NEWS
Former CHRB director Foote dead at 79
Posted: Thursday, July 29, 2010 2:07 PM
Leonard Foote, who served on the California Horse Racing Board for 24 years as chief investigator and executive director until his retirement in 1990, died July 26 in Reno, Nevada, after a long illness. He was 79.
Foote joined the CHRB as chief investigator in 1966 after serving with the California Highway Patrol from 1958-‘65 as a traffic officer and traffic sergeant. Ten years later, he was named executive secretary of the board—a title later changed to executive director. In this position, Foote was responsible for all CHRB operations and California horse racing industry regulation.
Upon his retirement, Foote received a resolution from the board crediting him with being “instrumental in developing and carrying out innumerable policies during the rapid expansion and growth of horse racing in California, such as the instant licensing program, controlled medication program, the computerized California Horse Racing Information System, simulcast wagering, and regulating gaming on Indian lands.”
The Association of Racing Commissioners International (RCI) presents the Len Foote Award each year to an executive director who has been nominated and selected by his peers for outstanding service in the advancement of integrity in racing and pari-mutuel wagering.
Foote is survived by his wife of 56 years, Joan; their three children, Robin Coons, Bradley Foote, and Jill Mischo; six grandchildren and one great-granddaughter; three sisters, Laura Horn, Barbara Fletcher, and Alice Nemeth, and his brother, John Foote. Services will be announced at a later date.
