Sending you the obituary of my friend Art Ulrich, who died 9/7/2001. He was a member of the Illinois Hall of fame and was most well known in and around the La Salle area as "Mr. Horseshoes". Not only a player, he was an organizer, worker and a PR man for our game. He loved horseshoes so much that he directed any memorials to the game he loved and cherished. We will miss him tremendously.
Arthur Ulrich, 88, of La Salle died at 7:20 A.M. in the Illinois Valley Hospital. Services were held on 7/11 in the St. Patrick's Church, with burial at St. Vincent's Cemetary. He was honored by graveside rites by the La Salle Veteran's Memorial Group.
Mr. Ulrich ws born July 26, 1913, and married Helen M. Haley on June 10, 1950. He served in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
He was a member of St. Patrick's Church La Salle, La Salle VFW and The National Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame in 1995. He founded the La Salle Horseshoe League and the La Salle Park/Rec. Commision named the La Salle courts in his name in 1997.
Surviving are is wife, Helen, one daughter Mary Beth, a son William, four grandchildren and one sisiter Hilda.
Memorial may be sent to the Art Ulrich Fund for the La Salle Horseshoe Court.
In the sporting world, a retirement announcement often is followed by a comeback attempt.
Enter 84-year-old La Salle native Art Ulrich - although his story isn't the same as most athletes'.
Ulrich was an avid horseshoe player in his youth but had to give up the game so he could spend time with his family and work on the La Salle and Bureau County Railroad in the 1940s. When he retired from Sundstrand in 1978, Ulrich wasted no time getting back into the sport.
"As soon as I retired, I started up again because I like the game", he says.
And that's what has kept him playing well into his 80s.
"Generally, I'm the oldest one around wherever I go," he says. "They made a fuss about that at the Peru CSO Picnic (last year) because I was 83 years old at the time, but I was lucky enough to win it. As long as my health holds out, I'm going to keep on throwing."
And one of the reasons Ulrich has been able to keep on throwing is because of a very important rule change for some of the game's most seasoned veterans. Those players older than 70 can step up and throw from 30 feet instead of the traditional 40.
"I was never proud of that, but it allowed me to hang around." Ulrich says. "Sometimes I'm ashamed of myself because I sit around too much. I don't spend enough time on it; I should have been out there throwing already.
"Before, I would practice to get better; now I'm just trying to hang on. I don't have the strength anymore, and if you have to force yourself, then you don't have the accuracy."
That's something that hasn't been a problem for Ulrich.
Last season he finished with a 46 percent ringer rate. While it is far from the world championship rate of 75 percent, the 46 percent helped Ulrich win every sanctioned event he entered, with the exception of the state tournament. He also took first place in the Class A division of the La Salle League.
Younger people want something more active, but older people like it because you can set your own pace," he says, "and I kind of like that."
What drew him to the game when he was once of those younger people?
"It was more popular back then than it is now," Ulrich says. "We had horseshoe courts in the neighborhood and we had the whole neighborhood interested.
"I probably wasn't fast enough to play ball. I wasn't the fleet of foot, so horseshoes was a game where I could do fairly well."
Ulrich's impact on the game of horseshoes goes far beyond his simply being known a one of the area's best players.
After driving out to Princeton each week just to play, including making trips to Elgin, Sandwich and Rockford, Ulrich realized a need for a local league.
As a result, Ulrich started the La Salle Horseshoe League more than 10 years ago. Throughout the years, he has also taken over the presidency of the league in an effort to keep it alive.
"I really had my nose in it back then," Ulrich says.
And his hands too. While the town of La Salle bought the supplies neccessary for the courts, it was Ulrich and his group that had to construct them.
"We used to do all the work, but now we're trying to get the park board to cooperate (and do some of the upkeep)," Ulrich says.
For all of his previous hard work, he was elected to the Illinois Horseshoe Hall of Fame in 1995, and last year the courts at Mathiessen Park were named in his honor.
While basketball now has the three-point shot and baseball the designated hitter, Ulrich says horseshoes has remained unchanged through the years. Well with one exception.
"Many smaller tournaments now give cash instead of trophies," he says.
This is a move Ulrich supports.
"I have a whole attic full of them, and what good are they?"
Ulrich is gearing up for the new season slated to begin at the end of May and has no intention of going on a farewell tour anytime soon.
"As I get older, I'm not always ready to go," he says, "but I'd like to hang on for a while yet."
The La Salle park board has officially named the horseshoe courts, located near Eleventh and LaHarpe Streets in Matthiessen Park, the Art Ulrich Horseshoe Courts.
This action was taken to honor Arthur Ulrich, founder and longtime director of the La Salle Horseshoe League. Ulrich was also recently inducted into the Illinois Horseshoe Hall of Fame.
At the March 11 meeting of the park board, a plaque was unveiled and will be mounted at the site of the horseshoe courts later this spring.
The plaque reads: "In Honor of Arthur Ulrich; Member of Illinois Horseshoe Hall of Fame, Founder and Long-time Director of La Salle Horseshoe League; for his dedication and encouragement of the sport and for his tireless efforts to improve these courts for all who use them."
A smaller version of the plaque was presented to Ulrich by park board president, A. Charles Mueller Jr.
Ulrich has retired as director of the league, but actively involved as a player and advisor on maintenance and improvements. In honor of his continued devotion to the La Salle League, the title of Horseshoe League Director Emeritus was also conferred upon him. A metal "business card" proclaiming this title was presented to Art by Ruth Spayer, park and recreation director.
The La Salle Horseshoe League, which includes both men and women, plays at the La Salle courts on Monday and Wednesday.
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