Research center taps Weidemann new director

WATKINS GLEN--The International Motor Racing Research Center (IMRRC) has named Thomas Weidemann as its new executive director.
Weidemann recently completed more than 32 years as executive director of the Clemens Center in Elmira. He was appointed to his new position at the Jan. 28 meeting of the Racing Research Center's Governing Council in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Weidemann assumes leadership of the Racing Research Center from J.C. Argetsinger, who retired as president at the end of 2015. Argetsinger was center president for eight years, but had been involved with the center since before its 1999 opening.
"Our search committee conducted an exhaustive nationwide search for the right person to guide us into the future," said Larry Kessler of Rochester, council member and chairman of the search committee. "We are delighted that Tom, who is well-known in upstate New York for his stewardship of the Clemens Center for 30 years, has agreed to take us to the next level."
Weidemann shepherded the evolution of Elmira's performing arts center into an acclaimed state-of-the-art, regional facility, including three major expansions.
The Racing Research Center is an archival and research library located in Watkins Glen, home of the first post-World War II road race in the United States and the site of Watkins Glen International, one of the most famed road courses in the world.
"It is with a great deal of excitement that I join the wonderful staff, volunteers and Council members in promoting the success of the IMRRC," Weidemann said. "I look forward to learning a great deal and contributing my energy and skills to furthering the goals of the center in its mission to preserve and share the materials of the history of motorsports, all series and all venues worldwide. My deep appreciation goes to the search committee and the governing council for the confidence they have placed in me in honoring me with this appointment."
Weidemann is a recognized leader in many national arts organizations, including the League of Historic American Theatres, for which he served as treasurer for many years. In 2002, he was the first recipient of the North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents Award for Excellence in Presenting the Performing Arts. Last year, he was honored with the inaugural Lifetime Service Award of The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.
A resident of Montour Falls, Weidemann is heavily involved in his community, including Rotary International activities on national, regional and local levels. He is a member of the Montour Falls village planning board and active in the First Presbyterian Church of Watkins Glen.