He was a hero and a genius, a ballbuster and a bully. Lillian Aronow: (smiling) My husband is actually a veryshy man, you know. He started hosting Sunday afternoon brunches at the new home, sometimes for 50 or 60 people, with only Skip and Joanne Allen, of Southern Boating, and my wife and I as the token Christians. Don was the only person who gave me more than a platitude he gave me a job. If true, it was a curious place to hide out from them. Although he entered a no guilty plea to manslaughter in 1996, the real offender was Ben Kramer, the 1986 American Power Boat Association Offshore Championship winner. Around one-third of the regions murders were believed to be related to drugs. But he knew from Bertrams experience that the way to promote and build his company was by winning races. Speculation about who the killer might be ran from jilted lovers to jealous husbands to Meyer Lansky to the CIA. It reported Miamis Federal Reserve branch to have amassed a currency surplus of $5 billion, mostly in drug-generated $50 and $100 bills, or more than the nations 12 Federal Reserve banks combined. The associated crime could strike anyone. Whereas Don Aronow was more brash, assertive more resolutely a mans man. In the real-life offshore racing seasons, a majority of the contestants might well turn out to be drug runners say, George Morales, Sal Magluta and Willie Falcn, all convicted of cocaine trafficking. We could see all the gunshots., Allan Brown He was murdered right out in front of my office, halfway betweenSaccentis building and my building. Don Aronow with his wife Lillian and son Gavin. From being a huge success in the construction industry, he went on the being a legend as a powerboat designer and racer. There'd been a problem with the taxicab company his father owned in upstate New York. Brown: Shirley was his first wife. And I can tell you, the day he was murdered there were phone calls to the King of Jordan, the King of Spain, George Bush. Barely had he begun to win before he sold Formula to Thunderbird Boats. [2] David [7] Hes pointing out the door and there was Don in his car, the engine is screaming, hes slumped over the steering wheel. According to Dons Wikipedia page, he was slain on February 3, 1987, while driving towards his boat firms North Miami Beach headquarters at the end of 188th Street. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. During our conversation she revealed that she was a bit hesitant about being interviewed since she is not someone who is comfortable in the public eye but in the end we chatted about everything from her art, her stint in the antiques business to her childhood in Florida with her father, Don Aronow the boat racer and builder of the renowned The best I ever saw. You had to be able to match. "It was a pretty informal thing. A violent criminal named Bobby Young was fingered as the hitman, and his employeraccording to the courtswas Ben Kramer. His mother and father sounded very frightened in the front seat of the car as it sped homeward through the night. He was formidably competitive both on and off the water, brutally handsome and adroit at negotiating the line between the legal and the illicit at least until the very end. Lipschutz: The saying he had about [Cigarettes famed Mistress model] was every man should have a Mistress. And that certainly described him, too. Allan Brown Shirley was his first wife. Thus, the depiction of his life and death in film was handled in the 2009 documentary Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story and the 2018 film Speed Kills, which was directed by John Travolta. Saccenti: The real Don was sitting at a business table negotiating deals. And I was like, do I really want to move down there? Don Aronow with his wife Lillian and son Gavin. I cant imagine that though, he was pretty easy to find. Don Aronow has actually been married twice in his life. After divorcing his first wife, Shirley, with whom he had three children, Aronow married Lillian Crawford, a Wilhelmina fashion model and socialite. Check Death Reason HOw Old She Was? Also read:Queen Elizabeth II: Death And Obituary What Happened To Her? You had to be able to match. Despite being pursued, the murderers managed to escape by driving across the grass. I was a little hesitant to move to Miami, because my view of it was straight out of Miami Vice. [2] In 1947, he returned to the USA and completed his studies graduating from Brooklyn College in 1948 with a physical education degree[1] earning letters in football, wrestling, and track. They conveyed a warmth and a feeling of genuinely liking you. They just dont make em like Don Aronow anymore. "That's what winning is all about," Aronow grins nearly 20 years later. We could see all the gunshots. That was the cast of characters he was involved with. I never thought anybody would actually do that, but by God, they did., Michael Peters [George] Bushs reaction was that he wanted [Miami] Dade Homicide on it like it was the most important case on their books. [A tough, athletic, Jewish kid from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, by age 21 Aronow found himself married and about to start a career in his father-in-laws New Jersey construction company.]. The more problematic aspect was that Aronow additionally arranged to sell USA Racing Team, complete with the Blue Thunder contract, to Ben Kramer, who by now had drug smuggling convictions. Therefore, his annoyance with the motor mogul was the true impetus for his illegal plans. His face flushed with excitement, Don Aronow launches into another one of his stories. The persona of John Travolta After relocating to Miami, Ben develops swiftly as a racer, motor designer, and businessman. The Lincoln drove over the grass to get away. After years of delight, his prosperity is abruptly ended when he is discovered dead in his automobile. First published in the October 2022 issue of BOAT International. Don also rubbed quite a few people up the wrong way and one of them eventually shot Don dead in Miami in 1987. Given this unpromising start in life, the seven-ton, 11.9-metre Blue Thunder vessels acquitted themselves well. Guys wanted to be him. The guy would say, I want a 28. And Aronow would say, Oh no, were all sold out. And the guy would keep pushing, I wanted one all my life. And Don would say, We dont have any 28s, but Im building a 35 for myself and I could sell that to you. That was classic Aronow., Allan Brown Every boat he sold was built for himself. Hed bought a Formula and a Cigarette from him, describing Aronow as a joy to be around. "I'd never be married to a beautiful woman like Lillian if I hauled garbage for a living," Aronow adds. The University of Florida standout athlete Michael was the one who suffered serious injuries in a vehicle accident in 1970. Brown: Our friend Stu Jackson worked for Thunderbird and he received a gold Rolex when he retired. He came to my basketball games, my football games, he was always around.. If your browser is out of date, try updating it. Aronow's close friend at the time, Vice President George Bush, was a former Cigarette owner and was involved in testing out the 39-foot cats prior to government approval. Also read:Wally Tatomir: Death And Obituary What Is The Cause Of The Equipment Manager&Death? The murder may forever remain a mystery. It was testimony to the Theodolis diplomatic instincts that this would not become their fate. Peters: A guy would walk into his shop, all excited to meet [Aronow] and buy a boat. The year Aronow won his first world championship as an international powerboat driver, he says. Youre never gonna make a lot of money building boats, he was quoted as saying. A certain Ben Kramer, who came from a seemingly good home on the Intracoastal Waterway between Miami and Fort Lauderdale, started smoking pot at school and began selling it. In 1964 he started Donzi Marine; the Donzi brand became an international success and Aronow quickly sold the company to Teleflex Inc. in mid-1965. Those two managed to make you feel like you were the centre of their world. It was late and night during the depths of America's great Depression. A world-champion boat racer who enjoyed wild success in business, he was also an unapologetic playboy and fabled bon vivant. I didnt hear shots, with the air-conditioner and sewing machines going on, but somebody came and got me. Claudia is a New York-based artist. A world-champion boat racer who enjoyed wild success in business, he was also an unapologetic playboy and fabled bon vivant. "But she didn't want anything to do with me.". Don Aronow is also quite proud of his lovely wife Lillian. His first boat was made of wood and broke apart. On Tuesday, Smith, the retired detective, called Aronows widow, Lillian, to break the news. Then one time, Don left, and said Alright kid, Ill see ya, and he walked out the door. And then there's the matter of status by association. He thought he was going to semi-retire to Florida and skindive and fish but he got bored., Michael Peters Aronow looked the part. It cost Aronow a fortune to divorce his wife Shirley in 1979. And every new [Cigarette] that I do, I drive right by his house with it, just so he can see. They had three children: [1] Michael who was a star athlete at the University of Florida until he was severely injured in a car accident in 1970 and used a wheelchair after that. Aronow can still remember peering out at the countryside through his thick glasses, watching the tiny lights flickering from the small farm houses of rural New York and the hobo jungle campfires burning in the night. Don would compete with people his size, said Michael Peters. He did that a few times. Aronow: After he was working with the family for a few years he went off on his own and started building homes, then shopping centers, industrial parks, all over northern New Jersey. Included in the settlement was $1.25 million in cash, a million-dollar Miami waterfront home and a Rolls-Royce. From one of Italy';s best families.". Next thing I know an employee comes in and hes banging on my door. And he never would backpedal later or change things. You should have seen that pilot's face.". Being a multimillionaire and accomplished speedboat racing champion, he frequently ran afoul of the law and numerous drug lords in the water metropolis. The bosss wife would lean over my drafting table with her ample bosom and say, Remember, think sex.. The hobby evolved into a business and by the end of 1962, he had formed the Formula Marine boat company, which he then sold to Merrick Lewis' Alliance Machine Corp out of Dayton, Ohio. By the end of 1962, Don had founded the Formula Marine boat company as a specialized moto boat business, which he ultimately sold to Alliance Machine Corp. of Merrick Lewis. Read more:David A. Arnold: Death And Obituary How Did Famous Comedian, Actor-Writer &Producer Die? Peters: One of the first issues I had to deal with when he hired me [in the early 80s] was [notorious Haitian dictator] Baby Doc [who was a client]. The beginning of the film tells the tale of Don, who relocates to Miami in order to win every prize. Dream Symphony: Inside the 10-year build of the world's biggest sailing yacht. Donald Joel Aronow (March 3, 1927 February 3, 1987) was an American designer, builder and racer of the famous Magnum Marine, Cary, Cigarette, Donzi, and Formula speedboats. Claudia, his daughter, is an artist in New York. He says the Colombians did it. Separately, there were rumours that Aronow may have been assisting law enforcement, even becoming an informant or at least that, in early 1987, he was about to be subpoenaed to give evidence about the USA Racing Team transactions. WebThree weeks before he was murdered, Aronow had a pensive, reflective talk with his wife, Lillian, a former girlfriend of Jordan's King Hussein. However, this consciousness of guilt made for a weak states case. The official record shows that, via a tip-off, police identified a mercenary street criminal named Bobby Young as the man whod shot Aronow. Michael plays the role of Andrew in the movie Speed Kills. Whatever the truth of such rumours, the way South Floridas drug business metastasised from marijuana to cocaine smuggling, to vast profits and lawlessness, would sustain five seasons of Miami Vice. And every new [Cigarette] that I do, I drive right by his house with it just so he can see. His roles in Saturday Night Fever, Carrie, Urban Cowboy, Face/Off, Grease, and A Civil Action, among many others, make him a must-see 70s and 80s heartthrob. Some people bad-mouth him, Oh he did this, he robbed that, well thats shame on you. Magnum Marine was responsible for Donalds first World Championship victory in 1927. Nearly a decade later, two men pleaded no contest to charges related to Aronow's killing. If you are using a VPN, try disabling it. ESPN covers Dons career as a boat racer, discussing everything from his life in luxury to his death. Dick Bertram was the man to beat both in terms of boat design and the racing itself. And if you had money and you were a coward, hed take as much as possible. [On the afternoon of February 3, 1987, a man claiming to be Jerry Jacoby walked into Aronows Thunderboat Row office exhibiting strange behavior; inquiring about a 60-foot boat and alluding to a mysterious man that he worked forand who he would kill for if need be. A five-year non-compete agreement with Cigarette Racing, one of the companies hed sold, dated to 1982 and was about to expire. In 1948, he married Shirley Goldin, [1] [6] whom he had met while working as a lifeguard on Coney Island. Six foot three, real good looking, lots of swagger. In reality, Don had already amassed a million dollars before relocating to Miami with his family. To this day, he maintains his innocence. In 1966, he founded Magnum Marine and in 1967 proceeded to win his first World Championship driving two 27' Magnums, a single engine inboard and a triple engine Mercury-powered outboard. To this day, he maintains his innocence. Bobby Young was the person who did the killing, and he said that Ben Kramer hired him. The secret to happiness is taking risks. Don was the only person who gave me more than a platitudehe gave me a job, this was December of 86. You make a living doing that. Five days after his murder, The Washington Post reported that a Customs official described Aronow as co-operative when Aronow had been approached for information about one of his clients. It was a big building and obscured the Donzi plant you couldnt see [Donzi] from Highway 1 anymore! You gotta do your homework. Like most, it's a tale of conquest; Aronow versus the odds: It was back in 1967. There was fibreglass dust in the air and the pungent smell of resin and paint. In 1948, he married Shirley Goldin [1] [6] who he had met while working as a lifeguard on Coney Island. It was into this volatile, heady mix that vice president George HW Bush President Reagans lieutenant in the White Houses war on drugs unwittingly stepped. His wife appeared on the cover. WebIn 1964, Brownie worked for Don Aronow at Donzi Marine, the first real sport boat builder. He was a hero and a genius, a ballbuster and a bully. Don Aronow called his new boat the Formula. But Aronow may have possessed a darker side that even he could not outrun and in the end, he wound up as nothing more than a target for an assassins bullet. Further reading. Also, said Peters, the Coast Guard drivers were left drowned in the wake of the offshore racers and the cocaine runners, who just had a different mentality come race time.. To finance the development, he sold more civilised versions, with teak decks and sleeping quarters, to the general public. Brown: He was murdered right out in front of my office halfway between Saccentis building and my building. Since he was not supposed to be building boats in 1969, according to his non-compete clause following the sale of Magnum Marine, Aronow built the first Cigarette boat under the name Cary, with the help of Elton Cary's Miami Beach facility. I went over there and he had holes all over him. He hung out with kings, mobsters and the Beatles, and considered future president George HW Bush a close friend. Bush a close friend.]. Witnesses said a powder blue Lincoln pulled up next to Aronow's car from the opposite direction, and when Aronow rolled down its window the driver opened fire. Little could prepare him for the scene two hundred metres up the street. Seemingly he had everything to live for. He came to my basketball games, my football games, he was always around. The full breakdown of his net worth at the time of his passing is still unavailable to the general public. 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