The Amazing Life of John Cooper Fitch, An American Hero
by Art Evans
John Fitch was an outstanding racer from the 1950s, but this 194-page soft-cover biography tracks his full 95 years. Age 22 when WWII broke out, he served as a pilot, flying combat missions in both bombers and fighters. In early 1942, he flew bombers over occupied Europe, and later his P-51 was shot down, landing him in a German prison camp.
After the war Fitch bought a used pontoon plane and opened a shuttle service in Florida. While there, he dated Kathleen Kennedy and befriended her brother John, the future president. He later moved to Long Island and took up sports car racing, competing in some of the earliest races at venues such as Watkins Glen and Sebring.
Fitch was the first Sports Car Club of America National Champion, and in 1951 won his class at Le Mans, before taking overall honors at Sebring in 1953. In 1955, driving for Mercedes-Benz, he won the Tourist Trophy and the production-car class at the Mille Miglia. In 1956 and ’57 he led the Corvette team to the Team Prize at Sebring.
His crowning and lasting achievement, however, was the invention and development of Fitch Inertial Barriers, the ubiquitous cushioning barrels placed at strategic locations on thruways and highways everywhere that have saved countless lives.
Available for US$29.95 from publisher Enthusiast Books by calling (800) 289-3504 or by visiting www.enthusiastbooks.com.
