Veeneman, Hugenberg at Top Of Downs Operational Staff: Former Is Board Chairman And Latter Administrator, On the Job Full Time, Daily Racing Form, 1955-05-07

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WILLIAM H. VEENEMAN ilrlltikd off fop Of Downs Operational Staff Former Is Board Chairman And Latter Administrator, On the. Job Full Time CHURCHILL DOWNS, IiOuisyille, Ky.. May 6. — More than 10,000 people work in unison to make the Kentucky Derby the great spectacle it is. The fact that the usually "more than 100,000" who witness the Derby each year have such a wonderful time is due in great part to the key men who have the operation of the days events, down to a science. They are the ones who provide the. guttering setting for the Derby, which is as much a part of the day as the race itself. The running of the Derby is the responsibility of Bill Corum, but other executives of Churchill Downs play important roles. At the top of the pyramid of authority are the chairman of the board, William H. Veeneman, and executive vice-president Stanley Hugenberg. Retired Businessman Veeneman, a retired business man and a citizen of Louisville, gives a major portion of his time to racing. He breeds a few horses; races a lew and goes to the races a great deal, but devotes the whole year to problems concerning Churchill Downs. As a rule,** he makes suggestions only, and, if a moot point arises, he discusses it at length with Hugenberg and the department head concerned before ay decision is reached. Veeneman not only is the titular head of Churchill Downs, but in the final analysis the actual head as well. Hugenberg is the administrator. He is on the job full time, the year round. He makes countless on-the-spot decisions as problems arise, integrates Churchill Downs into the community and state as an asset of which both are proud, keeps a liason between track and horsemen, and, in general, runs the front side operation. He is a modest man and shuns the limelight, but his is the "voice of experience." He helps resolve the traffic jam on Derby Day morning and all major problems. The whole vast Churchill service organization functions smoothly under his direction.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1955050701/drf1955050701_22_2
Local Identifier: drf1955050701_22_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800