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» K§llk " hm*m*m mm WILLIAM H. JOHNSTON— President of National Jockey Club, operators of Sportsmans Park. Sportsmans Park President Foresees Major Night Racing Johnston Says Arc Light * Sport Must Be Conducted To Meet Stern Competition SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., May 10. — "One of these days, and not in the too distant future, well probably be having night horse racing at this track. I dont expect to be one of the pioneers in this area, but it seems inevitable and I cant close my eyes to what seems a natural trend." William Harvey "Big Bill" Johnston, who made the observations, is in a position to conduc nocturnal thoroughbred sport, for he is president of the National Jockey Club, which operates this popular half-mile course, one of the most successful of its size in the United States. "We are members of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, you know," he continued, "and the organization has taken a stand against night racing. I am obligated to respect the organizations policies and intend to do so, but in this world of changing conditions, policies must be amended or abandoned at times to meet the demand of the public. As I view it, we may be forced to maintain our place in the sports world. "Dont get me wrong. At this minute the daytime sport is in a healthy condition. There seems to be little reason for alarm or any startling changes. But trotting is beginning to assume a magnitude that eventually may cause operators of thoroughbred tracks to look to bolster their interests. Saved Trots, Baseball, Dogs "As you know, the harness sport never was much until it was staged under the lights. Its volume of business is increasing every year under the new form. "It wasnt many years ago that the life of baseball was threatened because of poor attendance. The working man could not toil at his job and attend the sport at the same time. Night baseball provided the answer and today baseball is prospering more than ever. The minor leagues depend almost exclusively on night baseball. The same is true of greyhound racing. It was insignificant until they put up the lights. "Bill Kyne experimented with night racing at Portland Meadows and until he was flooded out last year it was a tremendous success. Now a track at Phoenix, Ariz., is preparing to offer night racing and this, too, undoubtedly will prove successful. "The trend eventually will move east and the first time a major mile track erects flood lights, there will be a scramble by others to follow in line." Thoroughly Schooled in Sport Johnston isnt a neophyte at studying crowd reactions. Hes been through the mill in all sorts of racing. Aside from being the active head of the local plant, he is a leading figure in greyhound racing, being president of tracks at Miami Beach, Jacksonville, Tampa and West Memphis, Ark. This tall, robust man of many titles worked himself up in long, slow promotions. When he entered the sports field he showed foresight enough to invest his earnings in race tracks of all sorts. Johnston, 47 years old, was born in Hamilton, Scotland, where his dad was a coal miner and operated a small confectionary store on the side. The ambition of his father was to bring his wife and brood of 10 children to the United States, but he died before realizing it. Mother Johnston carried out senior Johnstons wishes and in 1910 arrived in Chicago, where young Bill attended school and later worked in the Corn Exchange National Bank as a messenger boy. After routine promotions at the bank until he became a teller, he embarked on a business career of his own, organizing the East Side Realty Company. When race-ing returned to Chicago on a "trial" basis in 1926, Johnston became interested in horses. His father had owned and raced a horse or two in Scotland, so Bill inherited a love for all horses. After racing was legalized in Illinois, he became associated with the local Sportsmans Park track in 1931, the year of its inauguration, and he has served in some official capacity since. He began as an auditor and his steps toward his swank office at the top of the clubhouse included working in the pari-mutuel department, serving as publicity director and general manager. Upon the death of his friend, Charles W. Bidwill, he was made president of the track. His brother, John R. Johnston, is vice-president. Another contribution to racing made by Bill was his pioneering of the finish camera. "We were not the first to come out with it commercially," he says, "but we experimented with photo-finishes long before cameras were installed at all recognized tracks. "It all started at a dog track in Florida. One of our men tried taking finish line pictures of the races and they turned out pretty good, often indicating that the judges had made mistakes. I suggested that he get a high-speed movie camera at my expense, and this developed into the present practice of photographing finishes at race tracks all over the country."
