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Business & Tech

A Special Occasion for a Special Place

Historic Derby restaurant celebrates 90th anniversary and also gets a landmark marker.

Anniversary celebrations at Arcadia’s historic restaurant are commonplace. Thursday night's celebration was different; the restaurant celebrated its own anniversary.

This special occasion, which drew some 100 people, including several local dignitaries, commemorated the Derby’s 90th anniversary.

The festivities opened with the unveiling a historical landmark marker in front of the restaurant. It was the eighth such marker this non-profit group has dedicated in the past four years to create public awareness of Arcadia special treasures.

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During the dedication of the Derby marker, Mayor Gary Kovacic and Mayor Pro Tem Bob Harbicht presented Derby co-owners Dustin Nicolarsen and Michael Thomas with a mayor’s certificate of recognition, and representatives of several area politicians followed with presentations of various proclamations.

Gene Glasco, the president of the historical society, also made a presentation.

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Scott Hettrick, chairman of the society’s historical marker committee, coordinated the event. He thanked members Carol Libby, Sandy Snider and Jacquelyn O’Sullivan for their roles in making the marker possible.

The city of Arcadia co-funded the Derby marker, as it has done with others at locations that include Santa Anita Park, Arcadia’s County Park, , , the , site of the original City Hall and the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce.

Hettrick, who owns the arcadiasbest.com website, is also the executive director of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce. A Chamber business mixer was held at the Derby following the marker dedication.

During the dedication, Hettrick gave an historical account of the Derby’s long existence.

A History of the Derby

The Derby is one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles County. Its original owner, Hudson M. Proctor, opened what then was known as Proctor Tavern on Foothill Boulevard in either 1921 or ’22. The Derby’s website says 1922, but others say 1921.

Everyone seems to agree that it was 1931 when the restaurant moved to its current location at 233 E. Huntington Drive. That was three years prior to the opening of Santa Anita Park.

In 1938, the Derby celebrated a grand re-opening under new co-owners Bill Petersen and renowned jockey George “The Iceman” Woolf. It was then that the Derby became a favorite place for the horse racing set.

A Place For the "Sport of Kings"

Woolf is probably best known for becoming Seabiscuit’s jockey after regular rider Red Pollard was injured. In the 2003 movie “Seabiscuit,” the role of Woolf was played by Gary Stevens, a Derby regular. Woolf was killed in 1946 when he was thrown from his mount, inappropriately named “Please Me,” in a race at Santa Anita.

Woolf’s wife Genevieve ran the Derby for another five years before selling it to Dominic and Lorene Sturniolo in 1952. Murph and Slugger, as they were commonly known, and later their son, Chip, kept alive the Derby’s connection to horse racing for six decades.

In 2007, Chip Sturniolo sold the restaurant to Nicolarsen and Thomas, who have been friends since both were in eighth grade together in Monrovia. They both attended LaVerne Lutheran High School.

Nicolarsen began working at the Derby in 2001 as a food server. During a brief speech Thursday night, Nicolarsen said after his first four weeks at the restaurant, Chip told him, “You are the worst food server we’ve ever had here.” But instead of firing Nicolarsen, Chip assigned him to the front desk, and that job eventually led to him becoming the general manager.

In 2007, when Chip told Nicolarsen he was ready to retire, Nicolarsen contacted a friend, Thomas, who had enjoyed success in real estate, and the two of them made a deal to buy the business.

Under their co-ownership, the Derby has blossomed. The food and service there are outstanding. Who knows? Maybe the Derby will be around for another 90 years.

A First Impression of the Derby

One side note: During the marker dedication, Hettrick asked those in the gathering to offer their own personal stories in connection with the Derby, and several people did. I did not, but it got me to thinking about my first visit there.

It was in the mid-1970s, and at the time I was the assistant sports editor of the old Herald Examiner. A publicist, Deke Houlgate, organized a small press gathering at the Derby. My wife and I, who had recently moved to the area, were among those invited. The featured guest was legendary stock car racer Richard Petty.

So, you see, the Derby is known for attracting famous people from the Sport of Kings, horse racing. But my initial memory of the Derby involved a famous person from another kind of racing, one who is commonly referred to as “The King.”

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