Steve Meehan (ECE’71, MS IUPUI’85) never had a grand scheme to build upon his family’s legacy, but he has done so just the same.
Rooted in a love of Purdue and a passion for the Indianapolis 500—both inherited from his parents, who graduated from the university—Steve has quietly turned simple family traditions into something more: a twin-engined Boilermaker dynasty of sorts. Today, he serves as the humble patriarch—and a chief party host—for a family whose ties to Purdue and the race now span four generations.
“Purdue and the race have both been important to me most of my life, and I imagine our kids and grandkids might say the same thing—that’s pretty amazing when you think about it,” says Steve, who also has a brother, three sons, two grandchildren, and other relatives who attended or currently attend Purdue.
“You can probably find 25,000 people with the same kind of connections to the race and 10,000 with the same kind of connections to Purdue, so everyone has their own story—we’re not unique,” Steve says. “But tradition is important to our family, and I’m very proud to be a Purdue graduate. The university is easy to love, and so is the race, and I think it’s just natural that our kids see that and follow the same path. I know my parents would be proud, too.”
Steve’s parents, Walter (ECE’50) and Dorothy (S’47) Meehan, began attending the Indy 500 in 1960. Steve’s first chance came in 1962, when he was 13 years old, and he has been to the race 61 times in all.
Born near Purdue in Lafayette, Indiana, Steve has lived and worked in the fuel and energy sector in the Indianapolis area for much of his career. He currently serves as president of Meehan Fuel and Energy Solutions in Fishers, Indiana, which he founded in 2013.
Steve, his wife, Becky, and their entire family also live in Fishers, which is conveniently located just 20 miles from Indianapolis Motor Speedway—and the ties only grow stronger from there. Steve’s brother, Mike (M’78), and all of Steve and Becky’s sons—John (LA’96), Kyle (ME’98), and Phil—have become devoted race fans, with each of them attending at least 40 times.
The Meehan family’s full-throttle enthusiasm for the race extends beyond the track, where they have established yet another tradition. Each year, Steve and Becky host a prerace party that has grown in size and reputation over the decades. Becky, who grew up near IMS and has always embraced the Indy 500 spirit, began leading the festivities when the couple moved to Speedway in 1977.
“We used to host breakfast at our house and walk to the race when we lived in Speedway, but we relocated the event to the track itself after we moved to Fishers,” Becky says. “It started with about 20 people, mostly family, friends, and colleagues from work, but now we host nearly 100 people that stop by. And Steve always likes inviting someone who has never been to the race because he enjoys immersing someone new into the whole Indy 500 experience.”
Two of Steve and Becky’s grandchildren, cousins Nick and Maddie Meehan, are the latest members of the family dynasty at Purdue, where Nick is a senior and Maddie is a freshman. Both are fans of the Indy 500, and it is perhaps destiny fulfilled that Nick has also become a three-time driver in the Purdue Grand Prix.
“Our whole family was there to cheer for Nick as he raced in this year’s Grand Prix, and we love watching Maddie perform with Higher Ground Dance Company at Loeb Playhouse,” Steve says. “We’ve always been involved with Purdue functions—Purdue Musical Organizations events, Grandparents University, football and basketball games, concerts at Elliott Hall of Music, you name it—and it was so enjoyable to add these to our list. It’s wonderful that Purdue offers such special experiences.”
—Aaron Martin
