Biography
Son of a pioneer American family of Swiss-English descent, he was born in Kingman, Arizona. Bonelli moved to Los Angeles in 1912, entered the University of Southern California and received his bachelor of arts degree in 1916. He served in the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army in 1918-19 and remained in the Reserve as a pilot until 1934.
Bonelli obtained his master of arts degree from Occidental College in 1923 and his law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1924; he was admitted to the California Bar in 1925.
He was a large promoter of the Southern California aircraft industry and the Santa Clarita Valley. He purchased Hoot Gibson's rodeo venue in 1937 in Saugus, California and ran rodeos until in 1939 a quarter-mile dirt track was built; it was renamed Bonelli Ranch Stadium. It hosted a myriad of events, showcasing the popular midget cars and hot rods (roadsters). Later, the track was expanded to one-third mile. In 1954, the surface was paved and the name changed to Saugus Speedway. The paved track brought on the transition to stock cars, which was the primary format through 1995, when the track was closed.
Bonelli had two sons, Robert, of Phoenix, Arizona, and William Jr. of Saugus, California. He died November 21, 1970, in Mexico.
Read more about this topic: William G. Bonelli
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