by Bob Alman | Croquet World Online

Reprinted with permission

Ellery McClatchy passed away at his hilltop Ink Grade estate in  Pope Valley on Tuesday morning, September 20, 2011, at the age of  86.   He was foundearly in the morning by his Miko, his longtime  assistant and chef.

Ellery was the last surviving member of his generation of owners of the largest privately held newspaper chain in America, started and headquartered in Sacramanto, California.  He was an active member of the McClatchy board to the end of his life, and his wisdom and experience were highly valued by his family and the officers of the McClatchy chain.

He had been taken to a local hospital over the weekend with breathing difficulties which appeared to be eased, so he requested to return  home on Monday. He was found early in the morning in his bed by Miko, his longtime assistant and chef.   His nephew Kevin will handle the funeral arrangements for a family burial in Sacramento. 

Although the cause of death has not been officially announced, the immediate issue was emphysema, exacerbated by other medical problems.  He had been on oxygen virtually fulltime for several years, learning to move around his home tethered to plastic tubing with which he had learned to navigate expertly through his personal domains, in both the Northern California house and his winter residence at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

A risky operation in Miami in the nineties which removed nonfunctioning lung tissue in order for new and healthy replacement tissue to grow gave him more than a decade of extra life, enabling him to live in reasonable comfort to the age of 86.

When I visited him for a week at his Mission Hills home in February 2011, I was impressed with the way he had organized his life.  Even in his condition, he was a most generous and gracious host.  He even insisted on throwing a dinner party and asking me to invite whomever I pleased.  Miko and his staff prepared and served a sumptuous feast, which Ellery seemed to enjoy as much as any of the other five people at his table.

Ellerty McClatchy was my long-time personal friend and patron.   He made it possible for me and many others to do what we wanted to do to help build the sport, often insisting that his financial support be  held in absolute secrecy. 

Ellery McClatchy was a strong pillar in the foundation of the USCA from the early 80's, moving to Palm Beach and helping USCA founder Jack Osborn in countless ways get the unlikely national association off the ground. His help was given not just in the form of financial support but also as wise counsel.  He helped Jack Osborn found the Croquet Foundation of America and enlisted its first president, Jack McMillin.  Subsequently Ellery himself served several terms as CFA president.

As others came and went - often in bitter disputes with Osborn over many issues during the growing pains of the croquet entities - Ellery's support to the sport was constant, not just to the USCA and the Croquet Foundation of America, but to many individuals and clubs throughout America.

The full extent of his charity may never be determined, but I can personally attest to his generosity in helping the San Francisco Croquet Club get well started; and he donated $1,000 to help the Oakland club with its initial equipment stock. He was always willing  to donate dinners and othersocial events for USCA tournaments in  both Northern and Southern California. His Ink Grade Invitational was, perhaps, the most elaborate and elegant annual ever seen in the  sport - but in the typical relaxed and low-key style that was Ellery's hallmark. 

When I asked Ellery for a grant to support the further development of the USCA website and Croquet World Online Magazine somewhere around 1997, after they were both started and their value was evident, that grant more than paid for essential programing and redesign which positioned them as  probablythe best croquet websites in the world at the time. When I moved to West Palm Beach to organize and manage the National Croquet Center in 2000, I called to thank him for all the support he had given me; and he told me he would continue the grant because he liked the work I was doing.  This grant was sustained until just a couple of years ago when  the rapid decline of newspapers had radically affected his budget, and with apologies, he reluctantly ended the monthly support.  

There has never been anyone like Ellery McClatchy in the sport of American croquet.  He was an original who cannot be replaced. 

When more information is available, I will make another posting. And there will certainly be a story soon in CROQUET WORLD ONLINE celebrating Ellery McClatchy's extraordinary life and achievements.