Brown Reflects On Life After Hanover

After almost 52 years of working for Hanover Shoe Farms, Murray Brown has officially retired from the company.

Trot Insider first learned of Brown’s departure in early February, and since then the Hall of Famer has had time to reflect on life and what his plans are going forward.

"It has been a great life's journey for me," said Brown. "I look forward to spending the rest of my years enjoying life and spending whatever time I have left with my wife Carol and our wonderful families. If opportunity presents itself to indulge in my lifelong passion of harness racing, I will certainly make room for it."

Murray Brown began working for Hanover in April 1967. At that time and for the ensuing 52 years, Brown said that it was the culmination of a "dream come true. Working for Hanover Shoe Farms is and was the apex of the profession. There are kids who dream of playing baseball for the New York Yankees or hockey for the Montreal Canadiens. Ever since I became involved in the great sport of harness racing, my dream was to somehow be associated with Hanover, the greatest name in harness racing."

Brown retires as the longest tenured employee in the farm's history.

In the midst of his time at Hanover, Brown became the General Manager and Vice President of Standardbred Horse Sales Company, the largest and most successful sales company in all of harness racing. He remained at that position for 37 years.

Brown said, "Hanover was my love and my passion. Standardbred Horse Sales Company was work — very hard work."

Brown was hired by Hanover co-founder Lawrence B. Sheppard and worked through the regimes of John Simpson Sr., Paul E. Spears, Jim Simpson, and most recently Russell Williams.

"All of them have been a great part of my life and I am thankful for all the kindness shown to me," Brown said. "I would be remiss in not mentioning the great group of people with whom I have been privileged to work with through that time including, but far from limited to, Dr. Bridgette Jablonsky, Dr. Peter Boyce, Dr. Garner Greenhoff, Ralph Lemmon, Dale Welk, and my ultra-loyal long-term assistant Vivian Jewitt."

During his tenure, Brown became a member of the sport's two leading Halls of Fame. In 2003, he was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and in 2009, he was enshrined into the Harness Racing Communicators Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y.

Brown's title was officially Public Relations Director, but he did more — much more. For almost all of his time at Hanover, he handled all advertising, advised on broodmare purchases, assisted on stallion syndications, and contributed at annual meetings which determined which stallions the Farm's almost 400 mares were to be bred.

Brown was a fixture at most of the sport's greatest races and events, including international races in Canada, France, Ireland, Italy and Sweden, usually wearing some form of the Farm's familiar orange and blue colours.

Brown says he has no pressing immediate plans for the future, other than spending time with his and Carol's family and grandchildren, and keeping his toe dipped in the great sport in which he has been involved for all of his working life.

(With files from Hanover Shoe Farms)