LIFE & TIMES
Maryland Will Miss... Edward “Skeeter” Hem-
bry of Rappahannock, VA, died on November 4. He was 82. Born and raised in Herndon, VA, Hembry was a well-known member of the Warrenton community since 1978 and touched the lives of many throughout the horse community. He owned and operated Skee- ter’s Custom Leather & Tack Show, fi rst in Fairfax and later in New Baltimore, for more than 50 years where he made custom Western saddles as well as repaired tack and horse blankets. He produced many of the prize saddles and tack for the Southern Maryland Quarter Horse As- sociation’s year-end awards. His skill with re- pairs made him often sought after for historical restorations with clients including the Smith- sonian in Washington, D.C., Hembry started training horses when he was just 15 and was a lifelong member of the American Quarter Horse Association. He judged AQHA shows throughout the U.S. and Canada for more than 25 years and was the fi rst African Ameri- can AQHA national judge. Hembry also ran a breeding operation, which produced many AQHA champions.
Valerie Ann Mackaill Edmonds of German-
town died on November 11 at the age of 78. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Edmonds was a boarder at Moon Rising Farm.
William Gaines “Billy” Christmas of
Monkton died on November 14, just a few days short of his 96th birthday. Christmas was a past president of the Maryland Horse Breeders As- sociation and former part owner of Delaware Park. Christmas was born into a prominent
COMINGS & GOINGS
T oroughbred racing fam- ily and was raised in Southern Maryland. He attended St. Joseph School in Washington, D.C., and served in the U.S. Army during World War II where he spent most of the war guarding the Panama Canal. Christmas ended his military service as a Supply Sergeant. After the war, Christmas
Edward “Skeeter” Hembry
briefl y worked at the Bethle- hem Steel Co. before begin- ning to train T oroughbred racehorses. He saddled his fi rst winner at the old Marl- boro Race Course in Prince George’s Country. He was ac-
tive in the T oroughbred racing industry from 1947 until his death with his last winner run- ning in 2019. Christmas moved his racing operation to a
property in Monkton next to his father’s Idle Miss Farm. He met his future wife, Louise White, as they were both galloping horses at Pimlico Race Course. T ey were married in 1953 and she became the racing stable’s farm manager. In 1978, the couple established Maryland Sales Agency, a Monkton-based T oroughbred auction company, which they ran together until the busi- ness closed in 1989. Christmas was one of the
fi rst trainers to give Kath- ryn “Kathy” Kusner a ride, with the stakes winner Ter- rible Tiger in 1971. Kusner, a U.S. Olympic medalist in Show Jumping, applied to the Maryland Racing Com- mission for a jockey’s license in 1967 but was turned down because she was a woman. She successfully took her
Jen Roytz has stepped down as Executive Director of the Retired Racehorse Project as of December 31, 2021. Longtime staff member and current managing director Kirsten Green will serve as interim executive director while RRP conducts a national search to fi ll the role.
case to court and in 1968 became the fi rst li- censed female jockey in the U.S.
Misti Jane “Maggie” Brant of Woodbine
died on November 24 at the age of 69. Brant was born in Johnstown, PA, and graduated from Chestnut Ridge High School in 1970. Brant was very active in the annual Harrison Mule Days and worked for many years in the veterinary fi eld.
William Gaines “Billy” Christmas
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Farrier T omas Buford Parris of Alpha Omega Equine Service, based in Woodbine, died on November 28. He was 79. Parris gradu- ated from Glenelg High School in 1961 and was fi rst employed by Boarman’s Foodland in Highland. He then started shoeing horses and formed Alpha Omega Equine Service. Parris was a member of the American Farri- ers Association and Maryland Farriers Asso- ciation. He was also a 4-H leader and taught his own children, as well as oth- ers, to ride horses. Outside of the horse world, Parris loved playing the guitar and singing, starting his own group called Pilgrims of Song. He was a member of the Calvary Baptist Church where he was a pastor for 24 years. Parris is survived by his wife Dorothy, daughter Carol Basore, sons Dale Parris, Dwayne Parris and Darren Parris as well as three grandsons and one great grandson.
of Marylanders
Kara Thorpe
Tracy McKenna
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