1962-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1962 August Voice | Page 3

Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse
VOICE
of the
Tennessee Walking Horse
B en A. G reen ................... Publisher-Editor
M rs . B en A. G reen ....................... Secretary
OFFICE—SHELBYVILLE, TENN.
(This monthly magazine is dedicated to the welfare
of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed for show and
pleasure.)
OUR AIM— To maintain a permanent publication
that will merit the full support of all who love
the Tennessee Walking Horse.
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse is owned
by Ben A. Green and Mrs. Ben A. Green, Shclby-
ville, Tcnn., and its editorial contents can be used
for re-publication by any person or firm provided
proper credit is given and the magazine is correctly
quoted.
Voice of the Tennessee Walking Horse is pub­
lished monthly at 1110 South Brittain St., Shelby-
ville, Tenn.
Send all subscription payments and advertising
payments to Ben A. Green, Shelbyville, Tenn.
Subscription Price: §4 per year; single copy
50 cents.
Youth In The Saddle,
Past, Present, Future
This issue of the Voice will be the
most important so far—maybe the
most important in the early life of
this magazine. Our intent is that this
magazine live as long as mankind
rides horses.
But for this moment in history the
Voice wants to express a tribute, re­
port a news event, and make a pre­
diction.
As our cover-page bottom streamer
relates, the Celebration (at Shelby­
ville) Features American Youth in
the Saddle.
But there will be one youth missing
from the Celebratio n—who was
among the more than 250 youths in
the 1961 Big Show.
And she was a Great One in the
Saddle.
Now Diana Stephens, age 9, is a
Precious Memory for all who knew
her. We hope through this issue of
this magazine to make her a Precious
Memory for every person who reads
this page and the next two pages.
This child’s tragic death at the
Germantown (Memphis) Horse Show
on June 16, 1962, could have “horri­
fied the nation’’—could have made
countless mothers fearful of permit­
ting their daughters and their sons to
ride horseback. It could have set off a
chain-reaction that could have de­
prived many youngsters of the great
pleasures Diana has enjoyed in the
saddle.
But Mr. and Mrs. Edgar M. Step­
hens, 3209 Washington Ave., Cairo,
111., have taken care of all that possi­
bility. They have consciously—in the
memory of Diana—taken a course of
action that should greatly help the
Youth of America in the Saddle. You
must read the next page—and all of
Mrs. Stephens' letter—to understand
what we mean. It tells the WHOLE
STORY. It is one of the finest, brav­
est, most eloquent expressions of love,
and religion, and faith, and courage
that we have read in almost 60 years
of life.
Mrs. Stephens’ letter reminds us of
what a Georgia mother did some 50
years ago when her son was killed in
a football accident while he was play­
ing at the University of Georgia. The
legislature was in session. Politics
brewed a batch of "outlaw football
legislation” efforts. It was tending to
sweep the land. This mother, in the
memory of her son, pleaded with the
legislature to abandon its frenzied
efforts—to aid football and its prog­
ress, not stifle it. The brave mother
won, the national trend reversed it­
self. A great force for American youth
training was preserved and strength­
ened.
We are also reminded of Tusca­
loosa (Ala.) parents whose oldest son
died in a swimming accident at camp.
They endowed a municipal swim­
ming pool that was named for their
son—in loving memory—and that pool
has surely helped save the lives of
many youth who have learned to
swim there. Positive action of faith
brought that about.
So this magazine tells in detail tire
Diana Stephens’ Story—as a firm pil­
lar of the past.
The present—we try to tell in small
measure in our feature article, includ­
ing brief stories on the youth and the
horses that are advertised in this issue
of the Voice. We regret our limi­
tations. Perhaps later we can tell this
news story better, more completely.
But we have done the best we could,
under all circumstances.
And now for the future.
Today the Voice Editor received a
$2 book from the U.S. Superintendent
of Documents. It is a 244-page report
entitled "OUTDOOR RECRE­
ATION FOR AMERICA” (A Re­
port to the President and to the Con­
gress by tire Outdoor Recreation Re­
sources Review Commission). This
report was mentioned last month in
the Voice reprint of an article from
Business Week Magazine.
In this 244-pager is one statistic that
means multi-millions of dollars to the
Tennessee Walking Horse industry—
IF it is used correctly. If not taken to
advantage it will mean nothing. The
Voice will develop this statistic in de­
]
tail later. But let us tell you in one
paragraph what this government sur­
vey shows. It is:
A survey of “expression of prefer­
ence of participants and non-partici­
pants in outdoor activ ities” was tal­
lied for 11 major activities. Percent­
agewise, Horseback Riding led every
one of them. We will explain all of
this later. We have a plan, and idea.
And Youth in the Saddle will lead us
in the future, just as it has in the past,
and in the present as told heretofore.
Youth is our Greatest Hope, our
Greatest Surety, our Greatest Asset.
(Signed, Ben A. Green, Copyright, by
the Voice of the Tennessee Walking
Horse.)
Ed Carothers Picked
Judge For Futurity;
Free To All Aug. 25
Ed Carothers, veteran Tennessee
Walking Horse judge and trainer of
Franklin, Tenn., has been secured to
judge the National Futurity scheduled
Saturday night, Aug. 25 at the Cele­
bration Grounds in Shelbyville, Tenn.
Announcement to this effect was
made by Executive Secretary Tom
Fulton of the Tennessee Walking
Horse Breeders’ 8c Exhibitors’ Assn, of
America, Inc. Carothers is called “one
of the best colt men" in the history of
the breed.
Fulton urges all Tennessee Walking
Horse followers to “come early and
enjoy this greatest National Futurity
ever held" for the breed. Cash prizes
total $7,500 in the six classes for fillies
and horse colts from weanlings to two-
year-olds under saddle.
This futurity admission is free to
everyone—as will be the first show of
die Celebration that follows on Sun­
day night. The Futurity starts at 7:30
p.m. and the Celebration Sunday show
at 8 p.m.
A general invitation in behalf of
the Breeders' Association appears on
Page 9 in this issue of the Voice. Cele­
bration details are told on Page 17.
Celebration On Radio
RADIO COVERAGE — Manager
Bob Davidson of Radio Station
WHAL—both standard and FM, tells
us a Tennessee Walking Horse Na­
tional Celebration Network is being
organized with a number of stations
in Tennessee—and perhaps some in
(Continued on Page 3S)