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in 1996. Kramer had a business dispute with Aronow after buying Aronow's USA Racing Team, but was forced to sell it back after the
Customs Service refused to do business with him. Kramer was already in prison on a life sentence with no possibility of parole following 1988 and 1989 convictions for
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On
February 3, 1987, Aronow was murdered in his car at the end of 188th Street in North Miami Beach, where his boat companies operated. Aronow had just come out of a meeting. Witnesses said a blue Lincoln pulled up next to Aronow's car. When Aronow rolled down his window, the Lincoln's driver shot
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In 1948, Aronow married
Shirley Goldin, whom he had met while working as a lifeguard on Coney Island. They had three children: Michael, David, and Claudia. Aronow and Goldin were divorced in 1979. Aronow's second wife was Lillian Crawford. He and Crawford had two sons, Gavin and Wylie.
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After finishing school, Aronow was briefly a physical education teacher before working for his father-in-law's construction business. In 1953, he established a construction company, the Aronow
Corporation. Following the success of his construction company, Aronow moved to
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immigrants Herman and Ruth Aronow. He had two older sisters, Sylvia and
Lillian. Aronow graduated as a top athlete from James Madison High School in 1944, worked as a life guard at
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following the sale of Magnum Marine, Aronow was not permitted to build boats for several years. Despite this, in 1969 Aronow built the first
Cigarette boat under the name
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boat company. He sold
Formula Marine to Alliance Machine in Ohio. In 1964, he started Donzi Marine, which he sold to Teleflex Inc. in mid-1965. In 1966, he founded
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facility. In 1969, Aronow won his second World
Championship and third consecutive United States Championship. He was the second American to win the
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drug smuggling and gun charges, as well as receiving a 1990 conviction for a failed escape attempt by helicopter from a federal prison near Miami.
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593:"Master Of Those Mad Racers - Don Aronow hurts a little, but as the world's top ocean powerboat driver and builder he is never bored"
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Having sold
Cigarette in 1982, Aronow formed USA Racing Team and built the Blue Thunders, 39-foot catamarans used by the
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in 1948 with a physical education degree, earning letters in football, wrestling, and track.
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Blue
Thunder: How the Mafia Owned and Finally Murdered Cigarette Boat King Donald Aronow
494:"Don Aronow's Murder Leaves Miami Wondering: Were 'Cigarettes' Hazardous to His Health?"
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251:(March 3, 1927 – February 3, 1987) was an American designer, builder, and racer of
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Aronow's hobby evolved into a business, and by the end of 1962, he had formed the
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In addition to his championships, Aronow's boats won over 350 offshore races.
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463:"How a Kid From Brooklyn Put Go-Fast Boats On The Map" By Capt Ken Kreisler
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to patrol U.S. waters for illegal offshore activities, especially
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The story was also the basis for the 2009 documentary film
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In 1995, Bobby Young admitted to the shooting and pleaded
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Historic Offshore Race Boat Association - Donald Aronow
545:"Helicopter Crash Foils Drug Smuggler's Prison Escape"
377:. Aronow's close friend at the time, Vice President
666:, Matt Meltzer, Miami Beach 411, September 18, 2007
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
571:. American Power Boat Association. Archived from
336:in 1959, where he began racing boats as a hobby.
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517:"Kramer's Conviction Upheld in Aronow Murder"
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664:"The Murder of Speedboat Builder Don Aronow"
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569:"1986-1990 APBA Hall of Champions Inductees"
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612:: "Paid Notice: Deaths KAYES, CECILY ELMES"
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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628:Don Aronow: The King of Thunderboat Row
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315:and worked overseas until the end of
676:"30 for 30 Shorts: Collision Course"
670:"Rock around the States: Don Aronow"
645:Samuels, David (December 18, 2006).
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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418:Thunder Man: The Don Aronow Story
364:Union Internationale Motonautique
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678:Documentary on Aronow's Murder
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371:United States Customs Service
313:United States Merchant Marine
717:Deaths by firearm in Florida
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543:Barry Bearak (1989-04-18).
515:David Ovalle (2010-12-08).
16:American speedboat designer
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311:. In 1945, he joined the
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468:January 6, 2014, at the
287:Early life and education
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291:Aronow was born in the
712:Murdered American Jews
702:American boat builders
595:, Jerry Kirshenbaum,
426:with John Travolta.
402:second degree murder
221: 1948;
43:improve this article
659:on January 4, 2007.
420:and the 2018 movie
180:Cause of death
597:Sports Illustrated
358:, in Elton Cary's
352:non-compete clause
307:, and enrolled at
249:Donald Joel Aronow
672:by Antonio Soccol
599:November 17, 1969
549:Los Angeles Times
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473:Power & Motor
281:Lyndon B. Johnson
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162:(1987-02-03)
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99:January 2014
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41:Please help
36:verification
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697:1987 deaths
692:1927 births
652:Men's Vogue
423:Speed Kills
360:Miami Beach
686:Categories
579:2014-05-28
554:2014-05-28
526:2014-05-28
439:References
398:no contest
137:1927-03-03
69:newspapers
475:July 2000
350:Due to a
255:, Donzi,
466:Archived
297:Brooklyn
239:Children
149:New York
145:Brooklyn
253:Formula
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83:scholar
498:People
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90:JSTOR
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