editor of the News Bureau through this May. Havens also volunteered at the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska in a variety of roles, including news reporting, Internet chat room moderation and sled-dog handling at the starting line in Anchorage. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Gary; brother, Eric Sharpnack; sister, Dianne Stephenson; stepfather, Robert Johnson; and several nieces and nephews. More info at flannerbuchanan.com.(IMS)(7-9-2012)
