ATHENS, Ohio - Retired horse trainer Charles A. Black has gifted his 268-acre horse farm equipped with a horse barn and riding facilities to Ohio University's Chillicothe campus. The announcement was made Friday, May 25, at an afternoon press conference at the horse farm near Chillicothe.
The property is located about eight miles outside of Chillicothe adjacent to Route 50 and will be used as an equine studies facility. The facility may include special equine programming for children with disabilities - one of Black's late wife Daisy's special interests. It also may be used for outdoor and equine programming for at-risk children, therapeutic riding, recreational purposes, outdoor biology and horticulture laboratories, and outdoor education courses.
"The Blacks' have entrusted Ohio University with an incredible gift that will enable us to educate students in a variety of disciplines while providing a service to our region's children," said Vice President for University Advancement Leonard Raley.
A Chillicothe resident since 1934, Black purchased the farm in 1950 and built the farm's 20-stall horse barn in 1958. He worked sixty years as a horse trainer and along with his wife attended nearly 50 horse shows and sales a year before retiring. Black will continue to live on and manage the farm.
"I was inspired by the beauty of the land and the opportunities it represents for our students. We look forward to fulfilling Charles' wishes and to honoring Daisy's memory," said Ohio University-Chillicothe Dean Richard Bebee.
Early in his career, Black worked with horses at the Kellogg Arabian Horse Farm and Warner Bros. Studios and as a soldier in the Army, trained mules for pack trains going to India. He served in the U.S. Army for four years, including a stint with the First Calvary Quarter Master Remount in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Born in Myra, W.Va., Black received his first horse at six years old and followed in the footsteps of his father, R.L. Black, who taught riding classes at Marshall University and earned a living as a road contractor and horseman.
"Daisy and I discussed the idea of giving the farm to an educational institution many years ago, and we had decided that it was the right thing to do," Black said. "Helping children with disabilities was among my wife's favorite interests, so I am happy that Ohio University is committed to providing this type of programming at the farm."
The gift is part of Ohio University's Bicentennial Campaign, which has raised more than $145 million toward its goal of $200 million by 2004, the university's 200th anniversary. The campaign will provide money for scholarships, technological enhancements, innovative programs, and selected capital improvements. The contribution of the farm will support the Chillicothe Campus and will act as a cornerstone for the campus' role in the campaign.
