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JOE HIRSCH — Daily Racing Form columnist was elected general chairman of the newly formed National Turfwriters Association, comprising racing scribes from all sections of the country. Joe Hirsch Elected Chacon Of National Turfwriters Assn. Leading Scribes of Country 4I Form Organization at Downs Due to Growth in Racing CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville, Ky., April 30. — Joe Hirsch, Columnist for Daily Racing Form was elected general chairman of the newly organized National Turfwriters Association as 65 of the nations leading racing scribes met yesterday afternoon at Churchill Downs. Recognizing the growth of racing throughout the country, writers from every section of the nation pointed to the need of such ag roup to assist in the maintenance of high professional standings and ethics. Other projects of the NTA, as the turf-writers group will be known include a national award to be presented at an annual dinner in Louisville during Derby week; a membership button for which the group will seek recognition from all the nations tracks; group action in matters of oppressive legislation against racing and the transmission of racing news; the supervision and improvement of press boxes; and a voice at national conventions of other turf organizations. Jerry McNerney, turf editor of the Louisville Courier-Journal, was named secretary-treasurer of the NTA at yesterdays meeting, and will be in correspondence with racing writers throughout the country on administrative manners. Regional Chairman Also Named The NTA, which plans to work closely with such groups as the New England, New York, Maryland and Florida Turf Writers j Associations, also named regional chairmen to assist in further organization in their respective areas. Jerry Sullivan of the Boston Herald will head the New England group. Bill Lauder of the New York Herald -Tribune is chairman of the New York group. Willie Ratner of the Newark News is the chairman of the 1 New Jersey-Pennsylvania group. Bill Boniface of the Baltimore Sun heads the Maryland group. Bob Elliot of the Miami Herald and Joe Tanenbaum of the Miami News head the Florida group. Other chairman and their areas include Joe Agrella of the Chicago Sun-Times Chicago ; Raoul Carlisle, Forest City, Ark Times-Herald Midwest; Bill Keefe, New Orleans Times-Picayune Southern ; Bob H°bert. Los Angeles Mirror-News South-em California ; Jack McDonald, San Francisco Call -Bulletin Northern California I ; Larry Stolle, Youngstown, O. Vindi- cator and Isi Newborn, Cleveland Plain Dealer Ohio* and McNerney Kentucky. Hirsch attended the University of New Hampshire and was graduated from New York University in 1948. He joined the staff of Daily Racing Form later that year. He served with the Army from 1950 to 1953 and was a medical officer with a tank battalion of the 2nd Armored Division in Germany. Since his discharge from the service he has covered racing at most tracks east of the Mississppi, and in Canada and Cuba as well. He has gained a national reputation in a few short years and his comprehensive coverage of the activities of Kentucky Derby starters in the weeks prior to their going to the post annually earns him the plaudits of the turf reporters on the scene. In the fall of 1957, Hirsch, at the express invitation of the Irish Government, toured the Emerald Isles remarkably successful breeding farms, met the nations prominent horsemen and visited its race tracks. His month-long itinerary also included journeys to important turf centers in England and France, where he witnessed several of Europes major racing classics. Hirsch is also a contributor to several sports magazines on racing topics and is the author-director-producer of the Jockeys Guild Show in Chicago each summer.
