PROFESSIONALS PARADE
by Gloria L . Spencer
ALBERT LEE ROWLAND . . . A MAN OF MANY TALENTS ADDS MUCH INTEREST TO WALKING HORSE ACTIVITY
Our Professional for the month of August has led one of the most varied and interesting careers of anyone in the Walking Horse business today . An outstanding soldier of World War II , a night club owner , an oil driller , a feeding advisor for Purina Feeds , and varied accomplishments as a Walking Horse trainer are just some of the points of interest about Albert Lee Rowland of Boaz , Alabama .
Albert Lee was born in Nashville , Tennessee , on March 7 , 1921 . His father owned three restaurants in Nashville around the Andrew Jackson Hotel , along with several market wagons that were drawn by horses to the Old Hay Market in Nashville , which was an old trading place for horses . Albert Lee spent many days riding these wagons and when his family moved to Belfast , Tennessee his interest in Walking Horses began . He and another well-known trainer today , Glenn Willis started riding together . When Jimmy Joe Murray had his first sale in Lewisburg , Albert Lee rode a two year old filly that he had trained to the square at Lewisburg and made his first sale to Mr . Frank Barber , Baton Rouge , Louisiana . The horse sold lor $ 900.00 . YELLOW ROSE went back home with Mr . Barber to win most of her circuit that year , thus the career of a new trainer had begun .
A FAMILY OF HORSE LOVERS ... The Albert Lee Rowland family . From left to right — Randal ], age twenty ; Albert Lee ; Mrs . ( Oneida ) Rowland ; Mike , age thirteen and Renita , age ten .
Albert Lee ’ s interests during his high school years in Belfast were not horses , but basketball , where he was all district center during his last year of school . Upon graduating from high school he married Oneida Hastings , a co-ed from Belfast High School . The country was in the midst of World War II at this time and Uncle Sam called Albert Lee to serve which he did very well . He spent five years with General Douglas MacArthur in the South Pacific and came home with five bronze stars , three arrow heads , a purple heart and a citation from the Chinese Nationalist Government . In 1945 he returned home to buy and operate a night club for two years near Fayetteville , Tennessee .
A close school friend of his was S . W . Beech and he began going to some horse shows with him and began showing some of the Beech horses . He made his first memorable show in Cincinnati , Ohio on BETTY LANE to win the Amateur Class . While associating with S . W . Beech , Albert Lee has fond memories of riding such champions as BLACK ANGEL , MISSOURI CHANCE AND POE ’ S BLACK
ACE . Albert Lee pointed out the fact that he only rode these horses a time or two , but this was a start that sparked a desire to train horses . When his night club was destroyed by fire , he and Eddie Byran went into business at the old John T . Carter Stables in Lewisburg , now known as Luna & Beasley Stables .
After two years Albert Lee moved to Wenona Farms in Shelbyville , Tennessee , where he handled around 300 head of horses for Mr . Bailey Evans . Here he made the mare STROLLIN MERRY BELLE and sold horses from California to Canada out of a printed catalog . He recalls that each horse had it ’ s own number and many of the horses were sold sight unseen and delivered to the new owner . He then moved to Bradford Farms in Calera , Alabama to be the farm manager and trainer . Here he handled and trained show cattle and while there they purchased $ 85,000 worth of show cattle from Milky Way Farms . He also made ED WILSON AGAIN and bred a mare to ROAN ALLEN AGAIN to produce and name the well-known SUNDAY BONNET . Albert Lee
20 VOICE of Tiie Tennessee Walking Horse