Page 79 - January 2021

. . . your guidance and knowledge will leave legacies in the horse industry for years to come.
ROGER ‘SONNY’ KNIGHT JR.
WILLIAM F. LEACH
William F. Leach, 88, passed away on June 7. Bill served in the Army and was awarded the National Defense Medal. He began training
at Ruidoso Downs in 1966 and was the track’s leading trainer for several years in the 80’s. He is the trainer of over $7.1 million in Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse runners, including as the co-owner and trainer of 1981 Champion Easily Smashed. Leach was inducted into the Ruidoso Racehorse Hall of Fame in 2016.
CHARLES LEGGETT
Oklahoma horseman Charles Leggett passed away on Feb. 24 at the age of 82. An avid owner and breeder, Charles was a longtime member
of the AQHA and Oklahoma Quarter Horse Racing Association. Charles also bred and owned Paint horses. Perhaps his best horse is Paint World Champion Texas Silk ($249,384).
JOHN LEONARD
Breeder/owner John C. Leonard passed away on Feb. 28 at the age of 89. Leonard and his wife Pat owned a Quarter Horse ranch in Oregon, where they raised racing Quarter Horses for many years. Their best runner was multiple stakes winner Party Street, who won 21 races and broke track records in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California, some of which still stand today.
GARY KURZ WILLIAM F. LEACH CHARLES LEGGETT
JUD LITTLE
Chickasaw citizen Jud Quintin Little passed
away on March 25 following a short illness. Little founded the Jud Little “Bar Nothin’” Ranch in 1976. No other horse operation has sent more timed event horses to the National Finals Rodeo than Little’s Ranch. He bred Champion barrel horses, including AQHA World Champion, NFR Qualifier and Barrel Report Champion 4-Year-
Old Stallion JL Dash Ta Heaven; NFR Qualifier Chicados Cash; and NFR Qualifier and American Finals Qualifier Shebe Firin For Cash. Jud Little was a member of the AQHA, OQHRA, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Barrel Futurities of America, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, and Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show.
ANNE MARION
Texas oil and ranching heiress Anne Marion, the owner of Burnett Ranches, passed away at the
age of 81 on Feb. 11. In 1993, Marion purchased Champion Dash For Cash and secured Streakin Six and Special Effort for stud duty, and the AQHA honored Four Sixes/Burnett Ranches as the winner of the Best Remuda Award. The AQHA bestowed the ranch with the inaugural Legacy Award for
50 consecutive years in 1997. Also in 1997, she founded the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Marion was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners of the National Cowboy
& Western Heritage Museum in 1981, and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall
of Fame in 2007. She was honored in many other ways, including the Golden Deed Honoree (1993), Texas Business Hall of Fame (1996), Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts award (1996), American Quarter Horse Foundation’s Merle Wood Humanitarian Award (1999), National Golden Spur Award (2001), Boss of the Plains Award (2003) and Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame (2014).
JOHN MAYERS
John “Johnny” Mayers, 82, passed away on May 27. He received a 4-year scholarship from the King Ranch and graduated from Texas A&M
in 1959. He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army, was as an instructor at West Point, and then began a teaching career in which he served 14 years as Vocational Director for the Laredo Independent School District. In 2007, he was named LIFE Rancher of the Year. Mayers was the co-breeder with Tyler Graham of 2014 Champion 2 Year Old/Champion 2-Year-Old Colt Kiss My Hocks.
MARY PARSONS
Mary Parsons of Anaheim, California, passed away at the age of 67 on Feb. 18. With her husband Mark, Mary owned and raced many Quarter Horses including Los Alamitos Winter Derby-G1 winner Kobe.
To our friends, who are gone, yet not forgotten.
JUD LITTLE ANNE MARION
MARY PARSONS
SPEEDHORSE January 2021 77