view raw text
Dwight Murphy Resfgffif " From California BtfdYd Chairman States He Must~Devote_ More Time to Personal AtfafrT* SACRAMENTO, Calif., May TM resignation of chairman Dwight Murphyof Santa Barbara as a member of ftfe*€ftE* fornia Horse Racing Board was accepted "with regret" today by Gov. Earl Warren? i "I find it necessary for me to devote more time to my personal affairs," said Murphy in submitting his resignation. Governor Warren, in New York City en route to London, told his office he would discuss the effective day of the resignation with Murphy when he returned. Warren said Murphy has been "an extremely valuable member" of the board since his appointment in 1943. "I regret that he has found it necessary to resign," Warren added. Murphy has served as chairman of the board since 1951. Murphy succeeded Loyd Wright as chairman of the racing board. He was next in line for the presidency of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners and he already has secured his ticket reservation for Boston, where the annual con- Continued on Page Forty -Six Dwight Murphy Resigns From California Board Chairman States He Must Devote More Time to Personal Affairs Continued from Page One clave of that association is to be held June 7-11. Murphy has been a resident of Santa Barbara for a number of years and is prominently identified with state-wide civic affairs and business. He began ranching in 1926 and is the present owner of the historic San Marcos Ranch, located in Santa Ynez Valley some 25 miles north of Santa Barbara. On the ranch, which has been considerably reduced by sub-division from its original 48,000 acres, Murphy breeds Palomino horses and registered Hereford cattle, which have won wide acclaim. He has always been a devotee of the horse and has ridden extensively. For the past several years he has served as president of the Santa Barbara horse show and for many years has had entries in the stock horse class of Pacific Coast horse shows. He is also widely known as a philanthropist. During his tenure of office Murphy was confronted with more difficult problems than any of his predecessors. He was mainly respoisible for the 4-3-2 formula which based the stakes and purse payments on a percentage of the pari-mutuel handle and which resulted in a gain of several hundred thousands of dollars for the horsemen. This formula was put into effect in 1949 after some years of a declining wagering. Recently Murphy has advocated a change in the formula to 4-3-2.7. A hearing on this matter was scheduled to come up some days back but was postponed. Murphy was indefatiguable in attempting to settle differences between the Horsemens Benevolent and Protective Association and HollywoodPark over the question of purses, a situation which wasnt settled until the opening of the current meeting at Inglewood had been delayed four days.
