Joan Newton Cuneo Sickman

Joan Newton Cuneo Sickman with her car.

What did the 1908 Glidden Tour for auto racing and 1930s Ontonagon have in common? Joan Newton Cuneo Sickman. Joan was born on July 22, 1876 in Holyoke Massachusetts. Her parents fostered her interest in racing from a young age by providing her opportunities to drive a stream train and a six-horse team. She did not start racing until 1902 when her husband, Andrew Cuneo, purchased her a car. Her first race took place in 1905 on the beach at Atlantic City where she came in second place. From here her racing career took off.

Following Joan Newton Cuneo's wins in the legendary Glidden Tour in 1908, women were banned from competing in American Automobile Association events. Cuneo later became a major figure in Ontonagon society and the wife of James F. Sickman, general manager of Ontonagon's paper mill.

 

Joan Newton Cuneo Sickman obituary from The Boston Globe March 26, 1934

After her divorce from Andrew Cuneo, Joan purchased a home in Ontonagon and the Meilleur cottage in nearby Green in 1925. She quickly became involved in the Upper Peninsula Development bureau, American Legion Auxiliary, Eastern Stars, Ontonagon Civil League, Boy and Girl Scouting, Women's Clubs, and made sure images of Ontonagon were included in the Chicago World's Fair in 1933-34.

Local newspaper reports of her many activities attest that Joan Sickman was much beloved in the community. However, when she died in Ontonagon in 1934 the commendation issued by the Upper Peninsula Development Bureau in her memory addressed her as Mrs. J. F. Sickman. Her obituary in The Boston Globe did reflect more directly on her career but did name her as Mrs James F. Sickman.