Richard Bishop Walsh Jr.

Walsh Jr., Richard Bishop 1925-2011 Dick Walsh, former Los Angeles Dodger Vice President, Commissioner of the North American Soccer League, General Manager of the California Angels and General Manager of numerous convention centers passed away on May 6, 2011 in Fullerton, CA. Walsh, born in South Bend, Indiana in 1925, and raised in Evanston, Illinois, came to Los Angeles in 1937. He was an All-City third baseman at Los Angeles High School. He was discharged from the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant in 1948. That same year, Walsh entered the baseball business with the Fort Worth (Texas League) Cats, a minor league team of the Brooklyn Dodgers and, in 1951, joined the parent club as assistant farm director. In 1957, Walsh returned to L.A. when Dodger President Walter O'Malley named him President of the Pacific Coast League Los Angeles Angels. As a Dodger representative, Walsh played an integral role in the team's arrival in Los Angeles for the 1958 season. In 1960, Walsh was named Dodger Vice President, Stadium Operations and formulated and implemented countless ideas in the development and construction of Dodger Stadium, the first privately-built major league ballpark since 1923. On a fast timetable, construction began on Labor Day, 1960 and Dodger Stadium opened to rave reviews on April 10, 1962, with every detail overseen by Walsh. "My Dad had great confidence in Dick and they worked very closely together," said Peter O'Malley, Dodger President from 1970-98. "Dick deserves a lot of credit for construction, maintenance, security and landscaping of Dodger Stadium. He was a team player and had the respect of everyone in the Dodger organization." Walsh was in charge of stadium operations through the 1966 season. In 1966-68, he was Commissioner of the North American Soccer League. Then Walsh returned to baseball when California Angels owner Gene Autry hired him as Executive Vice President and General Manager, a position he held for three seasons (1969-71). Walsh was named General Manager of the Los Angeles Convention Center in 1973, where he served for the next 23 years and supervised its major expansion. He later was senior G.M. for convention centers in Hawaii, Alaska and Ontario, CA. Walsh met his wife, Roberta Dean Armitage, when they were in Tokyo after the war. They married in 1948, and celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary last November. In addition to his wife, he is survived by three children: Kathleen, Peggy and Richard, and have been blessed with two grandchildren and a great grandson. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Southern California Chapter, 2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 115, L.A., CA 90064 in honor of their daughter, Kathleen Field, or a donation to your favorite charity.