The Life of Leonard, continued... making foxhunters—for other members.
Settling Down In 1951, Leonard married Sue Lee and she thought it might be a good idea if he had a steady gig, rather than a series of part-time jobs. T us he walked into Mitch & Bill’s auto repair shop in Potomac Village and there he stayed until he retired 44 years later (of course, as he still goes to Mitch & Bill’s, it’s hard to tell if he ever really retired). In so doing he transitioned from taking care of Potomac’s horses and their riders, to taking care of Potomac’s cars (and their owners)—while still taking care of their horses! In 1953, Leonard started riding horses
at Ardnave Farm for Mr. and Mrs. Ernest (Peg) Smith, working for “Mrs. Smith” until she died. An avid foxhunter and show rider, Peg Smith and Leonard were constantly on the road or in the saddle, hunting with diff erent packs and traveling the hunter show circuit. “It was diff erent in those days,” explains Leonard. “T ey would hunt today,” he said, referring to the horses, ”and show ‘em tomorrow.” It is hard for today’s show hunter riders to believe that the original of the “show hunter” was the fi eld hunter who showed! Over the years, Leonard worked with some of the best of the best in the horse world. “Miss Bella,” recalls Leonard, referring to Bella Hag- ner Martin, who had Whitestone Farm on River Road in the 1950s, “now she was a hel- luva horsewoman, mmm-hmmm. And Happy Christmas. And Charlie Carrico! A helluva horseman. I worked for him for a little while, showing conformation horses.” T e Smith children did not hunt, so when their mother Peg passed away, the family be- stowed upon Leonard all of their parents’ hunt- ing memorabilia, including ribbons and silver trophies, some of which Leonard has lovingly displayed throughout his home (along with the plethora of foxes that all foxhunters seem to be given as gifts!). Sixty-fi ve years in the hunt fi eld begs the
question: did he ever get injured? Certainly a statistical anomaly, Leonard had only one inju- ry that needed tending: when his horse stepped into a hole, Leonard fell and developed a he- matoma that needed to be drained.
He fi xed their cars, he fi xed their drinks, he fi xed their lives.
You are throwing a party for several hundred
people. Every detail has been planned out. Noth- ing has been overlooked. But until Leonard and Johnny arrive, you are not calm. Something could go wrong. But once they arrive, then you can re- lax. If anything goes wrong, they will fi x it. For 50 years no one planned a party in Potomac without fi rst clearing the date with Johnny and
36 | THE EQUIERY | DECEMBER 2012
Leonard. Once they approved your date, then you could begin planning the party. And once you gave them your guest list, they would take care of the rest of the planning, as they knew exactly who drank what, and purchased accordingly. Soon Leonard migrated from behind the bar to the dance fl oor, eventually entering regional dance contests, once taking fi rst place for the merengue and second place for the foxtrot!
made him a permanent addition to T e Ladies’ Lunch Bunch! “T at was it,” said Vicki, “he was just permanently one of the girls after that.”
Membership Application Rejected It was 1995. Most of the people for whom
Leonard had ridden horses had passed away. With fewer horses to make in the hunt fi eld, he had fewer opportunities to hunt. Leonard had been hunting the Crawfords’ older hunters until one day he inquired about member- ship in PHC. Explains Vicki: “T e Hunt Committee considered his membership application—and rejected it. Everyone voted to make him an Honorary Member, a unanimous decision!” Leonard was promptly awarded his col-
ors, and Mrs. Carroll quickly outfi tted him with hunting pinks and scarlet tails for evening. From party bartender to party guest, from groom to honorary, Leonard’s transition was complete. He was—and is—a Potomac institution.
Leonard Proctor and his uncle Johnny Jackson in 1982
Without a doubt, he is the best dancer at any hunt ball. And that is a fact, not an opinion, to which your publisher can attest, as she is one of many ladies vying for a spot on Leonard’s always-full dance card at any ball! Births and deaths. Marriages and divorces.
Crises big and small, Leonard has been there through them all. After retired Potomac MFH William Carroll
died, Leonard became the driver for Lyn Car- roll (always “Mrs. Carroll” of T e Surrey) and escorted her to race meets and social functions. “After my Bill died,” explained Sara Lee
Greenhalgh, “Leonard was just so kind; I don’t know what I would have done without him,” referring to the death of her husband in 1994. Likewise Sylvia Biggar. Both she and her sis-
ter Trisha leaned heavily on Leonard and Sue Lee after Trisha’s husband’s untimely death. When Trisha’s son was killed a year later in a freak accident (he was working under a car that slipped off its blocks), again the family leaned on Leonard and Sue Lee. Soon, the circle of la- dies around Sylvia were having lunch regularly for moral support, nicknaming themselves the “Old Potomac” Lunch Bunch. When Trisha was diagnosed with cancer, lunches ramped up to weekly get-togethers at Trisha’s home, with Leonard in the middle, recalling childhood stories about Trisha, Sylvia and their third sis- ter Happy, and their father, the indomitable, colorful Master of the Potomac Hounds, Sam Bogley. “We just laughed and laughed and laughed,” recalls Vicki Crawford about those lunches with Leonard at Trisha’s house. After Johnny Jackson died, Vicki said, Leon-
ard just seemed adrift, as he had been so close to his uncle, and then after Sue Lee died, the ladies
“Take care of your family, your cars, your horses, your house and life is just good.”
It is a simple life philosophy that has stood the test of time for Leonard. In Leonard’s garage is a 1972 Ford Mercury that he purchased in 1978 from MFH William Carroll. “I know everything about this car,” ex- plained Leonard, “because I am the one that took care of it when Mr. Carroll bought it new.” Mr. Carroll’s offi ce was just across the street from Mitch & Bill’s and just a few doors away from Mrs. Carroll’s tack store. Mrs. Carroll was quoted in the Almanac in 1987: “Anything you ask him to do, he is right there into it, doing it, very promptly and very well.” And that has been Leonard’s philosophy. He
took care of his people. He made their horses. He maintained their cars. He absorbed their cares, and in return people care about Leonard. Five years ago, 22 members of the club expressed their appreciation to Leonard by buying him a new foxhunter, a chestnut horse named Blue. Today you will fi nd Leonard, impeccably tai-
lored and turned out as always, hunting Blue fi rst fl ight; 2012 marks Leonard’s 65th season following the Potomac Hounds. If he is not in the hunt fi eld, you will fi nd him (still nattily at- tired) hanging with the boys at Mitch & Bill’s or holding court in the Hunter’s Inn, always with a smile, always with a kind word. How does he do it? “I just enjoy people,” explained Leonard, in his quiet manner. “You got to enjoy life. Life is too short. I believe in enjoying every day.” Tally ho, Leonard!
Many thanks to “T e Lunch Bunch” for allowing T e Equiery to experience lunch with Leonard and his ladies, and for helping with this article. - C.B.K., publisher For more photos of Leonard, visit the Archives on
equiery.com
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