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Howell Van Gerbig

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Howell Van Gerbig
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
Born(1902-06-19)June 19, 1902
DiedMay 15, 1965(1965-05-15) (aged 62)
Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Alma materPrinceton University
Spouses
  • Geraldine Livingston Thompson
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1926; div. 1937)​
  • Dorothy Randolph Fell
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1937; death 1945)​
  • Mary McFadden
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1950; div. 1952)​
  • Ann Trainer Barry
    ​
    (m. 1964)​
Children3, including Barry
RelativeFrederic P. Olcott (grandfather)
Sport
SportAmerican football
Ice hockey
Squash
Golf
Achievements and titles
National finals1922 College football champion
1930 U.S. Class B squash champion

Howell Van Gerbig (June 19, 1902 – May 13, 1965) was an American athlete who played for the Princeton Tigers men's ice hockey and football teams and was a national squash champion.

Early life[edit]

Van Gerbig was born on June 19, 1902. He was the son of Barend and Edith (Olcott) Van Gerbig and grandson of Frederic P. Olcott.[1] He graduated from the St. Paul's School.[2]

Princeton[edit]

Football[edit]

Van Gerbig played halfback for the Princeton freshman team in 1920.[3] He made the varsity team the following season and was the backup fullback behind Hank Garrity. He started against Navy and Chicago while Garrity hurt.[4][5] Due to an injury to Donold Lourie, Garrity was moved to quarterback and Van Gerbig started at halfback. Van Gerbig scored a receiving touchdown in Princeton's 34 to 0 win over Virginia.[6] Van Gerbig was the backup halfback behind Harry W. Crum on Princeton's 1922 national championship team.[7][8] He was a starting back for the 1923 Princeton Tigers football team. He was the team's best punter and scored two touchdowns against Swarthmore College.[9][10] Van Gerbig muffed a punt in the third quarter against Harvard, which led to Crimson scoring the go-ahead field goal in their 5–0 victory.[11]

Hockey[edit]

Van Gerbig debuted for the Princeton Tigers men's ice hockey team in 1921. On January 6, 1922, he scored all four goals in Princeton's 4–0 victory over Penn.[12]

On March 20, 1922, Van Gerbig was elected captain of the 1922–23 Princeton Tigers men's ice hockey team.[13] He started the season as a defenseman, but was moved to right wing during the January 5, 1923 game against the St. Nicholas Hockey Club, which was the first game ever played at the Hobey Baker Memorial Rink. He scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in the Tigers' 3–2 victory over St. Nicks.[14] Later that year, Van Gerbig had a five-goal game against MIT and a six-goal game against Penn.[15][16] On January 13, he scored two goals in Princeton's 3 to 1 victory over the George Owen-led Harvard Crimson.[17] Four days later, he recorded a hat-trick in a 14–0 victory over Columbia.[18] Princeton finished the season with a 13–5–1 record.[19]

Going into his senior season, Van Gerbig was described by Boston Globe hockey writer John J. Hallahan as "one of the greatest in the college ranks" and "the nearest approach Princeton has ever had to the great Hobey Baker".[20] On January 4, 1924, Van Gerbig scored a goal in a 2–1 victory over Dartmouth, which was captained by another leading college player, Bob Hall, at the Boston Arena.[20][21] On January 12, he scored all three of Princeton's goals in the Tigers 4–3 double-overtime loss to Yale.[22] On January 24, Van Gerbig scored the game-tying goal in a 4–1 overtime victory against the St. Nicholas Hockey Club.[23] On February 22, he scored the game-winning goal in Princeton's 1–0 double-overtime upset of the Yale Bulldogs.[24]

Boston Athletic Association[edit]

On November 11, 1924, Van Gerbig joined the Boston Athletic Association ice hockey team.[25] He played his first game for the B.A.A. on December 6, 1924, and scored a goal in the Unicorn's 5–3 loss to the Maple A. A.[26] On January 17, 1925, his cheek was injured in a game against the Fort Pitt Hornets where teammate Leo Hughes lost an eye. Doctors recommended Van Gerbig sit out the team's next game against Fort Pitt, which he refused to do. He was eventually convinced by his mother to sit out the remainder of the regular season, however he returned for the Eastern championship series against the Hornets.[27][28] The B.A.A disbanded its team after the season due to rumors that their players had violated their amateur status by receiving money from Boston Arena management.[29]

Squash[edit]

Van Gerbig competed in the 1929 United States Class C squash tennis championship tournament. He made it to the semifinals, where he lost to Harold Ablowich.[30] On February 27, 1930, Van Gerbig defeated Adrian S. Kuhn in three sets to capture the national Class B championship. He had little playing experience prior to the tournament, but was a protege of former world champion Walter Kinsella. Van Gerbig was a hard-hitter and shattered three racquets during the final.[31]

Golf[edit]

Van Gerbig played golf for many years, but began taking the sport seriously in 1940.[32] He won invitational golf tournaments at the Rumson County Club, Sands Point Golf Club, Meadow Brook Golf Club, and Piping Rock Club.[33][34][35][36]

Business career[edit]

A licensed pilot, Van Gerbig was a director of the Transcontinental & Western Air and general manager of the Ranger Engines Division of Fairchild Aircraft.[37][38]

Personal life[edit]

In 1926, Van Gerbig married Geraldine Livingston Thompson, daughter of Geraldine Morgan Thompson and niece of Ruth Morgan.[39][40][41] They had one son, Peter Van Gerbig.[1] They divorced in 1937 and Van Gerbig married Dorothy Randolph Fell, stepdaughter of former United States Secretary of the Treasury Ogden L. Mills and granddaughter of Alexander Van Rensselaer, later that year.[2] They had two sons, Barend "Barry" Van Gerbig and Howell "Mickey" Van Gerbig Jr. Dorothy Van Gerbig died on July 28, 1945, of "thrombosis of a brain artery". She was 32 years old.[38] During the 1950s, Van Gerbig was married to the mother of fashion designer Mary McFadden.[42] On December 15, 1964, Van Gerbig married fellow golf champion Ann Trainer Barry.[43]

In 1929, Van Gerbig purchased Pine Needle Camp, a twenty-acre, eight-building property on Upper Saranac Lake, for his first wife, who was suffering from tuberculosis. Following their divorce, he sold it to John Langeloth Loeb Sr. in 1937.[44][45]

Death[edit]

A heavy drinker for much of his adult life, Van Gerbig had abstained from alcohol for almost a year when on May 13, 1965, he shot himself.[46] His wife and maid stated they saw no signs of despondency and Van Gerbig did not leave a suicide note.[47] In 1970, his widow married Morton Downey.[48]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Josiah Olcott and Deborah Worth, his wife. A record of their descendants and notes regarding their ancestors. 1937. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Dorothy R. Fell Engaged to Wed". The New York Times. June 4, 1937.
  3. ^ "Princeton Sends 1400 to Cheer Their Team". The Boston Globe. November 6, 1920.
  4. ^ "Princeton Stars Back in Line-Up". The New York Times. October 19, 1921.
  5. ^ "Chicago Defeats Princeton, 9 to 0". The New York Times. October 23, 1921.
  6. ^ "Princeton Crushes Virginians, 34 to 0". The New York Times. October 30, 1921.
  7. ^ "Tigers Make Last-Minute Changes". The New York Times. October 7, 1922.
  8. ^ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2015). "National Poll Rankings" (PDF). NCAA Division I Football Records. NCAA. p. 108. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  9. ^ Webb, Melville (October 23, 1923). "Regret Injury To Yale's Star". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ "Tigers In Best Form of Year". The Boston Globe. November 4, 1923.
  11. ^ Webb, Melville (November 11, 1923). "Harvard Once Again Able to Cash in on Big Chance". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ "PENN SEXTET BEATEN BY TIGER PLAYERS 4=0". The Princeton Daily. January 7, 1922. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  13. ^ "Van Gerbig Chosen Captain". The New York Times. March 21, 1922.
  14. ^ "ST. NICHOLAS DEFEATED IN RINK OPENING GAME". The Princeton Daily. January 6, 1923. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  15. ^ "M. I. T. TEAM IS NO MATCH FOR PRINCETON STICKMEN". The Princeton Daily. January 8, 1923. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  16. ^ "PENN IS OVERWHELMED BY TIGER HOCKEY TEAM". The Princeton Daily. January 11, 1923. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  17. ^ "UNIVERSITY STICKMEN HUMBLE CRIMSON SIX". The Princeton Daily. January 15, 1923. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  18. ^ "COLUMBIA POWERLESS BEFORE TIGER ATTACK". The Princeton Daily. January 18, 1923. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  19. ^ "Men's Hockey All-Time Results". Princeton Tigers. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  20. ^ a b Hallahan, John (January 4, 1924). "Dartmouth's First of Season Here". The Boston Globe.
  21. ^ Webb, Melville (January 5, 1924). "Plenty of Exciting Moments Watching Van Gerbig, Hall and Other Hockey Stars--Stout Injured". The Boston Globe.
  22. ^ "Yale Hockey Team Defeats Princeton". The New York Times. January 13, 1924.
  23. ^ "Princeton Defeats St. Nicholas Sextet". The New York Times. January 25, 1924.
  24. ^ "Van Gerbig's Goal Upsets Yale, 1 to 0". The Boston Globe. February 23, 1924.
  25. ^ "Van Gerbig on Boston Sextet". The New York Times. November 12, 1924.
  26. ^ Hallahan, John (December 7, 1924). "B. A. A. Beaten By Maples, 5-3". The Boston Globe.
  27. ^ Hallahan, John (February 11, 1925). "Van Gerbig Is In Bad Shape". The Boston Globe.
  28. ^ "Eastern Hockey Title at Stake". The Boston Globe. March 16, 1925.
  29. ^ "Small Sues For Pay As 'Amateur' Hockey Player". The Boston Globe. May 18, 1925.
  30. ^ "Ablowich Gains Final in Class C Squash". The New York Times. March 2, 1929.
  31. ^ Danzig, Allison (February 28, 1930). "National Class B Squash Title Won by Van Gerbig Who Beats Kuhn in Final". The New York Times.
  32. ^ Trevor, George (February 1941). "Secrets Of Week-End Winners". Golf. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  33. ^ "Van Gerbig Wins Golf Final". The New York Times. October 3, 1932.
  34. ^ "Dunphy-Van Gerbig Team Wins Sands Point Medal". The New York Times. June 8, 1940.
  35. ^ Werden, Lincoln (June 1, 1940). "Van Gerbig-Smith Annex Golf Medal". The New York Times.
  36. ^ "Mrs. M'Fadden Victor". The New York Times. September 12, 1949.
  37. ^ "New TWA Directors". The Wall Street Journal. December 4, 1936.
  38. ^ a b "Mrs. Howell Van Gerbig". The New York Times. July 29, 1945.
  39. ^ "Milestones: Oct. 18, 1926". Time. October 18, 1926. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Miss G. Thompson Engaged To Marry". The New York Times. August 2, 1926.
  41. ^ "Weddings of the Early Season". The New York Times. September 26, 1926.
  42. ^ "Mary McFadden In Southampton". Getty Images. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  43. ^ "Howell van Gerbig Weds Mrs. Barry". The New York Times. December 24, 1964.
  44. ^ "Saranac Camp Sold". The New York Times. August 29, 1937.
  45. ^ Loeb, John Langeloth (1996). All in a Lifetime: A Personal Memoir. J.L. Loeb. p. 76.
  46. ^ "Mickey". The Palm Beach Post. December 27, 1981. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  47. ^ "Howell Van Gerbig, 63, Is Found Dead in Florida". The New York Times. May 14, 1965.
  48. ^ "Downey and Bride". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 7, 1970. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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