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Kohout Elected to Head Central HBPA Division Illinois State Legislator Beats Thompson by Vote of 259 to 1 85 WASHINGTON. PARK, Homewood, 111., June 13. — Joseph Kohout, thoroughbred owner from Cicero, 111., was elected vice-president of the central division of the Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association following spirited elections held yesterday in the secretarys offices of Washington Park, Ak-Sar-Ben and Fair-mount Park. Kahout received 259 votes for the vice-presidency. His opponent, Lawrence H. Thompson, was the recipient of 185 of the total number of ballots. Kohout, who, in addition to his equine interests, also is an Illinois State Senator, gathered 105 of the 207 ballots cast at Washington Park, but his overwhelming majority was made possible by the 151 members of- the organization who voted for him at Fairmount. Thompson received only 10 votes at the Collinsville track. In contrast, Thompson gained favor with 73 of the 76 members who cast ballots at Omaha. Senator Kohout succeeds William Hal Bishop as vice-president of the organization and will serve for the usual one year tenure. Kohout was the one man most instrumental in the induction of night racing at Fairmount Park, and his liberal acceptance by the Collinsville horsemen in their voting would seem to express gratitude for the opportunity of campaigning their respective units at that track. Harold C. Hoffman* secretary and treas- «. urer of the HBPA, supervised the counting of the ballots and announced that the 458 votes recorded for both the vice-presidency and the 10-man committee was the highest number ever compiled. Retiring vice-president Bishop was named to the committee, along with Thompson, Paul Kelley, Clyde, Troutt, Harold O. Simmons, E. E. Major, Jr., Bennett Creech, William A. Mikel, John Og-lesby and John F. Beck.
