Erwin F. Dygert (August 18, 1894 – August 5, 1962) was an importer of horses into the United States. He brought the last

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

horses out of Europe before

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

prevented any more exports. He was also involved in harness racing, first at Aurora Downs in

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, then at

Hawthorne Race Course Hawthorne Race Course is a racetrack for horse racing in Stickney/Cicero, Illinois, near Chicago. The oldest continually run family-owned racetrack in North America, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating syst ...

. The Erwin F. Dygert Memorial Trot, run at Hawthorne, is named after him. In 1954, Dygert founded and was the sole proprietor of Suburban Downs, Inc., a harness racing association that began operations at

Maywood Park Maywood Park was a horse racing venue located in Melrose Park, Illinois, United States, about 12 miles from downtown Chicago. It was used for harness racing. It had a capacity of 33,297 people and was built in 1946. The track was a half-mi ...

under a lease agreement. Erwin Dygert married and had three children: Mary (Dills), Erwin R. "Bill", Marjorie (Wallace), and Gloria (Morrison). His first wife, Jane Greer of Ellicottville, NY died and he later married Beulah Dygert (Farmer) of Danville, Illinois. Beulah continued to work at the Hawthorne Race Course until her late eighties. His family owns Dygert Farm on Elk St. in

Springville, New York Springville is a village in the southeastern section of the town of Concord in Erie County, New York, United States. Springville is the principal community in the town and a major business location in southern Erie County. The population was 4,2 ...

, home to the

Erie County Fair The Erie County Fair is a fair held in Hamburg in Erie County, New York every August. Based on 2018 attendance statistics, The Erie County Fair is the second largest fair in New York and the fourth largest county fair in North America, often dra ...

, and where

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

trained

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

for the

1912 Olympics The 1912 Summer Olympics ( sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1912), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad ( sv, Den V olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, b ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dygert, Erwin F 1962 deaths Businesspeople from Illinois American horse racing industry executives American racehorse owners and breeders 1894 births 20th-century American businesspeople