Fred Claire, former vice president and general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, will be guest speaker on Wednesday, October 28, at the Rotary Club of Pasadena’s weekly virtual luncheon meeting, starting at 12 noon. His topic: “Fred Claire – From Dodger Blue to City of Hope.”
Claire went through several years of treatment, including extensive facial reconstruction, at City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, for skin cancer that had spread to his jaw.
In July, Mascot Books and Amazon published “Extra Innings: Fred Claire’s Journey to City of Hope and Finding a World Championship Team,” written by veteran journalist Tim Madigan. The book tells the 100-year-old City of Hope story and how it evolved from a couple of cottages in the desert for tuberculosis patients to the No. 1 cancer center in the western U.S.
In 2017, Claire spearheaded the creation of the Fred Claire Celebrity Golf Classic, benefiting City of Hope in Duarte. He currently serves as a patient speaker for City of Hope.
Claire, a Pasadena resident, is a member of the Rose Bowl Operating Company (RBOC) board representing District 6. He was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ front office for 30 years, advancing from publicity director of the team to the position of Executive Vice President and general manager with responsibility for player personnel decisions and baseball operations.
In a distinguished career, Claire served the team as a publicity director; vice president of public relations, promotions and marketing; EVP in charge of day-to-day operations; and EVP and General Manager in charge of player personnel.
Claire joined the Dodgers in 1969 and proved to be an award-winning executive at every stage of his career. Claire was directing the team’s marketing efforts when the Dodgers first hit the three-million mark in attendance and established a period of record-setting attendance figures. He was instrumental in creating the branding of “Dodger Blue” and the subsequent “Think Blue” campaign.
In April of 1987, Claire was named general manager of the Dodgers and when the team won the World Series in 1988 he was selected Major League Baseball’s “Executive of the Year.”
Since his departure from the Dodgers in June 1998, Claire has maintained an active schedule as an educator, a founding partner and currently chairman of the sports analytics company Scoutables and as a contributor to MLB.com in addition to an on-going civic involvement. He is a member of the Rose Bowl Operating Company.
Wednesday’s weekly meeting is accessible to the public.
To join the meeting, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
For help on accessing Zoom, call Tammy Silver at (626) 755-4272 or email tamarasilver@gmail.com.
