Stan Bergstein Passes

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Stanley F. Bergstein, a member of Harness Racing's Living Hall of Fame and longtime executive vice president of Harness Tracks of America, passed away peacefully at home at 4:00 a.m. this morning, Wednesday, November 2, 2011 from heart failure

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At his side was his son, Al, Al's wife, Megan, and a hospice care specialist. Stan's daughter, Lisa, her husband, Craig, and grandson, Michael Hentshel, were also in Tucson for the end of Stan’s amazing life.

Further details, including funeral arrangements, will be forthcoming.

"I worked with Stan in 1959 and 1960, and he was a dear friend of mine," United States Trotting Association President Phil Langley said. "His contributions to harness racing are innumerable and will never be duplicated. The industry has lost a great man. My thoughts are with his son, Al, daughter, Lisa, and their families during this difficult time."

It would have been enough if Bergstein had excelled at one profession, but he was so uniquely gifted that he was a master of many positions. Harness racing has never seen his equal.

First and foremost, he was the longtime executive vice-president of Harness Tracks of America. But he was also writer with few peers, a captivating speaker, an auctioneer, historian, race announcer, and former race secretary. And that’s just the beginning.

His presence and his innovations were a dominant force in harness racing for the past half-century.

In the past decade, he has been known for his unwavering quest to restore integrity in harness racing and to eradicate the scourge of illegal drugs that stained the sport’s reputation. While others wavered on the subject of integrity and looked to shrug off the subject, Bergstein was steadfast in his comments. He became harness racing’s 'Mr. Integrity.'

His strong stands won him countless supporters, but it also won him the enmity of people whose standards for integrity were considerably lower. Just as Abraham Lincoln was hated by the champions of slavery, Bergstein was hated by those who thought integrity in racing wasn’t all that essential.

His opinions were seen by a few as being outdated and out of touch, as if integrity in harness racing was a trait that belonged in the sport’s past. The vast majority of people in the sport applauded Bergstein’s strong stands for honesty.

Bergstein was so admired throughout harness racing that he was the only person honoured with induction into both the Living Hall of Fame and the Communicator’s Corner at the Harness Racing Museum.

Bergstein’s passing leaves a void in the industry that will be impossible to fill.

A native of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Bergstein first learned about harness racing at the local county fairs. He attended Northwestern University in Illinois where he was offered the first television scholarship ever created by Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism.

He worked briefly as a publicist for the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters and travelled with the team extensively. His love of harness racing led him to begin working in the sport in various capacities. He loved telling the story about riding the famous trotting stallion Rodney in California once. He called races at the Chicago tracks, then moved up to race secretary.

It was in his role that Bergstein pioneered the use of claiming races, which were castigated by many harness horsemen. They gained acceptance, however, and they are now the bread-and-butter races for all harness tracks.

In 1961, Bergstein was named executive vice-president of Harness Tracks of America and he masterminded its operations from his office in Chicago. He spearheaded the growth of HTA from just 17 tracks to a high of 50 members.

One of the most popular series in the sport in that era was the HTA events for 4-year-old trotters and pacers. This was a travelling all-star show that allowed the sport’s greatest stars to be showcased at tracks across North America. And there were very few HTA races contested where Bergstein was not on the scene to help with the promotion and presentation of the races.

He joined the USTA as its vice president in the late 1960s and launched a series of innovations that were to transform the publicity and promotion of the sport. In his role with Hoof Beats magazine, he was instrumental in the formation of American Horse Publications, an all-breed organization. He served as its second president.

His personal book collection was the most extensive in harness racing and he operated Trotting Book Shop for many years to buy and sell classic works of harness racing literature. In the process, he encouraged many others to become collectors, thus assuring the preservation of rare books for future generations.

If one word could best describe Bergstein’s career it would be 'innovator.' He initiated many programs which have been standard in harness racing for decades. Among them are the John Hervey Awards for journalism, the Harness Publicists Association and Harness Racing Hotline.

He was particularly proud of his role in creating the HTA Art Auction, which annually inspired countless artists to depict harness racing in their work. The auction in Lexington raised money for the HTA’s Scholarship Awards.

Bergstein had the most extensive knowledge of standardbred art of any person in the world and he used that knowledge to organize the event, and also when he was serving as its auctioneer.

He also worked as an auctioneer at many horse sales, developing the rhythmic and rapid cadence by endless repetition.

Bergstein was known and respected far beyond North America as he organized the first World Driving Championship and pioneered the participation of North American horses in major European classics. The leaders of harness organizations in other countries all knew Stan Bergstein to be the one person most identified with American racing.

Harness racing is but a small slice of the overall equine industry, but Bergstein transcended the sport and gave him enormous stature in many horse industry organizations.

To list all of his honours would take pages, but it is his character and commitment to the sport that are most enduring. He could have moved to a rocking chair retirement decades ago, but he laboured on for the good of harness racing, suffering the slings and arrows of those who felt that some chicanery could be tolerated in racing. Bergstein simply adhered to higher standards.

Often when a great person dies, it’s said that 'it’s impossible to replace him.' In Bergstein’s case, harness racing understands how true that is.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Stan Bergstein.

(Harness Tracks of America)

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Comments

I met Stan Bergstein at Freehold in 1990. I told him how much I enjoyed the Racing from Roosevelt/Yonkers show. He said he had three great partners: Dave Johnson, Spencer Ross and Frank Wright. He always gave the credit to others. My last communication was by email when I told him I won the NHHC championship at the Meadowlands in 2010. In my email I told him how much I enjoyed his columns and that no sport ever had a better national spokesman then him. He told me he was so grateful for my email and he would cherish it for all time. I will cherish my memories of this great man for all time too.

Stan was tireless in his efforts to promote our sport. He will be missed by all who knew him. My condolences to his family.

One of the sports good guys whose passion for harness racing spoke for itself. Though I never had the pleasure of meeting him, he struck me as a guy who you would love to have been able to sit down with and trade stories with.

My sincere condolences to his family and may you rest in peace Mr. Bergstein.

Gary Blackburn

I had the privilege of participating in the HTA Art Auction with Stan for the last 3 years of its running. We spoke on the phone a few times and I had great respect for the man. I always read his column 'Loose Lines'. He contacted me a few months back about participating with him in a new online Horse Art Auction and I've been working at doing some artworks for this since then, in fact I am having a show with many of them right now. My condolences to his family, Stan will be sorely missed.
Rest in peace.

What a sad day, the sport has lost its face today. Stan was a gentleman and the greatest advocate that harness racing has ever had. If there is racing in the afterlife, Stan will be all over it.

RIP Stan, you will be missed greatly

Stan Bergstein visited PEI several years ago as the guest of the PEI Colt Stakes. He participated in a panel discussion on the future of harness racing. I still have the tape and wonder always about the truth in his words and his foresight on where the sport was going and what had to be done. He was one of the few that truly cared for the future of this great sport, far from the "grab what you can now" mentality that is ruining the industry. We need more visionaries in this business and fewer mercenaries.

I feel very fortunate to have met and become good friends with Stan these past few years. What a giant in our industry! Individuals like Stan are so rare and almost impossible to replace.He will be greatly missed. My condolences to his family.

I first became aware of Stan at the 1966 Hambletonian in Du Quoin. I'll never forget his call of "Best Of All" winning the 2 year old pace. We spoke many times through the years, I read his columns with anxious anticipation. Stan was the ultimate source for all things harness racing,his knowledge of the sport's history was legendary, his tenacity in the battle for integrity was uneqalled. My condolences to his family.

It is sorry to see the conscience of fairplay in our sport leave us. My condolences to the family,a piece of history has past.

Reg

The statement that Stan Bergstein "transcended the sport and gave him enormous stature in many horse industry organizations" aptly described his unparalleled contribution to Standardbred racing. Countless aspirants for careers in the sport have benefitted from Stan's wise counsel and selfless guidance. Dow Clowater

My condolences to Stans family & friends. I had the good fortune to meet & talk with Stan a couple of times. The first time was in Lexington when i purchased his entire collection of Sires & Dams. Later at Northlands Park. RIP STAN.

It's hard to imagine what harness racing would be like--or will be like in the future--without Stan. He had such a love and joy...for family, for friends...and for harness racing! And his sense of humor and dry wit were unmatched. After a period of not being in contact, I sent him a note about ten years ago and opened with "I hope you and Rose are well." (Of course this was a "senior moment" on my part--I knew his wife's name was June.) His response was "Rose Guida and I are not currently an item."

Stan was one of the very few people I know of with a moral compass that unfailingly pointed true north---at least as far as harness racing went. And he could be very tough on people who behaved otherwise.

And so harness racing has lost another class act. He was eloquent when he eulogized Billy Haughton, and I believe the same words (in part) are also fitting here:
"Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

RIP Stan. I bet there is one hell of a reunion going on in heaven today!

From across the pond, heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends. I met Stan at an Armstrongs yearling show open day many years ago. He was a very captivating man who was more than willing to impart help and information on all aspects of his and our beloved sport. RIP Stan.

Sad day for harness racing.I always read him first in the various publications.He had tremendous ability to tell it like it is and was wonderful story teller.We will miss him terribly.

A great loss for those who knew him, and for the sport as a whole. Always looked forward to reading his annual pacing & trotting Experimentals rankings. The only Living Hall of Fame/Communicators Hall of Fame member, Stan Bergstein was going to be the guest of honour at the 2012 US Harness Writers' Awards banquet. What a shame he is now gone.

Our sport has lost its greatest promoter. RIP Stan.

What unexpected and sad news. I was fortunate enough to have interviewed Stan when I first started in broadcasting. He possessed a brilliant mind and was very supportive of me. My condolences to the family and to everyone who knew this man. You will be missed, Stan.

In reply to by Dawn

For 60 years and counting, Stan was the scribe and publicist par excellence for harness racing. He was a legend, both internationally and at home. Yes, an American Legend has departed. May he be memorialized in the finest of our sports traditions and never forgotten. We are privileged to have known you, Stan.

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