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Bill Corum Directing Derby No 5 Took Over on Death Of Colonel Winn WinnAim Aim Is to Make Race Big and Modern as Times and Still Retain Colorful Tradition TraditionCHURCHILL CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Kyf April 30 This is Bill Corums fifuh year as president of historic old Churchill Downs and with his presentation Satur ¬ day of his fifth Derby it may truthfully be said that Corum like the Derby is now a national institution institutionCorums Corums record since assuming the presi ¬ dency and active direction of the Derby following the death of the Derby builder the late Col Matt J Winn has been in the best standards of improvement of consoli ¬ dating gains made in the past of making the present alive and vital and of laying the groundwork for an even greater Derby in the future futureGranted Granted that Churchill Downs is as is all American racing on an upswing of na ¬ tional popularity the Corum achievements are still more than noteworthy for it might be stated that this growing national popu ¬ larity in turn is due in a large part to the progressive thinking of Bill Corum and many other executives of American tracks both big and small smallDuring During Corums tenure of office his thinking and policies have been diverse but in the main they can be outlined as making the Derby as great a horserace as a horserace can be looking out for the wel ¬ fare and best interests of the Derbys loyal public and also taking a keen interest in that man who makes the show possible the backstretcherEnriched backstretcher Enriched Traditions TraditionsAs As for the Derby itself we believo that Corum has not only kept alive all the old traditions but has enriched upon many of them and ever has created a few innova ¬ tions which already are becoming tradi ¬ tional in themselves There has teen no tendency to coast on past glory to think that the race hasnt a more glorious future than its wonderful past and for that rea ¬ son under the Corum leadership we feel certain the Derby will remain a race as modern as today but resting as few other stakes in America do upon a foundation in the past of colorful history which in turn has gone to form the rich tradition of the Derby as we know it itAs As for the public the record of physical improvement at Churchill Downs pretty much speaks for itself It is not within the scope of this story to outline them all but suffice to say that the improvements are important and that more will come witli each passing year yearCorum Corum gratefully acknowleges his debt to Col Winn Indeed his first official act when he assumed the presidency was to insure that the memory of Colonel Winn would not be faded by the passing of years by remodeling the old 21 club into the Matt J Winn room The fortunate visitor to the Winn room finds himself in an atmosphere of the Derby that was and within the decorous walls are to be seen on display the trophies and relics of the past with the dominating facet of the theContinued Continued on Page TwentyFive GOLD TROPHY that will go to the owner of the Derby winner I This Is Derby 5 For Bill Corum CorumAim Aim Is to Make Race Big and Modern as Times and Still Retain Colorful Tradition TraditionContinued Continued from Page Thirteen Thirteenroom room being a life sized oil of the colonel himself himselfA A personal Corum tradition also estab ¬ lished in his first year as president is each Derby morning to drive to a nearby me tery where he quietly places a wreath on the colonels grave graveAnd And as an example of a tradition that Corum himself created we might cite the julep cups which are encased under rlass in the Winn room The cups are an un ¬ broken series each cup being engraved with the name of the winner of the respective Derby and only the winner of the Derby and his honored guests may drink a toast from this priceless silverware silverwareAs As you might have imagined by now the names of Corum and Winn were closely linked over a period of many years As a sports writer it was part of Corums pleas ¬ ant tasks to cover the Derby and thus came about the close friendship between the two men Whether or not Col Winn ever made it known that he would like Corum to succeed him in the event of Whins death will perhaps never be known but it is a fact that upon the Colonels death the board of directors of Churchill realized that Corum was a man who knew the colonels positive thinking who was in sympathy with the goals and traditions of the Derby and it is known that Corum was elected president by unanimous vote The directors realized that Corum at once had the keen insight of a brilliant sports writer plus a deep understanding of what the public wanted Above all the Churchill leaders knew that Corum had vision It was a happy circumstance where the right man was available for the right job at the right moment in history historyCorums Corums main ambition is to make the Derby attractive to notables from every walk of life He feels that important people at the Derby add not only to the prestige of the Derby but also to racing as a whole But at the same time he realizes that the Derby is a race which belongs to the people peopleNewcomers Newcomers Each Year YearWhile While the Derbys hold on multitudes is legendary people coming back year after year we also realize that each running brings thousands of newcomers to the fes ¬ tive and gala occasion Hence it is fitting that once again following tradition we outline in brief the Corum career to re ¬ fresh the memories of old timers and to introduce Corum as a personality to the newcomer newcomerIn In his school days Corum excelled in his studies His sports love was baseball and his friends insist that had he so desired he might have carved out a career in the big leagues When the first world war came along he enlisted in the Army as a buck private rose steadily through the ranks and at the time of the armistice he held a commission as a major After the war he enrolled at the school of journalism Col ¬ umbia University and upon his graduation was hired by the New York Times TimesOn On the Times he gravitated to his na ¬ tural field sports writing at which he became a master Indeed his work was so brilliant that it came to the notice of Arthur Brisbane of Hearst Publications and Hearst upon the recommendation of Brisbane made Corum such a flattering offer that he could not refuse He has been a columnist for Hearst Publications ever since And as we said before it was during this period that the Derby came under his observation and comment and his connec ¬ tion with the big race was born bornDirects Directs Policy PolicyAs As to Corums post with the Downs he serves full time only for two months in the spring and he is not bogged down with details of management But he does direct the allover policy During other parts of the year he still writes his column columnHe He tours the plant daily talking to any ¬ one and everyone looking for suggestions as to what can be done to make the Derby an even better race and Churchill Downs a more commodious plant Nor does he neglect the backstretch and often of a morning bright and early he is taking his coffee and doughnuts in the stable area kitchen talking over whatever may come up with owners trainers grooms jockeys and exercise boys boysCorum Corum has covered or been present as president at every Derby since Zev and it was he who coined the term for the race Run for the Roses The slogan has lived and is now almost a trademark of Amer ¬ icas great threeyearold classic I
