WALTON PERRY DAVIS JR.
Walton Perry Davis Jr. died Sept. 13 at his home in North Carolina. He was 85.

Mr. Davis, son of the late Walton Perry Davis Sr. and Luella Clark Davis, was born and raised in Locust Valley, New York. Mr. Davis was a well respected and accomplished horseman, businessman and was a decorated naval veteran of WWII in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, stationed on the USS Leonard Wood.

Mr. Davis was one of the most talented young horsemen of his day. Along with his father, he was known for developing good horses for the show ring and hunting field. At age 13, he was the first boy to win the Saddle Seat Good Hands Championship in 1934 in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. In 1935, Mr. Davis was again the first boy to be awarded the Alfred B. Maclay Trophy for horsemanship in jumping.

He ran the family business, Walton P. Davis Moving and Storage and Horse Transportation, until 1971, when he retired and moved to the Southern Pines area of North Carolina where he continued his involvement with horses.

Mr. Davis was an avid foxhunter with the Meadowbrook Hounds (N.Y.), a whip for the Rombout Hunt (N.Y.) and a member of the Moore County Hounds (N.C.) since 1973.

He was also active with the Moore County Driving Club.

Mr. Davis raised both his driving horses and his hunting horses and was an active horseman all of his 85 years. His love of horses was passed on to all of his children, whom he mentored in the hunting field, show ring and Pony Club. His daughter, Susan Davis, well known on Long Island for her success in the hunter divisions, later went on to event and train with the U.S. Equestrian Team under the tutelage of Jack Le Goff.

Mr. Davis is survived by his wife, Barbara Davis. He’s also survived by his children: Susan Davis, of West Chester, Pa.; Meg Smith, of Pinehurst N.C.; Cyndee Davis, of Southern Pines, N.C.; Walton Perry Davis III, of Pinehurst, N.C.; and two grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Walthour Moss Foundation, P.O. Box 1098, Southern Pines, NC 28388.    Staff


THOMAS FAHEY
Thomas Fahey died in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 27. He was 26.

Mr. Fahey, of Leawood, Kan., was accompanying his student, Paige Winters. The two were returning home after trying junior hunters in Lexington (see Sept. 1, p. 48).

Mr. Fahey was a hunter/jumper trainer who was based at Winsrun Equestrian Center in Kansas. He competed Revel at the grand prix level, and his students and horses regularly claimed championships throughout the country, from the Winter Equestrian Festival circuit (Fla.) to such Midwest shows as Kentucky and Trader’s Point (Ind.).

“Thomas was one of those rare professionals who had it all; he was a great rider, a great trainer and most of all a great friend,” said Danielle Kaiser. “His impact on the riding community cannot be measured and words cannot express how much he will be missed by all.”

Mr. Fahey is survived by his parents Kevin and Connie Fahey, brother Andrew, sister Allison, and a niece and a nephew.

Memorial contributions may be made to: Thomas Connell Fahey Memorial Fund, Robin Pittman, UMB Bank, 1010 Grand Blvd., Mailstop 1020202, Kansas City, MO 64106.    Staff


PAIGE WINTERS
Paige Winters died in the crash of Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington, Ky., on Aug. 27. She was 16.

Miss Winters, of Leawood, Kan., was on the flight with her trainer, Thomas Fahey. The two were returning home after trying junior hunters in Lexington (see Sept. 1, p. 48).

“After riding the good, the bad and the really naughty ponies (happily I might add) as well as the made and green children’s hunters, Paige finally got her junior hunter. I couldn’t think of a more deserving child,” said friend and trainer Genny Freeman. “Paige got to have her last year on a horse she adored. She was preparing to move on to the next phase with a new horse when her life was tragically taken.”

Miss Winters was a junior at Shawnee Mission East High School and was also a talented soccer player. She was described as a fun and upbeat person.

“It was truly a pleasure a pleasure and honor to know Paige,” said family friend Danielle Kaiser. “She brought happiness to so many lives, and we can still hear her giggling.”

Miss Winters is survived by her parents Kevin and Joan Winters and brother Jeff.

Memorial contributions may be made to: Paige Winters Foundation, c/o Country Club Bank, Gayle Edwards, 9400 Mission Rd., Prairie Village, KS 66206.    Staff


JOHN H. DANIELS
John Hancock “Jack” Daniels, a man who loved sport and all books connected with sport, died Sept. 18. He was 84.

Mr. Daniels, of Mulberry Plantation in Camden, S.C., was a member of the National Sporting Library’s Board of Directors from 1987 to 2004 and an honorary member at the time of his death. He was on the board of the National Steeplechase Museum.

Mr. Daniels was MFH of the Camden Hunt (S.C.) and co-founded and served as Jt.-MFH of the Long Lake Hounds (Minn.), and the Old Stonington Hunt (Ill.).

Mr. Daniels, a 1942 graduate of Yale (Conn.), was president and later CEO of the corporate giant Archer Daniels Midland, Inc., headquartered in Minnesota, retiring in 1972. While at Yale, he was captain of the Yale polo team, a sport he continued to play and follow .

Mr. Daniels became involved with the NSL in 1975, the year he responded to a membership drive launched by former Director Alexander Mackay-Smith. It was at this time he started to assemble what would turn out to be one of the most important collections of sporting books in the United States-books that cover equestrian sports, fishing, angling, shooting, foxhunting, and other related field sports, dating from 1523 to contemporary editions.

Commencing in 1995, Mr. and Mrs. Daniels donated their entire 5,000-volume collection to the NSL, which almost doubled the library’s collection. This move was the catalyst for finding a larger home, and in 1999 the NSL moved from its Vine Hill basement quarters to the current 15,000-square-foot facility.

Mr. Daniels is survived by: his wife of 64 years, Martha Hill Williams Daniels; four children, John H. Daniels Jr. of Minneapolis, Minn., Christopher W. Daniels, of Denver, Colo., Martha M. Daniels, of Washington State and Mulberry Plantation, and Dr. Jane D. Moffett, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.; eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.    NSL Staff


ALL MINE
All Mine, the successful junior and amateur hunter of the 1990s, died on Sept. 26 after a bout with colic. He was 22.

All Mine, a Canadian Thoroughbred, jumped to the forefront of the junior hunter division with Holly Hayes Orlando in the irons under the tutelage of Roger Young, of Camden, S.C.

All Mine earned multiple championships at the fall indoor shows, including tricolor honors at the National Horse Show (N.Y.) in 1992 and ’93, and the Pennsylvania National in ’92. He was also reserve champion as the Washington (D.C.) International in ’92 and ’93.

After his career with Orlando concluded, All Mine was sold to Shady Side Farm in Memphis, Tenn., where Neely Bates took over the ride. She competed All Mine in the juniors and then for a year in the amateur-owner, 18-35, division before he retired in 1998.

Throughout his junior career, All Mine amassed 8,587 U.S. Equestrian Federation points.

All Mine spent his retirement years with Bates’ other junior hunter, Charade, who is now 20. “The two were turned out together, and they were like Frick and Frack,” joked Shady Side Farm manager Nick Bishop. “They were competing for the title of most spoiled horse in the country. It was a close race. He will certainly be missed.”    Staff