Ada Rice History (Life and Philanthropy)
Ada Rice lived a remarkable life as a society figure, sportswoman, and philanthropist. Described in her youth as a “pretty, brown-eyed, brown-haired” bride (standing only 5’5″ next to her tall husband), Ada brought grace and charm to the American turf. She and Dan enjoyed 54 years of marriage, during which Ada emerged not just as the owner of champion racehorses, but also as a civic leader dedicated to charitable causes.
Social and Civic Engagement: Throughout the mid-20th century, Ada was heavily involved in Chicago-area charities and social organizations. For 25 years she helped sponsor the Chicago Boys’ Club’s annual fundraising Summer Ball, serving as a regular co-chair and sponsor alongside notable philanthropists like W. Clement Stone. In fact, by 1963 Ada was recognized for a decade of sponsorship of that event, which was often held in the clubhouse at Arlington Park, a fitting venue given her standing in the racing community. Ada also sat on the Board of Edward Hospital in Naperville and lent her time to medical causes. In the early 1950s, she served as Second Vice President of the Women’s Auxiliary Board for the Edward Sanitorium (a tuberculosis sanatorium in Naperville). Newspaper accounts from 1953–54 describe Ada hosting elegant benefit luncheons in the Rices’ Palmer House Hotel penthouse to plan charity fashion shows and teas, with all proceeds going to the sanitarium’s work. One such luncheon featured a lavish buffet spread (including vichyssoise, madrilène soup, curried chicken, and elaborate fruit displays) underwritten entirely by the hotel, so that every ticket dollar went to charity. Ada’s flair for event planning even extended to incorporating her hobbies – at a 1954 planning meeting, she decorated the venue with a whimsical “fast fall track” theme for a forthcoming fashion show, merging her love of horse racing with the fundraiser’s proceedings.
Ada moved comfortably in high society circles. The Rices maintained a permanent penthouse suite atop Chicago’s Palmer House, which Ada frequently used for entertaining between shopping excursions. (A 1954 Chicago Sun-Times profile marveled at this luxurious city apartment, accessible by a private staircase and so well-insulated one forgot it was in a hotel.) Yet Ada was equally at home on the farm in Wheaton, where she hosted Christmas sleigh ride parties and skeet shooting contests. An accomplished artist and award-winning painter, she won ribbons from the Surf Club Art League in Miami for her artwork. Visitors to Danada House today can see one of Ada’s prize-winning paintings on display, alongside her skeet shooting trophies, testaments to her diverse talents.
Thoroughbred Racing Achievements: Ada’s most renowned accomplishments came from the realm of Thoroughbred racing, which is covered in detail in the Ada Rice Career section below. In summary, from the time Dan bought her that first batch of yearlings in 1943, Ada proved to have an exceptional eye for horses and a passion for the sport. She managed the Ada L. Rice Stables as a true partnership with Dan – “The stable was a true partnership from the time in 1943 when Mr. Rice responded to Mrs. Rice’s wish to own a racehorse,” noted one account. Ada named every horse (often with creative inspirations, as described in Naming the Thoroughbreds) and took a hands-on interest in their training and breeding. Over three decades, she bred or raced dozens of stakes winners, received numerous awards for her contributions to racing, and became one of the leading female figures in the sport. By the time she retired from racing in the mid-1970s, her stable’s record spoke for itself: 883 wins and nearly $9 million in purse earnings, including victories in America’s greatest races. Importantly, Ada was one of the first women to achieve such prominence as an owner-breeder, and she did so with a combination of business acumen (insisting on breeding her own winners rather than buying ready-made champions) and genuine love of the animals.
Philanthropy: Ada’s philanthropic legacy, like Dan’s, was substantial. The Rice Foundation, which they established in 1947, was arguably Ada’s vehicle for continuing to do good works long after she and Dan were gone. During her life, Ada quietly supported many causes: besides the Boys’ Club and Edward Hospital mentioned, she was known to lend support to church groups and civic improvements. For instance, Ada and Dan were major donors to Wheaton College and Benedictine University in their area. They helped fund the Dan and Ada Rice Center, a sports arena at Benedictine University (originally Illinois Benedictine College), which opened in 1977 and was later renovated, and the couple were posthumously inducted into Benedictine’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. Closer to home, Ada ensured that after Dan’s death, the Danada property’s horses and equipment were sold in an orderly dispersal in 1976, and she oversaw generous severance gifts to long-time employees. Many who worked for the Rices recalled Ada as a kind and considerate employer. One anecdote from the early 1960s: Ada hired a Wheaton College student, Gail Van Der Molen, as a part-time maid and insisted on sending a car to fetch her from campus each week – the light workload and above-market pay were Ada’s way of helping a young student, an act remembered fondly decades later.
When Ada Rice passed away on April 11, 1977, at age 78, she left no will but did leave an indelible mark on her community. The forest preserve that now occupies Danada is perhaps the greatest tribute to Ada’s love of nature and animals, allowing the public to enjoy open space that might have been another subdivision. In a way, every horse trail ride at Danada and every child’s field trip to the model farm is part of Ada’s living legacy. Fittingly, Ada is buried alongside Dan at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois, but her spirit very much endures at Danada.
