The annual meeting of the trustees of the Harness Racing Museum was held on Hall of Fame Day, Sunday, July 4, 2010. At that time two new trustees were elected to the
Board. They were Jay E. Farrar and Robert A. Tucker. Trustee Adelaide Skoglund was elected a Trustee Emerita.
Jay E. Farrar, nephew of Immortal trainer/driver Frank Ervin and his wife Elizabeth, has had a benevolent interest in the museum and its activities for many years. His education as a history and English literature graduate of Louisiana State University was the precursor and possibly the impetus for his fascination with the institution. Very definitely his deep appreciation for and knowledge of the history of the sport of harness racing was sparked by an early Christmas gift of the novel 'Born to Trot' by Marguerite Henry. As a young man, caring for horses for his uncle Frank, he received a copy of John Hervey’s notable 'The American Trotter' from his aunt Elizabeth, and thus began his studies of the breed’s history which continues to this day. Farrar, who resides in Orlando, Florida, is president of Farlink Satellite Services Inc., a provider of uplink services for racetrack operations.
Bob Tucker is the owner of Stonegate Standardbred Farms of Glen Gardner, NJ. He has been involved with the sport of harness racing for over four decades. Born in Brooklyn, he was raised in Rockville Center, Long Island, only 12 miles from the celebrated Roosevelt Raceway. His father owned standardbreds and by the age of four Tucker entered the horse world through horse shows and riding camps. He received a BA from Wesleyan University and an MA in economics from Brown University. Tucker retired a member of the office of the president of Beneficial Corporation of Peapack, NJ.
As a director and president of the CTW Foundation Inc. of Wilmington, DE, Mr. Tucker, since 1996, has encouraged the funding agency to provide significant financial support to the institution. In 2001 the Foundation, under Tucker’s leadership assumed responsibility for funding the operating costs of the Museum's free traveling exhibit, 'The Story of Harness Racing by Currier & Ives.' To date the presentation has reached an audience of more than 743,555 worldwide.
Adelaide Skoglund is the daughter of David and Alice Johnston of Charlotte, NC. Mr. Johnston, a 1984 Hall of Fame Immortal, was a founding member and a trustee of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame (formerly The Hall of Fame of the Trotter/Trotting Horse Museum) and Mrs. Johnston was a trustee before her election as a Trustee Emerita in 1998. Mrs. Skoglund, the widow of John Skoglund, owner of the football team Minnesota Vikings, has owned many horses of which probably the most memorable was Must Be Victory, the 1997 Hambletonian Oaks winner. Mrs. Skoglund was also the breeder of Tagliabue, winner of the 1995 Hambletonian Stake. Mrs. Skoglund was a Museum trustee from 1998 until her election this year as a Trustee Emerita.
(Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame)