William "Bill" Bork Jr., a longtime horse racing executive, died Jan. 14 in Reading, Pa. He was 80.
Bork, a New Jersey native, served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and eventually began a career in horse racing. He was instrumental in the early years of Thoroughbred racing in Pennsylvania.
Bork was president of the Pitt Park Racing Association, which held limited meets at The Meadows racetrack south of Pittsburgh in early 1970s. Among the association's directors was Peter Carlino.
Not long after, the group established Penn National Race Course, which was headed by Carlino. Bork continued to work in an executive capacity for many years that included the launch of Penn National Gaming Inc. as a publicly traded company.
Bork at one time served as a director of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association as the Mid-Atlantic region representative.
He was the brother of Robert Bork, who operated Sam Houston Race Park in Texas for many years.
Visitation will be held Jan. 18 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the O'Brien Funeral Home, 505 Burnt Tavern Road in Brick, N.J. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Jan. 18 at noon at the Churchill of the Epiphany in Brick, with interment at Greenwood Cemetery in Brielle, N.J.
