However, Don’s memories are probably different from most father/son flashbacks. He was just a small boy when his dad, George Yeakley, was racing in the 1950s. “I remember sitting up on the hill with my mom and my sister watching the boat races,” Don said, pointing to the high area west of the Beach House.
“There were no trees then.” According to the Herald & Review archives , one of George’s first wins was in 1945, before Don was born. George and his friend Allen Locke would compete in other races throughout Central Illinois, including Springfield and Jacksonville.
“My brother might have remembered that, because he was born in ‘41,” said Don, who was born in 1948. “He remembers a little bit more than I do.” Boat races were the only action to entertain the children.
Neither vendors nor family activities were available to keep their interests. “Not that I can remember,” Don said. By the time the Yeakley boys were old enough to show an interest in racing, their father had introduced them to go-karts.
“That was around 1957 or ’58,” Don said. “Dad said ‘Let’s start racing them’.” George, who owned George Marine Sales, 1227 E.
Wood St. Decatur, had a love for motors, according to his son. “He took on the Johnson dealership,” Don said about the boat motors his dad sold.
A few accidents would eventually slow George down. He passed away in 1964 after a heart attack, ending the Yeakley family’s racing future. “I wanted to, but I didn’.
