Busch page 12

Busch page 12 by ric gustafson


Gussie Busch was in his late sixties and had no plans to retire. The brewery had doubled it's market share and the St Louis Cardinals were playing well in the new Busch Memorial Stadium. The Cardinals won the National League pennant in 1967 and 1968 thanks to the pitching of Bob Gibson. The Cardinals owner was Gussie but the brewery owned the team.
Gussie and August were always at odds about how the brewery should be run. August wanted to reorganize and modernize the brewery but Gussie enjoyed the old ways and the bankers hours he stuck to. August was concerned that Gussie was not up to run the brewery. August's nicknames were the ' Third' or ' young August'. One of August's projects was to analize the brewery's production capacity versus the demand for it's product. The result was to build more plants located to minimize freight costs. Eventually, seven plants were built around the country. In 1969, all seven plants were shut down by a Teamsters strike. In June 1969, Philip Morris purchased 53 percent of Miller Brewing Company. This scared both Gussie and August.
August's personal problems continued when in 1969, his marriage to Susie was in trouble. August moved into an apartment and divorced Susie quickly and quietly.
In 1969, the Cardinals had a dismal season and the strain of life began to show in Gussie Busch.


research help: ' Bitter Brew' by William Knoedelseder


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric