Charles H. Strub
Encyclopedia
Dr. Charles Henry Strub (November 3, 1884 – March 28, 1958) was an American
dentist
and entrepreneur
who built and owned Santa Anita Park
racetrack in Arcadia, California
and was president and partner of the San Francisco Seals baseball
club of the Pacific Coast League
.
Charles Strub was born in Hollister, California
as the only child of Isadore Strub and Rebecca Williamson Strub. He graduated with a degree in dentistry from the University of California at Berkeley where he played varsity baseball. Having been put through agony as a child by the dentists of the day, he studied modern techniques with new pain-killing drugs and laughing gas so that pulling an abscessed tooth could be done painlessly—a great benefit to society, he thought. Having invested in state-of-the-art equipment, he was wiped out by the 1906 earthquake that destroyed his office before he saw his very first patient. In the weeks the disaster, he saw a column in the newspaper that said his baseball coach from Cal, Charles Graham, was looking for him to play some ball. During 1906 and 1907 he played baseball with the San Francisco team in the California State League but made his living as a dentist. Entrepreneurial focused, he was known as the "advertising dentist" and eventually had a chain of six "painless extraction" dentist parlors. His chain of dentist offices provided him the opportunity to speculate in the burgeoning California real estate market, financing much of the rebuilding of the SF Business district after the earthquake, making Doc Strub a very wealthy man. One of the San Francisco buildings he built was 450 Sutter, which still houses medical professionals. In 1918, the financially strapped owner of the San Francisco Seals put the baseball team up for sale and George Alfred (Alfie) Putnam and Charles H. Graham
were looking to acquired the club, but lacked the necessary funds. After passing one of Strub's dentist offices, they sought out and brought the "Doc" in as an equal partner. Appointed team president, he successfully led the San Francisco Seals for more than two decades. In 1931, he oversaw construction of Seals Stadium
. As President of the Seals, he sold minor league ball players to the majors at unheard of prices. After first trying to sell Joe Dimaggio
to the Chicago Cubs, he eventually negotiated a deal with the New York Yankees
for $25,000 on a money-back guarantee. Doc Strub always regretted that he was able to get more for Joe's brother Dom
than he got for Joe. He quipped, "Of course I never dreamed he'd become the husband of Marilyn Monroe."
In 1929, Stuub was sitting in his lucky barber chair getting a shave when he was handed the phone. On it was the president of Bank of America
who told him that he lost everything and was more than 1 million in debt. When Doc asked about repaying it, the response from the President of Bank of America was "Don't worry Charlie, I know you're good for it." Not a believer in bankruptcy, Doc Strub paid back all of his debt including that of his other Seal partners. He maintained a list of those he owed money on an index card
that he constantly kept with him in his jacket pocket.
A fan of thoroughbred horse racing
, he decided to enter the business when California passed a paramutuel wagering bill in the early 1930s. He had spent several months examining locations in the San Francisco Area and found none of them to his liking, including windy Candlestick Point. He then connected with a group in Los Angeles that had identified 'Lucky' Baldwin's Rancho Santa Anita as a location, but needed increased financial backing. In January 1934 Charles Strub, in partnership with Hollywood filmmaker Hal Roach
and a group of investors, formed the Los Angeles Turf Club. Created for the purpose of building the first race track in California, they opened Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Christmas Day, 1934. He introduced a number of significant innovations to American racing. The innovations he instituted for all races included finish line cameras to verify race results, electronic timing, and electronic starting gates. The improvements were later adopted by the rest of racing industry.
Although the country was in the throes of the Great Depression
, Strub's management and creativity brought success to his investors. He attracted Seabiscuit
to the track, which helped to establish Santa Anita as a premier stop on the racing circuit. The first year dividend returned to investors 100% of their initial investment. By 1960 the aggregate par value of the stock ($7,500,000) had multiplied over a dozen time and grown so large that it split 375 to one. After its opening, Santa Anita made Dr. Strub one of the highest paid executives in the country, landing on the Treasury Department list of highest executives from 1936 through 1941. In 1946, he ranked number four on the list, earning $396,901. As time progressed, Doc Strub used Santa Anita as a vehicle for other leisure-time investments including Lake Arrowhead and Pacific Ocean Park
.
In 1939, he was asked to help bail out the 1939 San Francisco World's Fair
. It was a task he accepted at no salary. His efforts turned the fair around and into a break-even event for its organizers.
When he was opening Santa Anita, Dr. Strub still had his interest and position with the San Francisco Seals baseball team. While in New York City, prior to the track's official opening, he sought out a meeting with Baseball Commissioner Judge Landis
to talk about the apparent conflict of gambling and baseball. When he entered the Commissioner's office, Judge Landis asked "Why are you here?", to which Dr Strub explained his concerns about the conflict and the need for him to exit baseball. Judge Landis replied, "Charlie, if I wanted you out of baseball I would have sent for you." Judge Landis' comment effectively ended the conversation. In 1945, the estate of Jacob Ruppert was selling the NY Yankees and Doc Strub put in a bid. However, at this point, the Baseball Commissioner was Happy Chandler
and he was concerned about the public appearance of having an owner who was also involved in gambling- albeit legitimate para-mutual horse racing. Strub withdrew his bid.
He was appointed to the board of several civic organizations including the Greater Los Angeles Opera Association and New York's Metropolitan Opera. As a benefactor, the Charles H. Strub Memorial Theater at Loyola Marymount University
and Strub Hall at Santa Clara University
(part of the Charles H. Graham residential complex) are named in his honor. He brought and donated to the Society of Holy Child Jesus, the Bellefontaine estate which is now the Mayfield Senior School property in Pasadena, CA. In conjunction with Santa Anita, he donated the 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) Forest Lawn Scout Reservation to the Los Angela Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Charles Strub died of a cerebral thrombosis
in 1958 in Los Angeles. He was the nephew of Rev. Joseph Strub
, founder of Duquesne University
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
He married Vera Wood (b. 1896, d. 1968) and had five children. His son Robert P. Strub later became chairman of Santa Anita.
He has been inducted into the California Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.
In the movie Seabiscuit
he is portrayed by Ed Lauter
.
. The Strub Stakes is the final leg of the Strub Series of three open races for newly turned 4-year-old horses held over several weeks during the first two months of each year. The Series consists of the Malibu Stakes
, raced at 7 furlong
s, the San Fernando Stakes, at 1 1/16 miles and the Strub Stakes.
Only five horses have ever won all three legs of the Strub Series: Round Table
(1958), Hillsdale
(1959), Ancient Title
(1974), Spectacular Bid
(1980) and Precisionist
(1985).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dentist
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
who built and owned Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park
Santa Anita Park is a thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent racing events in the United States during the winter and in spring. With its backdrop of the purple San Gabriel Mountains, it is considered by many as the world's most beautiful race...
racetrack in Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
and was president and partner of the San Francisco Seals baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
club of the Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
.
Hollister, California
Hollister is a city in and the county seat of San Benito County, California, United States. The population was 34,928 at the 2010 census. Hollister is primarily an agricultural town.-History:...
as the only child of Isadore Strub and Rebecca Williamson Strub. He graduated with a degree in dentistry from the University of California at Berkeley where he played varsity baseball. Having been put through agony as a child by the dentists of the day, he studied modern techniques with new pain-killing drugs and laughing gas so that pulling an abscessed tooth could be done painlessly—a great benefit to society, he thought. Having invested in state-of-the-art equipment, he was wiped out by the 1906 earthquake that destroyed his office before he saw his very first patient. In the weeks the disaster, he saw a column in the newspaper that said his baseball coach from Cal, Charles Graham, was looking for him to play some ball. During 1906 and 1907 he played baseball with the San Francisco team in the California State League but made his living as a dentist. Entrepreneurial focused, he was known as the "advertising dentist" and eventually had a chain of six "painless extraction" dentist parlors. His chain of dentist offices provided him the opportunity to speculate in the burgeoning California real estate market, financing much of the rebuilding of the SF Business district after the earthquake, making Doc Strub a very wealthy man. One of the San Francisco buildings he built was 450 Sutter, which still houses medical professionals. In 1918, the financially strapped owner of the San Francisco Seals put the baseball team up for sale and George Alfred (Alfie) Putnam and Charles H. Graham
Charlie Graham
Charles Henry Graham [Uncle Charlie] was a baseball catcher, manager and team owner. Listed at 6' 0", 190 lb., Graham batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Santa Clara, California....
were looking to acquired the club, but lacked the necessary funds. After passing one of Strub's dentist offices, they sought out and brought the "Doc" in as an equal partner. Appointed team president, he successfully led the San Francisco Seals for more than two decades. In 1931, he oversaw construction of Seals Stadium
Seals Stadium
Seals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium that stood in San Francisco from 1931 through 1959.Built during the depression, Seals Stadium opened on April 7, 1931, It cost $600,000 to construct, and Seals President "Doc" Strub described how laborers would leap onto the running boards of his...
. As President of the Seals, he sold minor league ball players to the majors at unheard of prices. After first trying to sell Joe Dimaggio
Joe DiMaggio
Joseph Paul "Joe" DiMaggio , nicknamed "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper," was an American Major League Baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career for the New York Yankees. He is perhaps best known for his 56-game hitting streak , a record that still stands...
to the Chicago Cubs, he eventually negotiated a deal with the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
for $25,000 on a money-back guarantee. Doc Strub always regretted that he was able to get more for Joe's brother Dom
Dom DiMaggio
Dominic Paul DiMaggio , nicknamed "The Little Professor", was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 11-year baseball career for the Boston Red Sox...
than he got for Joe. He quipped, "Of course I never dreamed he'd become the husband of Marilyn Monroe."
In 1929, Stuub was sitting in his lucky barber chair getting a shave when he was handed the phone. On it was the president of Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
who told him that he lost everything and was more than 1 million in debt. When Doc asked about repaying it, the response from the President of Bank of America was "Don't worry Charlie, I know you're good for it." Not a believer in bankruptcy, Doc Strub paid back all of his debt including that of his other Seal partners. He maintained a list of those he owed money on an index card
Index card
An index card consists of heavy paper stock cut to a standard size, used for recording and storing small amounts of discrete data. It was invented by Carl Linnaeus, around 1760....
that he constantly kept with him in his jacket pocket.
A fan of thoroughbred horse racing
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...
, he decided to enter the business when California passed a paramutuel wagering bill in the early 1930s. He had spent several months examining locations in the San Francisco Area and found none of them to his liking, including windy Candlestick Point. He then connected with a group in Los Angeles that had identified 'Lucky' Baldwin's Rancho Santa Anita as a location, but needed increased financial backing. In January 1934 Charles Strub, in partnership with Hollywood filmmaker Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
and a group of investors, formed the Los Angeles Turf Club. Created for the purpose of building the first race track in California, they opened Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Christmas Day, 1934. He introduced a number of significant innovations to American racing. The innovations he instituted for all races included finish line cameras to verify race results, electronic timing, and electronic starting gates. The improvements were later adopted by the rest of racing industry.
Although the country was in the throes of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Strub's management and creativity brought success to his investors. He attracted Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit was a champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United States. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression...
to the track, which helped to establish Santa Anita as a premier stop on the racing circuit. The first year dividend returned to investors 100% of their initial investment. By 1960 the aggregate par value of the stock ($7,500,000) had multiplied over a dozen time and grown so large that it split 375 to one. After its opening, Santa Anita made Dr. Strub one of the highest paid executives in the country, landing on the Treasury Department list of highest executives from 1936 through 1941. In 1946, he ranked number four on the list, earning $396,901. As time progressed, Doc Strub used Santa Anita as a vehicle for other leisure-time investments including Lake Arrowhead and Pacific Ocean Park
Pacific Ocean Park
Pacific Ocean Park was a twenty-eight acre , nautical-themed amusement park built on a pier at Pier Avenue in the Ocean Park section of Santa Monica, California, which was intended to compete with Disneyland...
.
In 1939, he was asked to help bail out the 1939 San Francisco World's Fair
Golden Gate International Exposition
The Golden Gate International Exposition , held at San Francisco, California's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was dedicated in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in 1937...
. It was a task he accepted at no salary. His efforts turned the fair around and into a break-even event for its organizers.
When he was opening Santa Anita, Dr. Strub still had his interest and position with the San Francisco Seals baseball team. While in New York City, prior to the track's official opening, he sought out a meeting with Baseball Commissioner Judge Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis
Kenesaw Mountain Landis was an American jurist who served as a federal judge from 1905 to 1922 and as the first Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death...
to talk about the apparent conflict of gambling and baseball. When he entered the Commissioner's office, Judge Landis asked "Why are you here?", to which Dr Strub explained his concerns about the conflict and the need for him to exit baseball. Judge Landis replied, "Charlie, if I wanted you out of baseball I would have sent for you." Judge Landis' comment effectively ended the conversation. In 1945, the estate of Jacob Ruppert was selling the NY Yankees and Doc Strub put in a bid. However, at this point, the Baseball Commissioner was Happy Chandler
Happy Chandler
Albert Benjamin "Happy" Chandler, Sr. was a politician from the US state of Kentucky. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate and served as its 44th and 49th governor. Aside from his political positions, he also served as the second Commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1945 to 1951 and...
and he was concerned about the public appearance of having an owner who was also involved in gambling- albeit legitimate para-mutual horse racing. Strub withdrew his bid.
He was appointed to the board of several civic organizations including the Greater Los Angeles Opera Association and New York's Metropolitan Opera. As a benefactor, the Charles H. Strub Memorial Theater at Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...
and Strub Hall at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
(part of the Charles H. Graham residential complex) are named in his honor. He brought and donated to the Society of Holy Child Jesus, the Bellefontaine estate which is now the Mayfield Senior School property in Pasadena, CA. In conjunction with Santa Anita, he donated the 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) Forest Lawn Scout Reservation to the Los Angela Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America.
Charles Strub died of a cerebral thrombosis
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
in 1958 in Los Angeles. He was the nephew of Rev. Joseph Strub
Joseph Strub
Joseph Strub, C.S.Sp. , an Alsatian missionary priest with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, was the founder of what is today Duquesne University, which was called the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost until 1911....
, founder of Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
He married Vera Wood (b. 1896, d. 1968) and had five children. His son Robert P. Strub later became chairman of Santa Anita.
He has been inducted into the California Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame.
In the movie Seabiscuit
Seabiscuit (film)
Seabiscuit is a 2003 American biographical film based on the best-selling non-fiction book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand...
he is portrayed by Ed Lauter
Ed Lauter
Edward Lauter is an American actor. He has appeared in numerous movies and was a stand up comic before getting into acting.Lauter was born in Long Beach, Long Island, New York...
.
Strub Series
Santa Anita Park honored him by renaming the Santa Anita Maturity Stakes the Charles H. Strub StakesStrub Stakes
The Strub Stakes is an American race for thoroughbred horses run at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California each year.Currently a Grade II stakes race with a purse of $300,000, it is open to horses, age four, willing to race one and one-eighth miles on the synthetic surface of Santa Anita and offers...
. The Strub Stakes is the final leg of the Strub Series of three open races for newly turned 4-year-old horses held over several weeks during the first two months of each year. The Series consists of the Malibu Stakes
Malibu Stakes
The Malibu Stakes is a race for three-year-old thoroughbred horses of either gender held each December at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California...
, raced at 7 furlong
Furlong
A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one-eighth of a mile, equivalent to 220 yards, 660 feet, 40 rods, or 10 chains. The exact value of the furlong varies slightly among English-speaking countries....
s, the San Fernando Stakes, at 1 1/16 miles and the Strub Stakes.
Only five horses have ever won all three legs of the Strub Series: Round Table
Round Table (horse)
Round Table was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. He is considered the greatest turf horse in American racing history. He was foaled at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky, on the night of April 6, 1954...
(1958), Hillsdale
Hillsdale (horse)
Hillsdale was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. He was sired by Take Away who did not distinguish himself on the race track, but grandsire Aneroid did. Aneroid's wins on the U.S. East Coast included the Suburban and Carter Handicaps, plus he defeated Seabiscuit in the 1938 San Antonio Handicap...
(1959), Ancient Title
Ancient Title
Ancient Title was an American Thoroughbred Hall of Fame racehorse. Foaled in California, he was bred by William and Ethel Kirkland and raced under Ethel Kirkland's name following her husband's death in 1972...
(1974), Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid
Spectacular Bid was an American Thoroughbred race horse. "The Bid" as he was known was one of the most dominant gallopers of his time...
(1980) and Precisionist
Precisionist
Precisionist was an American Hall of Fame Thoroughbred racehorse. In 1985, Precisionist won the Strub Series at Santa Anita Park becoming only the fifth horse to win the Malibu Stakes, the San Fernando Stakes and the Charles H. Strub Stakes...
(1985).