1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 June Voice | Page 14

SHELBYVILLE LIONS CLUB
OBSERVES 26th ANNIVERSARY
OF TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE
NATIONAL CELEBRATION
By BEN A. GREEN
Founding Editor
Eloquent tributes to the founders
and those who have pepetrated
the Tennessee Walking Horse Na­
tional Celebration to make it one
of the major horse shows of the
entire world were expressed in
Shelbyville, Tenn. on May 14. This
recognition featured the Shelby­
ville Lions Club's observance of
what it termed the 26th anniver­
sary of ‘'The Birth of the Celebra­
tion.”
Fifty - five especially invited
guests joined with the Lions for
this historic ceremony. The date
was chosen because on May 11,
1939, the first step toward develop­
ment of the Celebration was taken
when Lion President Freeman Fly
appointed William L. Parker and
Phil J. Scudder to serve on a com­
mittee designed to promote a “Ten­
nessee Walking Horse Festival.”
The Rotary Club later joined in
with the late W. Clyde Tune and
the late Franklin Boyd as commit­
tee members. These four civic
club members comprised the ori­
ginal Celebration Executive Com­
mittee that spearheaded establish­
ment of the Celebration in 1939 as
a 3-night horse show. It is now
scheduled for eight nights, Aug.
29-Sept. 5, preceded by the National
Futurity, August 28.
A 30-minute history of the Cele­
bration, read by Manager Bob Da­
vidson of Radio Station WHAL,
pictured the launching of the great
show, and its growth through the
years. The history test, written by
Ben A. Green, Founding Editor of
the VOICE, of Shelbyville, voiced
appreciation to all the people and
all the agencies that have taken
part in the development of this
11
Pillars of the 1964 Tennessee Walking Horse Celebration received special recogni­
tion as the Shelbyville Lions Club celebrated the 26th anniv ersary of a civic club
talk that gave birth to the Celebration idea. Pictured from left, are (seated) Mr-
Evan Lloyd Adamsson, Mrs. Robert M. Thomas, Mrs. William L. Parker, Mrs.
William C. Tune Jr., Mrs. William C. Tune Sr., Mrs. Phil J. Scuddcr and Mrs.
Henry J. Thompson. (Second row): Bob Davidson, master of ceremonies: Evan
Lloyd Adamson, Robert M. Thomas, William L. Parker, William C. Tune Jr.,
Tenry C. Tilford Jr., Phil J. Scudder, Henry J. Thompson and Tom Beavers,
Lion vice president. Mrs. llenrv C. Tilford Jr., chairman of the Shelbyville PTA
Horse Show, was not present.
Among special guests who were present for the Birth of the Celebration party
at the Lions Club were, from left, J. French Brantley, Wartrace Rt. 1, veteran
breeder, past-president of the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ .Assn., and
twice a Celebration judge; Sam Paschal, Murfreesboro, trainer-rider of world’s
grand champions in 1958-62-63; Mrs. Katherine Wiser, widow of Winston Wiser
who won five world’s grand championships, in 1943-47-48-55-56; S. W. Beech, Jr.,
Belfast, immediate past-president of the Breeders’ Assn., once a Celebration judge
and rider of the reserve grand champion (Black Angel), in 1944; Ray Beech,
Belfast, 1963 rider of Little Bit ’() Trouble, world’s champion pony for riders
under 12 years of age.
great show which has for 25 years
crowned the recognized World’s
Champion Tennessee Walking
Horse in all classes — climaxing
its program each year with crown­
ing of the World’s Grand Cham­
pion Walking Horse in a stake that
is open to all pedigreed horses of
the breed of any age or sex.
The history began with the min­
utes of the Lions Club meeting of
May 11, 1939, which told how W.
Henry Davis of Wartrace and three
associates, Fred Walker, Charles
Pearson and Floyd Carothers
urged a festival to promote the
Tennessee Walking Horse as an
asset to the state.
During the reading of the text
all special guests of the club were
introduced, and recognition given
to the organizations they repre­
sented.
(Continued on Page 17)
VOICE of The Tennessee Walkin' Horse