ValleyCats owner Bill Gladstone dies from COVID-19 at 88
TROY, N.Y. » Tri-City ValleyCats Chairman and Principal Owner Bill Gladstone died from complications stemming from COVID-19 on April 30.
The ValleyCats announced the death of Gladstone, 88, in a press release on Friday.
Gladstone is the second area sports owner to succumb to the virus, after longtime Albany River Rats Owner Walter Robb contracted and died from COVID-19 at the age of 92 in April.
In 1992, Gladstone and his partners purchased the New York-Penn League’s Pittsfield franchise, affiliated with the
New York Mets.
After the affiliation switched to the Houston Astros in 2001, Gladstone was instrumental in moving the team to Troy, in 2002, a move which brought affiliated baseball back for the Capital Region for the first time since 1994.
Under Gladstone’s stew
ardship, Joseph L. Bruno Stadium became a hotbed for baseball. There was soaring success at the box office, as well as three New York-Penn League titles on the diamond.
“Bill Gladstone left an indelible mark on the game of baseball and the ValleyCats organization” ValleyCats President, Rick Murphy stated regarding the late longtime owner.
“Bill was an inspirational leader, partner and fan of the game. His passion for the game was evident in the ValleyCats motto: ‘Fans For Life,” Murphy added on Gladstone’s passion for baseball.
Thoughts on Gladstone also poured in from the baseball world.
Evan Valenti, team broadcaster from 2010 to 2012, tweeted, “A wonderful man. He will be missed.”
Hudson Valley Renegades President and General Manager Steve Gliner, who broke into baseball as a Public Relations Assistant with the old AlbanyColonie Yankees in 198889, shared his thoughts and memories of Gladstone.
“Bill was a well respected man who made a lasting impact on the game of baseball in so many ways. He has been a tremendous leader in the New York — Penn League for many years,” Gliner noted on Gladstone’s legacy in the game.
“Personally, I have known Bill for over 25 years and he was always available to be a resource to all of us in the league. More importantly, he was a fine gentleman who will be sorely missed by all of us in the baseball family,” Gliner added.
In a Facebook post, former longtime New York Yankees Director of Public Relations, Marty Appel, noted the passion of Bill and his late wife Millie at the ballpark every game.
“He resided in Scarsdale in recent years, but spent summers in Troy so he could attend each home game of the Valley Cats and root his heart out,” Appel said of Gladstone, who was also an ardent fan of the old Brooklyn Dodgers.
“He took those games very seriously, and would be despondent for hours after a loss,” Appel added on how Gladstone lived and died with every pitch.
In 1991, Gladstone was elected to the board of directors for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 1991 and was deeply involved in the baseball industry for the past three decades. Gladstone was a member of Minor League Baseball’s Board of Trustees for 12 years, while additionally serving on the board of directors and executive committee for the New YorkPenn League.
In 2015, Gladstone was named Minor League Baseball’s “King of Baseball,” which recognizes the outstanding dedication and service of a veteran of professional baseball to the industry.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Gladstone joined Arthur Young & Company after graduating with honors from Lehigh University in 1951. He also earned a Bachelor of Laws in 1955 from Brooklyn Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar.
Except for time spent serving in the U.S. Air Force as a Second Lieutenant during the Korean War (1952-53), Gladstone spent his entire business career at Arthur Young, becoming a partner in 1963, managing partner in 1981 and chairman in 1985. He became a Co-Chief Executive of Ernst and Young in 1989 after playing a key role in the merger of Arthur Young & Company with Ernst and Whinney.
In 1970, he graduated from the Harvard University Advanced Management Program and in 1992, he received an Honorary Doctor of Law from Lehigh University. At Lehigh, he endowed the William L. Gladstone Scholarship Fund in 1972 and was part of the campaign for endowment of the Arthur YoungWilliam L. Gladstone section of the Lehigh Library Accounting Collection.
Gladstone is survived by his daughter, Susan, son, Doug, their spouses, and his beloved grandchildren. Bill’s wife of more than 60 years, Millie, passed away in 2018. Bill and Millie seldom missed a ValleyCats game and could almost always be found taking in the action behind home plate in Section 100.
Together they owned a vast collection of baseball art and artifacts, parts of which have been displayed at a number of museums.