THE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. C. A-6 niMT, ocToaaa ta. i»ea Clark Griffith Dies at 85, Great Baseball Showman Continued From Page A-l salary of $30,000. Cronin man- aged the Red Sox through the Ington baseball for 43 years. At 1947 season, then was promoted the bedside was his adopted son, to general manager by Yawkey. Calvin Griffith, the club's vice The custom of the President of president, who now is destined the United States throwing out to head the Senators' opera- the first ball officially inaugurat- tions. ing the season was established Together with Connie Mack, two years before Griffith came •2-year-old former owner of the to Washington. President Wil- Philadelphia Athletics, Mr. Grif- liam Howard Taft had thrown fith symbolized the vanishing out the first ball In 1910 and old guard of baseball men who 1911, but it was Griffith who made the sport their lifelong perpetuated the idea. ¦ careers. exciting When be first came to Wash- “Mr. Griffith lived an ington In the winter of 1911-12 life and he loved every minute manager, of it,” said Calvin. "He had a to serve as Griffith wonderful life and a peaceful marched .to the White House, death. No man could ask for presented l Mr. Taft with a season Invited the President to jSll7, „ \\ \ more.’’ pass and IH M# * I opening p j msgmj widow, attend the American j®ir*. * , Survivors include the League game and throw out the Mrs. Ann Robertson Griffith; an first ball. Mr. Taft agreed. \ adopted daughter, Joseph Mrs. Taft, Haynes, lane, Presidents Woodrow Wil- 7207 Brennan son, Chevy Chase, Md„ Warren Harding, Calvin and these Hoover, nephews and nieces: Mrs. Joseph Coolidge, Herbert Frank- Roosevelt, Harry Center, Mass.; lin Delano S. Cronin of Newton Eisenhower, Sherrard, Jimmy and BillyTruman and Dwight Robertson, all of Washington; who threw out first balls, thus Mrs. Harold Neill, Middletown. aided In the establishment of Ohio; Mrs. George W. Woolver- baseball acquiring the title of ton, 3410 Thirty-ninth street America’s national pastime. N.W.; Shirley V. Griffith, 6315 .Civic-Minded and Charitable. Cedar lane, Bethesda. Md., and Away from the baseball scene. Earl H. Griffith, jr- Wadsworth, Griffith was a kindly, civic- ?\T: .' ' 5; v Kans. minded, charitable man. No large I ON ms LAST BlßTHDAY—Surrounded by his “grandchildren,” Griffith Helped Form League sports banquet or gathering was Stadium last No- complete without him. Childless cut his 85th birthday anniversary cake at a party in Griffith One of a select few men to rise himself, legally adopted vember 20. They are (left to right, front) Jimmy Robertson, Joanne Robert- player Griffith from ranks to club owner, two children. In 1921, when his Calvin GriffithRobertson (in Mr. Griffith's arms) and Kevin Cronin. In played prominent I son, Mr. Griffith a brother-in-law was In difficulty, second row (from left) are Maureen Cronin, Corinne Griffith and Shirley Ann part in the formation of the Griffith took two of his children, American League. Calvin and Thelma. Three years i|| | Robertson. In rear row are Clark Griffith II(left) and Thomas Cronin.—Star It was Mr. Griffith, bom in a later, when the brother-in-law i StaffPhotos. log cabin at Clear Creek. Mo., on died and left five ether children, November 20, 1869, who helped Griffith brought them and their era, "Washington, first In war.! Philadelphia, a wealthy exporter : Pirates in the World Series, the supervise the strategy and led in mother to Washington and sup- first In peace and last in the i and lover of baseball. 1 Nats dropped three straight League games lost the title. combating the National ported them. American League." Griffith con- Get Four-fifths of Stock and in a struggle for existence. Calvin Griffith became vice ferred with Washington stock- 1 This club began to fade in Hi w start, Possessed of Ingenuity, un- president of the ball club. Thel- holders and was told he was ex- From the Richardson 1926. It was a good team, but quenchable ambition and fierce ma married Joe Haynes, then a pected to buy into the club. emphasized his confidence in,not good enough. It finished in' Sdx pitcher Griffith. Together they ac- ( several more devotion to the game, Mr. Grif- Chicago White who Put City on Baseball Map. the first division fith rose from the state of a later came to the Senators. Mil- quired four-fifths of the Wash- ; years, but in 1928 Griffith be- penniless young man to that of dred Robertson married Cronin. ON GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY—The Clark Griffiths pose on their The friendly co-operation of ington stock. Griffith and I gan another rebuilding cam- 50th wedding possible for equal a comparatively wealthy citizen Sherrard Robertson played with celebrated with big Sixteenth Tom made it Richardson held shares. ] paign. He released his man- by Washington nearly years, anniversary, which they a party at their street Griffith to put Washington on but Richardson preferred the ager, Harris, and appointed who was honored former for 10 Noyes President Truman in an unprec- and his brothers, Jimmy and home December 3,1951. the baseball map. was background and left the run- Walter Johnson. He began to edented tribute. Billy, supervise Griffith Sta- chief stockholder of the Senators ning of the chib to Griffith. , acquire fresh young players, While he acquired controlling dium’s concessions. A. seventh pitcher before he achieved fame age of 2 when his 33-year-old , who maintained that the game and a good friend of Griffith. It Griffith capitalized on the op- . among them Joe Cronin. was Noyes who brought him to acquired a Interest in the Washington club, child, Bruce, died. [ln the major leagues. father accidentally was killed by needed another big league. portunity. He young Washington out con- Washington and it was Noyes Bucky turned mainly through the aid qf Griffith provided for an Eng-! ! His love for the old West never a boy hunter. Although he long had been a second baseman named , sistently good clubs, but not un- Thomas C. Noyes, then executive llsh child whose father was killed ebbed, just as his zest for base- Missouri’s climate didn’t agree star in the National League, who smoothed the way for Grif- Harris. He bought an outfielder ‘ buy 10,000 stock, til 1933, when Griffith made In World War n. He once read, was as the age of with Clark Griffith, an under- Griffith was discontented and fith to shares of named Goose Goslin from the ( player-manager, editor of The Star and former ball keen at making Cronin his did president of a family being evicted from 85 as It was in his boyhood days. sized, wan boy. When he was 13 dissatisfied with the manner in him one-tenth owner. Sally League for $6,000. He re- of the Washington Griffith off a poor his ball club win another pen- club, Mr. Griffith its horn* here and Invited the ! Years ago, before he became his mother, who valiantly sup- which officials were treating was to start tired from a managerial role and youngster never was a 1912, Washington club nant. Cronin was a among mother and three children live club owner, he bought land in ported the struggling family, , players. The feeling was shared in but the bent all his efforts toward build- the rich club owners of to finished the season with a flour- from the American Association. baseball. in his home for three weeks. He Montana, which was to have moved to joinrelatives In Bloom- by many other players and be- ing. ] He not a regular with ington, Improvement increasingly ish. That was the year Walter was even Unable to match the purchas- got the mother a home, a job been his ranch on retirement HI. of came bad when George Mcßride, the Senators’ i Kansas City, but Scout Joe En- Clark's health was the motive. Griffith, serving as vice president Johnson woh 16 games in a row ing power of many other teams, and saved the family from dis- from the game. He sold this year long-time shortstop, managed; gel took a liking to the young integration. part money of the Ball Players’ Protective and 32 for the season. That bought Mr. Griffith was forced to rely on to raise of the for Started Fro Career at 17. the Senators won 17 straight the team in 1921 and finished i man and him. strategy to cope with rival Amer- The life of Clark Griffith ranks buying into the Senators. Association, led a futile fight fourth. Another Washington With Washington and under Although It was In Missouri | with National League club own- victories, 16 on a Western trip, ican League clubs. At times he among the fullest and most fan- One of his hobbies was the Washington veteran, the late Clyde Milan, the tutelage of Griffith, Cronin that Griffith became aware of ers and officials for higher and no club since traded shrewdly and always ciful of modem sports figures. "Lone and his radio wages took over the next season and became a star. At 26, a year Ranker” baseball, serving mascot for ' and uniforms supplied by the has eclipsed that record. The drove close bargains. He was When the Washington chapter programs. Not long ago the as a wound up sixth. In 1923 Donie younger than Harris in 1924, a was not until ; dub. In those days the players team had left for the road tour fearless in taking chances and it of the Baseball Writers' Associ- Lone Ranger sent him a phono- town team.