Alan Prince, a longtime journalist for the Miami Herald, a journalism professor at the University of Miami and 48-year national officer for the United States Harness Writers Association (USHWA) and a harness racing Hall of Fame Communicator inductee, passed away early Wednesday morning (June 17). He was 85.
Prince saw his first Standardbred race at Monticello Raceway in 1959, and from that point on he was bitten by the harness racing and journalism bug.
He began his newspaper career as sports writer for the New Jersey weekly newspaper, the Union Leader, and soon started covering harness racing events. He then joined the New York City Chapter of USHWA and soon became treasurer for the national group.
Anticipating that Pompano Park in Florida would open in 1964, Prince took a position with the Miami Herald covering sports and wore many hats during his 25-year career there. In addition to covering harness racing, Prince was also the Travel Editor for the Miami Herald for 15 years.
When Prince left the Herald in the late 1980s he had already been teaching journalism part-time at the University of Miami which led to a professorship and lectures on journalism. Even in retirement, Prince still professionally edited books and magazine for major publishers.
Prince was also the founder of the Florida Chapter of USHWA and served as its president in the late 1960s.
Prince was inducted into the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame as a Communicator in 2007. He was inducted into the Florida Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2008. He also received the first Joseph A. Vaccaro Memorial Award in 2007 by the New England Chapter of USHWA. Prince also received USHWA's Member of the Year Award in 1986 and later the national group named the award in his honour.
Born in Montclair, NJ, Prince was a graduate from New York University with a BA in Journalism. He also served in the US Army from 1952-1954 during the Korean War.
Among his many talents, Prince had also mastered the art of magic and sleight of hand card tricks that brought many a smile to those fortunate to catch his impromptu performances every year at the USHWA gatherings.
He was also a major opera fan, listening every Sunday to the live performances at the MET in New York and was a season ticket holder to the Opera Society in Ft. Lauderdale and was an avid baseball fan.
He is predeceased by his father, Irving Prince; mother, Rose (Shore) Prince, Plavin; brother, Joseph Prince; sister-in-law, Robin (Samson) Prince; and bother-in-law, Gordon Feltman. He is survived by his sister Carol (Prince) Feltman; brother, Martin Prince; sister-in-law, Andrea (Eisenberg) Prince; and six nieces and nephews.
Funeral arrangements will take place at Riverside-Gordon Memorial Chapels at Mt Nebo Kendall Memorial Gardens 5900 SW 77 Avenue, Miami, Florida 33143 (305) 274-0641. The funeral will begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday followed by a reception.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Amie Choquette Sunshine Fund, care of the Florida Chapter USHWA, P.O. Box 669273 Pompano Beach, FL 33066 (954) 654-3757.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Alan Prince.
(USHWA)