Personal Life
Kroc's foundation supported research and treatment of alcoholism, diabetes, and other diseases. He established the Ronald McDonald House foundation. He was a major donor to the Dartmouth Medical School.
In 1972 Senator Harrison A. Williams Jr. (Democrat - NJ) suggested Kroc's contributions of over $200,000 to Richard Nixon's re-election campaign influenced the White House's policy on wages for teenage workers.
In 1974, Kroc purchased the San Diego Padres, but once remarked "There's more future in hamburgers than baseball." On April 9, 1974, while the Padres were on the brink of losing a 9-5 decision to the Houston Astros in the season opener at San Diego Stadium, Kroc took the public address microphone in front of 39,083 fans. "I’ve never seen such stupid ballplaying in my life," he said.
In 1979, the 77-year old Kroc suffered a stroke. He was required by doctors to take medication for his condition, and since it could not be used with alcohol, he had to enter AA rehab. He died of heart failure at Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego, California, on January 14, 1984 at the age of 81. He left a widow, Joan. His previous marriages, to Ethel Fleming (1922–1961) and Jane Dobbins Green (1963–1968), ended in divorce.
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