In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the American Paint Horse Association recently announced its first class of inductees for the APHA Hall of Fame. A total of 50 influential members of the Paint Horse community—25 horses and 25 people—will be honored at the induction ceremony October 5 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Paint horses colorful history
With APHA currently celebrating its 50-year anniversary, it is fitting that recognition be accorded to those colorful individuals—two- and four-legged—who were in it from the very beginning.
Given the Paint Horse breed’s colorful history, naming the first Hall of Fame class required much contemplation. A five-member Hall of Fame Selection Committee was charged with developing induction criteria, reviewing the association’s long list of history-makers, and narrowing the field of candidates to 50 inaugural inductees.
“With APHA currently celebrating its 50-year anniversary, it is more than fitting that recognition be accorded to those colorful individuals—two- and four-legged—who were in it from the very beginning,” Hall of Fame Selection Committee Member Frank Holmes said. “It was with this thought in mind that the inaugural class of APHA Hall of Fame inductees was chosen. Each pioneer person and foundation horse being inducted this year helped in some way to lay the foundation for what has grown from a plot hatched around a North Texas coffee table to a major breed association with tentacles in every corner of the world.”
The first APHA Hall of Fame class includes the following influential horses and horsemen:
Horses
- Adios Amigos #1525 (1962)
- Babette #1050 (1944)
- Calamity Jane #21 (1949)
- Cherokee Maiden #23 (1960)
- Crystal Eye #2022 (1960)
- Delta #2120 (1963)
- Dual Image #555 (1961)
- Hank-A-Chief #14149 (1969)
- Mister J. Bar #1044 (1961)
- Nylon #360 (1961)
- Painted Breeze Bar (1962)
- Painted Joe #50000 (1939)
- Painted Lasan #2300 (1963)
- Painted Robin #800 (1960)
- Powder Charge #4400 (1965)
- Q Ton Eagle #345 (1960)
- Sabru Indio #1200 (1962)
- Skip Hi #8 (1959)
- Skippa Rope #12012 (1968)
- Skippa Streak #3818 (1964)
- Snip Bar #7389 (1966)
- Tinky’s Spook #5165 (1965)
- Uvalde Doll #5065 (1960)
- Wahoo King #31 (1957)
- Yellow Mount #3300 (1964)
People
- Fred & Marian Adam
- Jo-an (Soso) Barnett
- Ralph & Barbara Brunner
- A.J. “Jack” Campbell
- Bud & Betty Crump
- Alfonso Gonzalez
- Paul Harber
- Bernard “Punk” Hoban
- J.D. Hooter
- Claude Howard
- Junior Hudspeth
- Bill James
- Rebecca Tyler Lockhart
- Dale Lukens
- W.L. “Lowell” Miller
- Buster & Marion Naegle
- Bill Neel
- Junior Robertson
- Ralph & Dorothy Russell
- Jay & Nancy Simons
- Sam Ed & Marge Spence
- L.N. Sykes
- H.J. “Hank” Wiescamp
- Stanley & Jodie Williamson
- Lyle & Butch Wonderlich
“This is an amazing start to what will become a first-class Hall of Fame,” APHA Executive Director Billy Smith said. “I can’t think of a more challenging job than picking the inaugural class to the APHA Hall of Fame. The committee worked tirelessly and struggled to make sure they had done the best job they could do.”
Biographies of each APHA Hall of Fame inductee will be featured in the October 2012 Paint Horse Journal.
The Hall of Fame induction ceremony coincides with the APHA Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, and takes place October 5 at the Hilton Fort Worth from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $60 if paid by September 9 or $70 if paid after. For more information, contact Theresa Brown at (817) 834-2742, ext. 403, or email her at tbrown@apha.com. Information can also be found at my.apha.com/events/convention.
About the American Paint Horse Association
The American Paint Horse Association (APHA), the international breed registry for the American Paint Horse headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012. In fulfillment of its mission to collect, record and preserve pedigrees of the breed, APHA recognizes and supports 111 regional and international clubs, produces championship shows, sponsors trail rides and creates and maintains programs that increase the value of American Paint Horses and enriches members' experiences with their horses. APHA has registered more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded, and now serves over 64,000 active youth and adult members around the world.