Philip Dunn, former executive director of simulcast and supervised broadcast programming at the New York Racing Association, died Jan. 3 at the age of 81.
Hired initially by NYRA in 1961 as an administrative assistant, Dunn went on to serve as the assistant director of public relations and then as director of advertising and promotions. He left NYRA in 1969 and held managerial positions at Fasig-Tipton and Meadowlands Racetrack before returning to NYRA in 1986 as executive director of product development. In that position, Dunn was primarily responsible for securing out-of-state simulcast contracts and in 1987 also assumed supervisory duties of NYRA’s broadcast programming department. He retired in 1995 as the executive director of simulcast and TV systems.
A native of Brooklyn, Dunn graduated from Fordham University and received a master’s in business administration from Columbia University in 1953. He also served four years in the United States Navy. Dunn is survived by his sons, Kevin, Brian and Bruce, daughters Maureen and Cynthia, and nine grandchildren. A funeral mass will be held Friday, Jan. 7, at 11:15 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory R.C. Church, 2 Floral Parkway, Floral Park, N.Y.
