Philadelphia Lawyer Tom Duffy Helps to Kick Off 2009 INDY 500
Attorney/Pilot Tom Duffy stands with "Marine's Dream" from his vintage World War II aircraft collection
(Indianapolis, IN) While Tom Duffy is typically used to having an audience of a dozen jurors in his work as founder and lead trial attorney at Philadelphia’s Duffy + Partners, this past Memorial Day weekend he found himself in front of one of the largest single-day sporting event crowds in the world when he took part in the opening ceremonies of the annual 500-mile auto racing event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana – the “Indy 500."
Duffy, an accomplished commercial pilot who owns a collection of vintage wartime planes, took part in a special ceremony to open the races, flying over the speedway in his vintage B-25 Mitchell Bomber “Take Off Time” alongside another privately-owned B-25 while Major Lisa Kopczynski of the Indiana National Guard sang the National Anthem to the thrilled crowd of spectators.
The flyover of the famous bombers was coordinated to highlight the work of Disabled American Veterans (DAV), a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wounded veterans with proper benefits and medical care.
Said Joie Chitwood, president and COO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway: "It is fitting that we honor our nation's wounded veterans with this extraordinary flyover. The sacrifices these brave men and women have made for their country make them true heroes."
Footage of the flyover can be found on YouTube