Some 75 years ago, Lemont farm boy Rudy Kling set his eyes to the sky.

In doing so, he would make himself known nationally while becoming a hero locally here in Lemont.

As a speed pilot in the 1930s, Kling’s races were said to be broadcast over loud speakers in Lemont, and his presence in town is still felt today with a mural along Front Street in downtown Lemont.

Dec. 3 marked the 75th anniversary of Kling’s death. He died doing what he loved — racing planes.

Kling was born in 1908 and grew up in the outskirts of Lemont on old Route 66. He and his family lived on a farm and owned and operated a gas station, which Kling continued to run into adulthood, according to Lemont Historical Society volunteer Susan Donahue.

Donahue said Kling always had dreams of flying his own airplane and achieving speed records even while operating the gas station.

“I was told by his family he liked anything to do with speed,” Donahue said. “He was fascinated by the whole idea of it.”

Eventually, Art Chester, an aviator and Downers Grove native, was the first to teach Kling how to fly. In return for buying one of Chester’s planes, Kling wanted flying lessons from Chester.

His national recognition would come on Labor Day in 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio.

That day, Kling took home the Thompson Trophy, the Greve Trophy and the Henderson Merit Award for earning first place in the National Air Races. After reaching 256.9 miles per hour that day, he took home $9,000.

The performance earned him the nickname “The Speed King.”

And even during his entrance into national fame, Kling never forgot where he came from, Donahue said.

“Whenever he would go to different races around the country, reporters would always say he was from Chicago and he would say ‘No, I am from Lemont, Ill.’,” Donahue said. “He remained true to his roots.”

According to an article in the Sept. 9, 1937 edition of the Lemonter newspaper, “Kling has always been Lemont’s own; has never denied his home here and is proud that Lemont has at last realized his daring intrepidity and his sterling ability as he won practically everything in the National Air Races.”

Donahue said Kling’s national praise of his hometown really helped “put Lemont on the map” in the 1930s.

“It brought positive publicity to Lemont,” Donahue said. “In 1937 we were just getting out of the Depression and people were looking for something to hold on to.”

Upon his arrival home from the Cleveland races in 1937, Lemont townspeople gathered downtown to hold a “monster parade” in Kling’s honor. He was also given the key to the city for his achievements.

“I think it had a lot to do with the fact that he stayed humble,” Donahue said. “He didn’t allow himself to succumb to the money.”

A few months later, however, Kling died doing what he loved most.

On Dec. 3, 1937, during air races in Miami, Kling’s plane crashed, killing him on his 29th birthday. He left behind a wife, Theresa, and a 10-year-old son, Robert. He died on his 29th birthday.

The crash was said to be the cause of another pilot’s error — a place clipped the wing of Kling’s plane before the crash, according to Donahue.

Kling is buried in St. Matthew’s Lutheran Cemetery in Lemont. A plane is engraved on his tombstone.

The mural commemorating Kling and his accomplishments continues to grace a brick wall on the All-Service Garage building in downtown Lemont.

Mona Parry and Robert Moriarty, members of the Lemont Art and Culture Commission, were the lead artists for the project.

More than 100 volunteers that came to help paint the mural, according to Parry.

The mural includes scenes from Kling’s early days at the gas station as well as the welcome-homeparade held in Lemont upon his return from the Cleveland races, a snapshot of he and his wife holding trophies at the Cleveland race, his plane, and a rendering of his wife comforting their son after Kling’s death.

“It was a romantic story, I think, for Lemont,” Parry said. “The mural is absolutely a hidden gem because a lot of folks don’t know its here.”