Hydro sponsor Milo Stoen dies
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Before the days of big money and major commercial sponsorship, Seattle's hydroplane-racing scene was dominated by people who simply loved the sport for its speed, thrills and competition. Milo Stoen was among them.
During the late 1950s and early '60s - a time regarded as hydroplane racing's heyday in Seattle - Mr. Stoen and his brother, Glen, co-owned a succession of boats that plied the unlimited circuit. Among them were the Miss Seattle, the Miss Seattle Too and the Miss Exide.
"He was one of the great owners in the golden age of the sport," said David Williams, executive director of Seattle's Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. "We didn't have the Seahawks or the Mariners. This little sport was it."
The Stoen brothers' boats weren't among the best-known nor the most decorated in the circuit, but the Miss Exide won a spate of races, including the Indiana Governor's Cup and the President's Cup. Mr. Stoen's son, Mike, well remembers the latter race, held in Washington, D.C., in 1963.
"(The trophy) was supposed to be awarded by (President) Kennedy, and then they put it off until December. But you know what happened in November," he said, referring to the president's assassination.
For Mr. Stoen and his brother, a partnership in hydroplane racing was a natural extension of their professional lives. The two were co-owners of Stoen Construction, which had a hand in building some of the region's biggest highway projects, including Interstates 5 and 90 and Highway 2.
Mr. Stoen died last Saturday (Jan. 6) from complications of heart and lung problems, his son said. He was 81.
Mr. Stoen was born and raised in the small town of Antelope, Mont. After graduating from high school, he moved around, driving a long-haul truck in the Chicago area and studying air-conditioning installation in Los Angeles.
"He was going to air-condition the whole state of Montana," his son said. "I think he sold one air conditioner."
He moved to Seattle in 1938 and went to work at a service station near Green Lake.
A young woman who lived nearby apparently took a liking to the Montana lad, so much so that she often drove her car to the station to have its tires inflated.
"She'd drive home, bleed the air off at home and come back the next day to see Dad," the younger Stoen said.
The two were married a short time later and were wed 51 years. Virginia Stoen died in 1993.
Mr. Stoen and his brother started Stoen Construction in 1945, and the company initially specialized in residential rock work. The company later expanded into heavy construction, working on road and highway projects throughout the Northwest and Alaska. The company also opened quarries in North Bend and Monroe.
Mr. Stoen served as president of the Pacific Northwest chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America and later became a lifetime director, said longtime friend Al Osberg.
From 1956 until 1965, the brothers owned or co-owned several hydroplanes. The increasing financial burden and the gnawing fear of losing a driver to a fatal crash prompted them to leave racing.
Youth baseball was another of Mr. Stoen's passions, and their construction company sponsored dozens of teams.
"They were just sports fans," Osberg said. "It was strictly a loser from the financial standpoint. They just loved the sport."
Mr. Stoen and Osberg were also instrumental in advising the late Washington Sen. Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson to successfully push for the Youth Conservation Corps Act, which took at-risk youth off the streets and put them to work.
"They thought, `Hey, let's get the kids off the streets.' That was important to Dad," his son said.
Mr. Stoen is also survived by son Daniel Stoen of Seattle; brother Glen J. Stoen of Seattle; close friend A.J. Sundt; and four grandchildren.
The family asks that memorials go to the donor's favorite charity.
A memorial service will be at noon today at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 8330 212th St., Edmonds. Burial will follow at Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park, 11111 Aurora Ave. N., Seattle.