American Horse Publications: AHP Champion Awards

AHP Champion Award

American Horse Publications Presents 2009 AHP Champion Awards to Three Former AHP Presidents

In 2007, American Horse Publications created the AHP Champion Award which is presented to individuals who are instrumental in the development and growth of the association. Collectively, the winners are known as the AHP Circle of Champions. Each recipient receives a commemorative pin, individual plaque, and their names honored online at the AHP web site.

The Executive Committee presented its recommendations for nominees at its October 2009 meeting, where the Board approved awarding the 2009 AHP Champion Award to the three individuals who were former AHP Presidents.

The 2009 AHP Champion Award inductees were announced at the AHP Free Rein in The Big Easy Seminar in New Orleans, on June 27, 2009, during the Special Awards Luncheon. A PowerPoint presentation highlighting the winners was shown and this presentation will be available online at the AHP web site www.americanhorsepubs.org.

Stanley F. Bergstein

1971-1972 AHP President

Hoof Beats

By Dean Hoffman, 2006-2007 AHP President

Stanley F. Bergstein has been executive vice-president of Harness Tracks of America for almost a half-century and he has certainly been the most important and influential person in harness racing during that same time period.

Stan Bergstein is far, far more than just an association executive. He is a man with an amazing array of talents. He has been a race announcer, race secretary, auctioneer, historian, book and art collector, peerless journalist, among others.

He was among the founders of American Horse Publications and served as its second president.

In all of his positions, Stan Bergstein has been an innovator. He has introduced many ideas and programs into harness racing that are vital parts of the sport decades after Bergstein planted the seed. In 2006, Stanley F. Bergstein received the Equine Industry Vision Award presented by Pfizer Animal Health and American Horse Publications.

Perhaps most importantly, he has been---and continues to be---harness racing’s Mr. Integrity. When harness racing began to be plagued by integrity and drug problems, many leaders shrugged them off as merely a sign of the times. Not Stan Bergstein. He took a strong stand against drug violators. Some people in harness racing hated him for his position; others simply ignored him. But Bergstein never wavered in his quest to restore integrity to the sport he loved so much.

His fame spread far beyond the narrow confines of harness racing. He is known and respected in the larger equine world in North America and equally respected overseas. Listen to what the late Joe Hirsch, the legendary Daily Racing Form columnist, said about Bergstein:

“Stan is really unique in sports,” said Hirsch. “I don’t think any other sport has a figure to compare to Stan. He’s an institution. He’s played so many roles in harness racing and he’s made so many contributions.”

Stanley F. Bergstein is harness racing’s living legend.

Bob Gray

1972-1973 President

HORSEMAN

By Christine W. Brune, 1989-1990 AHP President

Bob Gray was an early pioneer in equine publishing having been an editor or publisher of 20 consumer or trade publications since 1959. HORSEMAN was one of those publications and the magazine was one of the early AHP members.

Bob became an AHP President in 1972. He was one of the promoters of the American Horse Publications Cooperative Advertising Program, an endeavor to collectively market the then 43 publication members to national advertisers.

He once wrote, “Perhaps one of my most interesting efforts, identical to those of AHP, was in the Association of Area Business Publications, and also in the golf industry, to try and sell regional ad space on a cooperative basis. Difficult at best, impossible at worst.”

Audie Rackley (The Quarter Horse Journal) remembered Bob as “one of the fine gentlemen in our industry, and those who knew him called him Mr. Publication because he was all business.”

In 1990, Bob was no longer publishing HORSEMAN, and was editor/manager of Golfer Magazine, Inc., publishers of two regional consumer golf magazines for Texas.

Bob was unable to attend AHP’s 20th anniversary Tribute to Past Presidents, but he sent a letter to read during the event. “Tell my old friends to persevere in publishing, to sell hard, cut costs, don’t get sucked in by snazzy and expensive technology they really don’t need, and to nourish their editorial products.”

“I’m still trying to do those things, although I’m not sure why. You know the definition of a fanatic: having lost sight of your objective, you redouble your efforts. Perhaps we are all publishing fanatics!”

Audie Rackley

1976-1977 AHP President

The Quarter Horse Journal

By Jim Jennings, 1995-1996 AHP President

Today, Audie Rackley is mostly concerned with when hunting season opens and where the best place to fish is, but his past involvement in the equine and livestock publishing industry is long and varied.

Audie was born and raised in Oklahoma and graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in animal science. In 1961, he went to work for The Cattleman magazine as a field representative, helping purebred breeders with their advertising and merchandising programs. In 1967 he took a similar position with the American Angus Association and the Angus Journal, a post he held until joining The Quarter Horse Journal in 1970 as advertising director. In 1972, Audie was promoted to Editor of the Journal.

Over the next several years, Audie saw unprecedented growth in the Journal, and in 1988, he oversaw the founding of still another AQHA publication, The Quarter Racing Journal. Audie retired as Executive Editor of the Journal and the Racing Journal in 1995. He was only the sixth person to serve as editor of the Journal, and he worked there longer than any editor before him.

Audie was a very early member of American Horse Publications and was a firm believer in the organization and its value to all equine publications. He served as AHP president and continued to work on various AHP committees until his retirement from AQHA.

Audie is also a past president of the Livestock Publications Council, and was the first person to be honored with the Livestock Publications Council distinguished service award.

Audie and his wife, Willie, still live near Amarillo, where they spend time with their daughters and their families – and, of course, hunting and fishing.

AHP is truly grateful for these individuals who played an instrumental role in the growth of the association.

AHP Circle of Champions

2009

2009 AHP Champion Award Presentation PPT2007

2009 AHP Champion Award Presentation PPT2003

2008