Hawthorne's Thomas Carey Dies at 87

Thomas F. Carey, a key figure in the family that has operated Hawthorne Race Course for generations, died Dec. 17 in Florida at age 87, the track announced Tuesday.

Carey joined the Hawthorne team in 1969, assisting his father, Robert F. Carey, and assumed control of racing operations when the elder Carey died in 1980. The time period was critical for the track, located southwest of Chicago near Midway Airport, and the younger Carey played an instrumental role in rebuilding it after a fire destroyed the grandstand in 1978.

Carey went on to serve as president and general manager of Hawthorne for almost 30 years. He also was active in many civic endeavors and helped create the Racing Industry Charitable Foundation, which benefits backstretch workers.

His sports affiliation was not confined to the family business. After earning all-state honors as a quarterback at Mount Carmel High School, Carey played football for four years at Notre Dame for coaches Frank Leahy and Terry Brennan while earning a degree in business administration.

From 1956 to 1960, Carey coached the Mount Carmel team to four sectional titles and one city championship. He was inducted into the Chicago Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

Carey also had a strong affinity for Ireland and owned property on the Irish coast. He laughingly told a story of being contacted by Irish government officials as a potential purchaser of a historic castle for conversion into a hotel. After a torturous journey along narrow lanes, dodging flocks of sheep, he said he found the structure he had been told "needed some work" actually had been without a roof for centuries. No sale.

He is survived by his wife, Susan, and six children.