STARK, ALBERT

STARK, ALBERT ("Dolly"; 1897–1968), U.S. baseball umpire, radio announcer, and college basketball and baseball coach. Stark was born on the Lower East Side. His father died when he was a youngster, and his mother became blind, leading to a poverty-stricken childhood and forcing Stark to earn money as a pushcart peddler. Stark played for Jersey City and Newark in the International League, before failing in his tryout with the Washington Nationals for his lack of hitting. Stark umpired college baseball for a few years and then began officiating in the Eastern League in 1927. On February 3, 1928, he was appointed an umpire in the National League. He became one of the most celebrated and popular umpires in baseball from 1927 until 1940, so much so that on August 24, 1935, Stark was given a "day" at the Polo Grounds and presented with an automobile before the scheduled game, an event virtually unheard of for umpires. In 1934 and 1935 he was voted the most popular umpire in a player's poll. In 1936 Stark became the first umpire in history to hold out for more money, sitting out the season and working as a radio announcer in Philadelphia. He returned the following year, retired in 1939, came back in 1942, and then retired for good. In the off-seasons Stark coached basketball   at Dartmouth College, as head coach of the freshman team from 1925 to 1928 and coach of the varsity from 1929 to 1936 and 1945–46, finishing with a 102–59 record. After his career, Stark became a successful designer of women's clothes, known for the originality of his "Dolly Stark" dress. (Elli Wohlgelernter (2nd ed.)