Surrounded by family, Arthur L. George, who last rode a horse at age 94, celebrated his 100th birthday Friday.
George is legendary in Williamstown as a horseman, both as a riding teacher at his Taconic Stables on Oblong Road for two decades, and subsequently as a racer of thoroughbreds at the former Green Mountain Racetrack in Pownal, Vt., an enthusiasm he pursued until age 80.
When he retired, he brought home his race horses and retired them, too.
George’s birthday cake, naturally, featured horses.
He worked for the town of Williamstown in many capacities, and is remembered affectionately by many residents for introducing them to the pleasures of horseback riding.
George has gone “from horses and buggies to cars,†said daughter Clare Morrison of Williamstown. As a young truck driver, he hauled marble blocks for the war memorial atop Mount Greylock.
He was born Nov. 23, 1901, in a farmhouse on Berlin Mountain, one of the nine children of Harry J. and Caroline K. Kleinhens George. He attended Hemlock Brook School, then, in 1919 moved with his family to North Adams where they bought the Harrison Farm off Old State Road.
During his youth he worked at the Fleming Garage on State Road, and in 1931 went to work driving trucks for contractor Harwood D. Moore, hauling marble blocks for the Mount Greylock war memorial tower.
He enlisted in the U.S. Air Corps, the forerunner to the Air Force, in 1942, and attained the rank of sergeant. He married the former Clara F. Snyder on March 3, 1943, and in 1945 was stationed at Marianna, Florida, air base.
After leaving military service, he returned to Williamstown to work and raise his family on Oblong Road. He held many posts for the town, including forest warden, tree warden and moth superintendent, and he started farming, raising livestock and vegetables.
George opened his Taconic Stables in 1954, enlarging his barn to accommodate the growing number of horses. He taught riding to many youngsters and held summer camps. His five children helped in the venture, caring for the horses as well as riding. He started the Silver Spurs 4-H horse club for local youth members.
“Our kids used to have their birthday celebrations there riding Art’s horses, and what a treat that was,†recalled Henry Bratcher, another longtime resident and neighbor.
“Also, we used to rent his horses and go for a scenic ride up Berlin Road to the Taconic Crest Trail, leading the kids on another horses,†Bratcher recalled.
“Art always participated in the Williamstown Memorial Day parade, until he was 98, I think. And he wore his own World War II uniform because it still fit him, and he was so proud of it.â€
“He was kind of a local institution. He was into everything,†said Bratcher.
Morrison recalled that “he could do anything with [the horses]. He would doctor them. He was quiet and gentle, he would talk to them.â€
“He’s just a horse person,†she said.
People he had taught in their youth came to see him for years afterward, she said. “They called him Dad,†she said. “He just was always there for everybody.â€
“All of us rode,†she said. “ He raced in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania as well as at Green Mountain,†she said, and, showing a visitor a handful of photographs of her father with a horse in the winner’s circle, said, “He did well. He just knew how to train a horse. That was his life.â€
He taught English riding and had between 25 and 30 horses in the stable’s heyday. It operated between 1954 and 1974.
Morrison recalled an overnight camping trek into Kidder Hollow on horseback with the 4-H club that showcased her father’s sense of fun.
“We had our meal, got our horses settled for the night, and told lots of ghost stories. We were so intent on the stories we didn’t notice that my father had slipped away, and in he comes with a sheet over him. One kid got stuck in his sleeping bag, and we all screamed.â€
Rita Hoar of Cold Spring Road, a niece, said, “He was always a delightful person and a wonderful dancer. All the George men were good dancers.â€
“Their father came here from Albany during the blizzard of 1888,†said Hoar, a mainstay of the House of Local History. He bought the farm on Berlin Mountain and all the children were born there and worked on the farm. They raised vegetables and fruit to be sold in Albany and Troy.
“He was really a very charming kind of person, very dapper in his dress. He still always wears a bow tie,†she said.
Local insurance broker Maureen O’Mara recalled that George, along with her late father, local businessman Thomas McMahon, was one of 25 or 30 Hobbyhorsemen, a group that used to get together two or three times a summer for horseback excursions, such as riding to the top of the Taconic Trail to pick blueberries, or to finish off a long ride with a barbecue.
“He held 4-H shows and hayrides at his stable,†O’Mara recalled.
Arthur George last rode a horse on his 94th birthday, with his grandson Howard Morrison, who has inherited the family flair for horsemanship.
George’s enthusiasm for horses is undimmed.
His birthday celebration was held Friday at Sweet Brook Care Center, where he has been a resident since April, 1997. He has five children. Besides Morrison they are Arthur L. George Jr. of Leo, Indiana, Caroline G. Martel, Pownal, Vt., and Jonathan D. George and James A. George, both of Williamstown.
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Winter Storm Warning Issued for Berkshires
Another snowstorm is expected to move through the region overnight on Friday, bringing 5 to 8 inches of snow. This is updated from Thursday's winter weather advisory.
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., has posted a winter storm warning for all of Berkshire County and parts of eastern New York State beginning Friday at 4 p.m. through Saturday at 1 p.m.
The region could see heavy to moderate snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour overnight, tapering off Saturday morning to flurries.
Drivers should exercise caution on Friday night and Saturday morning, as travel conditions may be hazardous.
Saturday night should be clear and calm, but warming temperatures means freezing rain Sunday night and rain through Monday with highs in the 40s. The forecast isn't much better through the week as temperatures dip back into the teens with New Year's Eve looking cloudy and frigid.
Many homeowners are showing their holiday spirit by decorating their houses. We asked for submissions so those in the community can check out these fanciful lights and decor when they're out.
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