Frances Dodge
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Frances Dodge (1914 - January 24, 1971) was an internationally known horsewoman.
She was the eldest of the three siblings of John Francis Dodge (co-founder of Dodge Motor Company) and his third wife Matilda Dodge. She finished boarding school at Mt. Vernon Seminary in 1933 and married James Johnson in July of 1938. On her 25th birthday, in 1939, she received control of her $10,000,000 trust fund from the Dodge estate.[1]
Like her older half-sister, Isabel who owned Brookmeade Stable, Frances Dodge also became interested in horse racing and breeding. She founded Dodge Stables at Meadow Brook Farm where she bred harness race horses. On September 27 1940 she set the record for trotting under saddle, completing a mile in 2:01.3 at Lexington, Kentucky's famous Red Mile. This record stood for 54 years. In 1945 she purchased Castleton Farm, a renowed horse breeding operation in Lexington, Kentucky.
Divorced from her first husband in 1948,[2] she remarried to Frederick Van Lennep who shared her passion for horses. The same year Dodge Stables were moved to Castleton Farm.
M<s Dodge continued to support harness racing and was considered one of the foremost women pioneers in the sport until her death in 1971 at age 56.
In 1972, she was elected to the World Championship Horse Show Hall of Fame.
The Van Lennep Memorial Achievement Award is given to recognize extraordinary contribution by an individual or organization in the Standardbred industry. Though named for Frederick Van Lennep, Mr. Van Lennep credited his wife for much of the success of Castleton Farm. [3].
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Time Magazine, Monday, Dec. 4, 1939
- ^ Time Magazine, Monday, April 19, 1948
- ^ Oakland University. Frances Dodge (1914-1971). Retrieved on December 18, 2006.
