Ada Rice History
Ada Lucille Rice was born in 1898 in Danville, Illinois as Ada Lucille Perrigo. Her maiden name was later changed to Bousman after her mother married Arlie Bousman in 1902. On April 22, 1920 Ada married Daniel Rice at St. Sebastian Church in Chicago54. She was described as a pretty brown-eyed, brown-haired bride. Standing at 5’5” she was much shorter than her tall husband. Ada was described as one of the most charming ladies to grace the American turf. Dan and Ada celebrated 54 years of marriage.
Ada was involved in numerous charitable enterprises during her lifetime. For 25 years she helped sponsor the Chicago Boys’ Club annual fund-raising dinner dance and served as a member on the Board of Edward Hospital.
Mrs. Rice also conducted many social affairs and benefits. She often held events at the Rice’s penthouse suite atop Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel on the 24th floor. In late August, 1953 as chairman of the Women’s Auxiliary Board Benefit Committee of the Edwards Sanitorium she hosted a buffet luncheon for its members. There, she announced that every penny realized from tickets would go to the sanatorium, since the Hilton Hotels Corporation had underwritten the expenses of the party. The buffet to which the guests were treated included “vichyssoise, madrilène, huge round of beef, curried chicken green salad, and melon balls from a giant carved watermelon ornamented with maraschino cherries”.
On September 23rd of that same year, as Second Vice President of the Sanitarium Board and Chairman of the Women’s Auxiliary Board Benefit Committee, Mrs. Rice oversaw the Auxiliary’s annual fashion show which was held in the Narcissus room of Marshall Field & Co. The show was entitled “Tips on Trends” and featured costumes from leading American designers. More than 500 women gathered for the show and tea benefit. This was the second year that Mrs. Rice served as Chairman to raise funds for the Naperville institution.
Again the following year, 1954, Mrs. Rice,as chairman of the Auxiliary benefit, hosted several attendees in her penthouse atop the Palmer House to gear up benefit plans for the Edwards Sanitorium. Being such a sports-minded person, she presented a “fast fall track”for the fashion show. She enlarged a version of a whimsical “tip sheet” pinned to the wall to attract all eyes as guests arrived for the luncheon. Again the benefit was to be a tea and fashion show, this time on September 22 in the Narcissus room of Marshall Field & Co.
Mrs. Rice was a regular sponsor of the Chicago Boys Club. At a luncheon held by the woman’s board of the Chicago Boys clubs held on May 14, 1963 at the Cafe French Market of the Ascot House to plan the 12th annual “Summer Ball,” Ada, as owner of the Ada L. Rice Stable, was announced as a co-sponsor of the ball along with Mr. W. Clement Stone. Ada was recognized as a co-sponsor for the 10th year. The ball was to be held on June 15, 1963 in the Post and Paddock club at Arlington Park to raise money for the Boys Club organization. Mrs. Rice continued to be a co-sponsor at least through 1968.
In partnership with her husband, Mrs. Rice owned the Danada Farms in Lexington, Kentucky and Wheaton, Illinois, a name formed from the combination of their Christian names of Dan and Ada. The stable was a true partnership from the time in 1943, when Mr. Rice responded to Mrs. Rice’s wish to own a racehorse. He purchased eight yearlings in Lexington, Kentucky at the November 1943 sales. The first five yearlings were purchased for a total of $18,000, with the Lot 87 colt being the highest priced purchase for $6,000.
Mrs. Rice became formally involved in the sport of thoroughbred racing. She named her stables the “Ada L. Rice Racing Stables.”Horses raced by Mrs. Rice won 883 races and earned $8,770,989 through 1974, and horses bred by her won 2,310 races and earned $13,155,650. In a sense, 1965 was her peak year, for it included not only Lucky Debonair’s winning the Kentucky Derby, Santa Anita Derby, and Blue Grass Stakes, but also the smashing triumphs of Pia Star. The latter equaled the world mile record that year in the Equipoise, defeated Kelso, Roman Brother, and Quadrangle in the Brooklyn Handicap, and defeated Gun Bow and Affectionately in the Suburban.
Throughout her career, Ada received many awards recognizing her accomplishments and contributions to the sport of thoroughbred racing. Ada’s enthusiasm for her horses and racing was matched only in her later years by her devotion to painting, an avocation few knew she pursued with ardor. She was an outstanding skeet shooter; even better than her husband! She won several medals for her shooting ability including the Illinois Amateur Championship.
After three decades of success as a major Thoroughbred breeder and racing stable owner, Ada decided that the time had come to retire from the sport. Ada Rice died at the age of 78 on April 11, 1977 and was buried at the Queen of Heaven cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.
