MSHR Mourns Loss of Founder, Publisher Donald Leigh Dowdle, 1950-2008 The Mid-South equine community has lost one of its most ardent advocates with the death of Donald Leigh Dowdle, age 58, who established the Mid-South Horse Review in 1992 and oversaw its publication until a few weeks prior to his passing on October 24, 2008. Don was a Charleston, Mississippi native and a Mississippi State University graduate with a degree in Business & Industry. A “20th Century Cowboy” and no nonsense newspaperman, Mr. Dowdle was a writer, photographer, poet, businessman, animal husbandry man, devoted father, husband and friend. He was a resident of the Somerville community in Fayette County, Tennessee since 1982, where he was a member of the Warren Community Church. During his senior year at Mississippi State University in Starkville, he served as editor of the school’s newspaper, The Reflector. He graduated in 1973 with a degree in Business and Industry. Following graduation, Don founded a series of papers, beginning 1976 with the Buffalo River Review in Linden, Tennessee. After moving to Somerville, he established two weekly publications: the Fayette County Review and the East Shelby Review, two monthly papers: the Southern Livestock Review, and the Mid-South Horse Review, and the annual Field Trial Review, which covers the National Championship at Ames Plantation in LaGrange, Tennessee. He also acquired ownership of the Kerens Tribune in Kerens, Texas. Among his many journalistic accomplishments was a University of Tennessee Press Award for Best Single Editorial in 1999. He published the first edition of the Mid-South Horse Review in April, 1992 based on a shared "...love, interest and respect for horses," with the idea of providing a forum where riding clubs of all disciplines could share news, event schedules, and show results. His involvement with horses began when he attended a Field Trial National Championship in Grand Junction, Tennessee where he rode a rented horse. He subsequently purchased his own horse, and "...then another and then several more...a two-horse trailer, then a four-horse trailer and a vehicle to pull it." Many readers of the Mid-South Horse Review will remember Don from his wide-ranging presence, camera in hand, at equine events of all disciplines across the region. His commitment to publicizing, promoting, and reporting on all aspects of the relationship between humans and horses never faltered. Services were held Monday, October 27, at Peebles West Funeral Chapel at Oakland with interment in the Somerville City Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Lee “Sissy”Saunders Dowdle; daughters Laura Ann Dowdle Marshall, Meredith and Britain; mother Martha Johnson Dowdle of Fulton, Mississippi; brother Glynn; sister Madge; and one granddaughter. We invite you to send remembrances of Don and condolences to the family to editor@midsouthhorsereview.com. We want to assure our readers that the Mid-South Horse Review is continuing operations, as we know Don would have wanted, with the intention of honoring his vision of a broad-based newspaper devoted to bringing you news and information important to all aspects of riding, training, breeding, and equine health. We hope you will continue to send us your photos, event information, and results. The family requests that memorials be sent to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital. Family, Friends Remember Don Dowdle A number of people have written to express their condolences on the passing of the Mid-South Horse Review’s founder and publisher, Don Dowdle, and to recall some of their memories of and experiences with him. Don’s ten year old daughter, Meredith had an “office” at the Mid-South Horse Review for several years. Apparently, this tradition was begun with his oldest daughter, Laura Anne Dowdle Marshall (Bryan), whose tribute to her Dad at his funeral begins this remembrance: When I think of my dad the first thing that comes to mind is newspapers. He loved a newspaper. You could always find him reading a paper or he at least had one near him. Growing up my parents were divorced, but this never caused me to feel less loved by either parent. In fact I felt more loved by both. Starting when I was about 5 I visited my father every other weekend during the school year. This was always a fun time for me. I spent many hours at the paper office. I loved being there and helping the ladies run the office. Looking back now I am sure I drove a few of them crazy, but they never let it show. I can remember helping put the mailing labels on the papers, going with my dad to sell ads, actually helping create some of the ads, and playing in the hot wax machine that was used to lay out the paper. My dad even helped me to make birthday newspapers for some of my birthday parties. He saved the original layouts of these papers. At my current job as a school counselor I credit my love for paperwork due to playing office when I would visit my dad. I would always create forms and phone messages for my pretend office. I have also realized that I am like my dad in the way that I will jot down notes for work on any piece of paper I can find. It is funny how I now see parts of my dad in me. During the summers I would spend a week or two each month with him. He always made me feel a part of his life. I can remember sitting at the round table at the silver moon with the city’s lunch crowd. Everyone made me feel so important. My dad would always let Miss Eula Mae know ahead of time when I would be visiting. (Continued on page 2) I loved seeing all the autographed pictures she had on her walls. My dad would also take me with him to rotary club meetings. He always wanted me to feel a part of his life. My dad loved eating at the Hut. I remember going there a lot for supper. During the day my dad would let me walk around the square in Somerville, and everyone knew I was Don’s daughter. I also remember walking to Super D and the little grocery store that was across the street. I would also go to the library and check out books. I remember my dad teaching me how to ride my bike without training wheels and buying me my first car. I remember several trips my dad took me own - to see the Alamo, trips to South Carolina, Opryland, a horse ranch, and trips to Florida. My dad also took me to several places in Memphis such as Liberty Land, Graceland, the Peabody Hotel, and Mud Island. I can also remember going with my dad to a newspaper convention where he won an award. Wherever we went my dad would always let me order dessert. I think he must have always wanted dessert so if he had some he could not leave me out. My dad would often fly me to Memphis when it was my time to come visit. That was so cool to me. How many other seven year olds get the chance to fly by themselves. It was a neat experience. It was back in the day before 9/11 and the stewardess would even let me into the cockpit to visit the pilots. When I did not fly to my dad’s we traveled by car. I was forced to listen to his loud country music. At the time I did not like it, but it grew on me. My dad turned me into a fan of country music. One song I remember my dad listening to over and over is Copper Head Road by Steve Earle. My dad loved horses which he tried to get me to love aIso. Due to a few unlucky experiences on horses, such as a horse running off with me on him and another horse getting stung by a bee and going crazy with me on him, I have not quite developed the passion my dad had for horses. I remember always wanting to go shopping when I would visit and my dad would take me. We would go to the mall of Memphis, hickory ridge mall, and the outlet mall. You know you have a special daddy when they will take you clothes shopping. My dad also loved playing board games when I would visit. He loved to play monopoly, sorry, and checkers. I started not enjoying monopoly because it lasted so long. I like to think that is because I was winning and my dad wanted to beat me. I remember when I was little going out in the boat on the Buffalo River with my dad. I liked the boat, but I did not like when the barges were near. It made the water so rough and I did not like going over the waves. My dad would always assure me that he would not get to close and would not let anything hurt me. My dad taught me how to fish and would always have a fishing pole ready for me. As I grew older I was not able to come visit on a regular basis, but I still kept in touch with my dad through emails, phone calls, and visits when I could. On one of my last visits with my dad I was able to bring him a copy of The Reflector which is the Mississippi State student body newspaper. When my dad was at Mississippi State he worked on the paper and was the editor his senior year. This lets you know how long my dad was in the newspaper business. I think it is neat how I was able to bring a recent copy of this paper to him. It is a whole another story how I was able to get this paper, but I know that God lets everything happen for a reason. My dad also attended many important events in my life he was there for my senior awards day at high school, my graduation, he escorted me during homecoming in college, he was able to walk me down the aisle for my wedding, and he was there when my daughter Meri Morgan was born. Meri Morgan calls him granddaddy and she knows that he is now in heaven. I will not let her forget him. My granddaddy (my dad’s dad) passed away in 1991. I know my dad is telling my granddaddy all about Meri Morgan. He is also telling him all about my sister Meredith. My dad was so proud of her and was always telling me about her latest adventure. Meredith I want you to know that our daddy loved you very much and we had a good daddy no matter what. Besides always having a newspaper with him my dad also loved to take pictures. I started looking around for pictures of my dad and realized we did not have a lot because he was always the one with the camera. I think I may get Meri Morgan her first kid camera this Christmas in memory of my dad. I just wanted to share some of the memories that I have of time spent with my dad. I love him and will always miss him. My dad did not want me know much about his cancer. But I feel that is because he did not want me to know how bad it really was. Even up to the end he would always end our conversations with “Daddy loves you.” I love you too daddy. I want to thank my dad’s friends and family for all of their support over the last 2 ½ years. Thank you to all those who drove my dad to various doctor visits, treatments, and just around town. He could not have made it without you. I do not know everyone’s name who helped him, but I thank you and I know God will truly bless you. “Farewell to Don” from Kevin DeBusk For those who knew Don Dowdle, he wore many hats: friend, boss, father and animal lover. Don was also a man who loved to give people opportunities and I was one of the lucky ones. Well, lucky, some might differ, as I worked for Don and that could be a chore. The only reason they might question lucky is they didn’t understand him. Don was very passionate about his work and the work he produced and, thanks to his passion, my career has grown. So all I can say is thank you, Don. For as long as there are journalists you have touched, a part of you will always be around. And oh yes, for those who knew him well, I have this thought. As passionate as he was about his work, deadlines could be, well, less than guaranteed. So I figure we should have lost Don a month or two ago had he not been notorious for extending them at the last minute. God Bless all his family and thanks for letting me be part of your family. Kevin DeBusk, MSHR Editor 2000-2001 and contributor since. From Amanda Rhodes: I am deeply saddened to here of Mr. Don’s death. He was a good person, and really did his best to improve and teach about different elements of the horse community in the mid-south with his articles. He was a great writer and a wonderful photographer. I was fortunate to have been able to work with him on some articles that were published in the Horse Review. Don was also willing to help me with getting my photography business started, helping me with ideas, and getting my name out there to be seen. His death really came as a shock to me. Although I wasn’t a close friend, I still admired and even looked up to him, and was very honored to have known him. I know there are some good people back at the - and it will still continue to be a great publication; but I feel as if the horse community has lost a really good friend, educator, and horseman. Amanda From Dianne Higgs Dear Sissy and Family: I am so sorry to hear of Don’s passing. He was a joy to work with during the many years I chaired the Mid South Quarter Horse Breeders Futurity. I knew I could depend on him at all times to pull us out of the fire at deadlines. His support of our show and friendship over the years will never be forgotten. We will all miss him for years to come. Sincerely, Dianne Higgs, Millington, TN “The Eternal Review” by Nancy Brannon “Hello. This is Don Dowdle. Just checking in with you.” Those are familiar words that customers and contacts of the various Review newspapers heard when they received phone calls from Don Dowdle. His manner of establishing personal rapport with folks always preceded any business discussion that might be the purpose of his call. Don was good at selling people on his news endeavors, whether it be buying an ad or working for him in some capacity. The death of a person is usually a time when friends, associates, and family members review their experiences with the deceased, as well as his or her life’s accomplishments. It is a time when folks concentrate on the good experiences they’ve shared, while the bad times are set aside as less important and the faults of the deceased are forgiven. It is a time when any grudges that may have existed tend to evaporate. Perhaps that is a good plan to follow with our still-living fellow humans as well. My experiences writing for Don as newspapers editor were valuable learning times, and I credit Eileen Hinders of Arlington, Tennessee with getting me involved in Review journalism. That was in the early 1990s. She had been writing articles for the East Shelby Review, and was leaving that post. She approached me one day on the Memphis State University campus, where I was adjunct faculty in Sociology, and told me I should and could take the available position. “You can write,” she told me. I ultimately decided to try it, and Don hired me. It was like one those jokes Garrison Keillor makes about English majors (yes, I was an undergraduate English major). I learned to write my first draft of an article as quickly as possible and make it the best possible. No time at the Review for multiple drafts! Invariably, as he read my draft, Don would ask me for information I had failed to ask the interviewee, expecting that I should have intuitively known to ask those questions. Still, he was a good editor and, learning to bare my work to others’ editorial review would become valuable experience for writing a dissertation that had to please four faculty members, all with differing perspectives on my subject. Compliments on my writing were few and far between, as if good writing were the expected norm and didn’t need constant praise. However, two compliments from Don particularly stand out. One came after he read my “review” for the East Shelby Review of the play “Smoke on the Mountain,” which the Arlington drama troupe had performed. “Nancy, this is the best play review you’ve ever written,” he said, or something to that effect. We joked about the fact that it was the only play review I’d ever written, but he did mean that it was one of my best writing pieces. The other was the headline I wrote for the feature story on Sonny Gould: “Training with a Sonny Disposition and a Heart of Gould.” He liked the puns in that one. When I entered graduate school for a second time, Don teased me that I would soon be the first Ph.D. to work for the Mid-South Horse Review. Since graduate students always need extra income, I continued to write for the paper while in school. He would often call and ask me, “You got any ideas?” for stories for the upcoming paper, even when I was in Knoxville and out of touch with local horse-related events. I did get the opportunity to write a few East Tennessee stories. I met and wrote a story on Dr. Frederick Harper, former publisher of the Horse Express and the most highly published author in the Department of Animal Science at UT Knoxville. I got to know some of the veterinarians at UT’s College of Veterinary Science and wrote a few articles on their work. My most fun experience was photographing the race and interviewing jockeys at the Iroquois Steeplechase, the second Saturday in May at Percy Warner Park in Nashville. I was rather proud of my photos of horses coming down the backstretch, both as they approached and as they galloped away from me toward the finish line. After completing of my degree, I had not planned to continue writing for the “horse paper.” However, Don managed to keep me on in that capacity after graduation and his prediction came true. In fact, Don was even more influential than I realized. My first idea for employment after graduation, with a degree in Environmental Sociology, was to start a new newspaper with an Environmental Focus. At least it wasn’t the Environmental Review. When I told him my idea, he replied that I didn’t get that Ph.D. just to become a newspaper publisher. But I still have an interest in publishing such a paper one day. In his life Don published many Reviews, some short-term papers, some long-lasting papers, which include the Fayette County Review, East Shelby Review, Mid-South Horse Review, Field Trial Review, Southern Livestock Review, Health Care Review, Buffalo River Review and Oakland One. How did that one get in there? If there was an opportunity and a subject to start a newspaper, Don certainly took advantage of it. If Don has an opportunity to publish a newspaper in the afterlife, it might be called the Eternal Review. Wonder what he’d write about? How many little scraps of paper with Don’s notes on them are beginning to litter heaven? Want to buy an ad? We can briefly delay the publication deadline so you can send in your ad copy. Just checking in with you, Don.-