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Suffragists in England. Young girl as placard bearer during suffragist demonstration. Placard depicts political cartoon with the caption: "Mrs. Bull: We should get on better, John, if I rode a horse of my own." Illustration on the placard depicts a woman riding behind a man on a horse that is labeled "men's enfranchisement."

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A protest against child labor during the Labor Day Parade in New York City, 1st May 1909. Two protesters wear sashes bearing slogans in English, and in Yiddish.

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Marchers protest cave-in tragedy. Six-year-old Dolores Siat (of 714 Grand Avenue, Brooklyn) holds placard as she marches along with her mother (background) in neighborhood protest demonstration, June 13. The mother's march was a "show of compassion" demonstration after six children were killed in a cave-in while playing in a deep excavation in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn.

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Sixteen black children accompanied by four mothers carry signs demonstrating their feelings as they walk to Webster School in Hillsboro, Ohio, April 3, after the U.S. Supreme Court had ordered immediate integration at the school April 2. The children were turned away again as they had been every day for two years. The school board said that it was awaiting official notification of the Supreme Court's decision before taking any action.

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Close-up of a young girl as she holds hands with a woman during the Selma to Montgomery marches held in support of voter rights, Alabama, late March, 1965.

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Little girl protesting against the pollution outside the prime minister's house in London on October 18, 1978.

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An anti-nuclear rally in New York City, 12 June 1982. A child wears a sign reading, "You can't hug your kids with nuclear arms."

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A girl holding a placard for women's rights at a Labor Day parade in New York City, September 1982.

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Unidentified young Myanmar girl holds a photo of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi during a protest outside the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok on 13 August demanding the release of 18 foreign activists held in Myanmar. Exiled Myanmar groups and Thai students keep up their vigil as Aung San Suu Kyi continues the second day of a new roadside confrontationwith the authorities who have prevented her from traveling to meet with supporters.

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Mexican children demonstrate for peace on January 13, 1994, on the streets of San Cristbal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. The march was organized by peace and human rights groups. By January 12, with public and international opinion strongly against the fighting, President Carlos Salinas declared a unilateral cease-fire and called on the Zapatistas to lay down their arms and negotiate with the newly formed Commission for Peace and Reconciliation. Peace talks beganon February 21, in San Cristbal de las Casas.

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A little girl sitting on her father's shoulders holds a placard in protest of French scheduled nuclear testing in the Pacific atoll of Mururoa, in Lima, Peru, 14 July. Some 1,000people staged the protest in front of the French embassy on Bastille Day.

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A Russian girl holding an icon takes part in a protest rally at the U.S. embassy in Moscow, Wednesday, July 1, 1998. Some 100 people demonstrated at the embassy protesting U.S. and NATO pressure on Yugoslavia over Kosovo.

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A young girl demonstrates outside the Strasbourg's education authority to protest against the ban on the Islamic headscarf and other "conspicuous" religious insignia in state schools 1 September 2004. The law on headscarf is due to come into force 2 September at the start of the academic year. Placard reads: "School is my right, headscarf my choice."

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A Pakistani girl displays a placard as she stands in front of a replica of the Chagai mountain, where Pakistan had test fired their first nuclear weapon in 28 May 1998, during a demonstration organized by the Citizen Peace Committee (CPC), a non-government organization, in Islamabad, 28 May 2005. CPC organized the demonstration as a part of their anti-nuclear campaign and demanded the Indian and Pakistani government to stop testing nuclear-capable missiles and avert displaying their nuclear might.

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A young girl holds a poster representing the five Olympic rings as she joins various groups in a march from the Peace Memorial Park to downtown in the southern Japanese city of Hiroshima on March 26, 2008 calling on China to end its crackdown on the recent demonstrations in Tibet. China stepped up pressure to isolate the Dalai Lama on March 26 opposing talks between the Tibetan spiritual leader and French officials during his proposed trip to France in August.

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A young girl smiles beneath a Buddhist stupa in the glow of thousands of butter lamps at a candlelight peace protest and prayer ceremony for those recently killed during the recent Chinese crackdown in Tibet, March 23, 2008 in Kathmandu, Nepal. According to Human Rights Watch 461 people, including 11 members of Amnesty International, were detained by Nepali police at various Tibetan protests throughout the capital March 24, 2008.

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A young child holds up a banner as people gather to rally against racism ahead of a planned anti-immigration and anti-Islam protest, in Melbourne on April 9, 2010. Several hundred anti-racism protesters gathered on the steps of Flinders Street Station to confront the anti-immigration and anti-Islam protest which did not eventuate.

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Two girls with Occupy Wall Street movement hold up signs at Zuccotti Park where hundreds of protesters have been living for weeks in Lower Manhattan on Friday, October 14, 2011. This morning a planned eviction by the city was postponed avoiding a confrontation with the police.

A young girl waves an open bird cage as Tunisian women demonstrate for their rights on November 2, 2011 in the Kasbah of Tunis. Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist party that won Tunisia's elections, on October 28, 2011 reaffirmed Ennahda's "commitment to the women of Tunisia," pledging to uphold their social gains. But some have voiced concern that the party, which took 41 percent of the assembly, would seek to curb women's rights in an Arab country known for its progressive approach to gender equality.

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A child paints during a demonstration organized by the gay rights group Fundacin Tringulo in Madrid on August 20, 2011. Thousands of protesters marched in central Madrid late August 19, 2011 to protest a visit by Pope Benedict XVI and police violence during previous demonstrations, as the pontiff presided over a service a few hundred meters away.

Afghan students pray for the early recovery of Pakistani child activist, Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head in a Taliban assassination attempt, during a rally in Herat on Oct 13, 2012. Schools in Afghanistan opened with special prayers for the quick recovery of Yousafzai, in a move officials said was to show solidarity with her.

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A young girl holds out her parents' wedding rings during an anti-gay rally in Kiev on May 14, 2013. Several hundred anti-gay protesters rallied outside the Verkhovna Rada parliament building and in front of Kiev city administration protesting against the parliament's voting on a bill that would have barred employers from rejecting workers based on their sexual orientation and against plans by gay rights activists to hold a gay parade in Kiev on May 25.

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A girl holds a placard reading, "On Romanian land I don't want to be poisoned" during a demonstration in Bucharest against the Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), a Canadian gold mine project using cyanide, on September 15, 2013. People from 27 cities around Romania took to the streets to protest against plans by the Canadian company to open Europe's largest goldmine in a Transylvanian village. Canadian company Gabriel Resources hopes to extract 300 tons of gold using thousands of tons of cyanide in Rosia Montana, a picturesque village in the Carpathian mountains. The government recently adopted a bill clearing the way for the open cast mine.

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People demonstrate in Washington on July 20, 2013, one week after the acquittal of George Zimmerman. Civil rights groups mobilized for protests in cities across the United States on Saturday amid charged emotions over the not-guilty verdict in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. The demonstrations, which began in Miami, came a day after U.S. President Barack Obama publicly identified with the slain 17-year-old and the deep frustrations felt among African-Americans over the verdict.

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A little Syrian girl holds a picture which shows refugees on a boat in the Mediterranean Sea. Syrian refugees who have fled from the Syrian civil war to Greece protested in Athens against their treatment by the Greek state and called for a solution for the Syrians.

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This picture taken on October 1, 2014 shows a young girl holding a placard during Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests. Hong Kong's student-led democracy rallies have highlighted a stark divide between a disenfranchised younger generation who say they have little to lose, and an older guard who favor pragmatism over protest.

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Young girl holds sign during demonstration at the Ferguson police station on August 23, 2014.

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A girl throws a pair of shoes on a pyramid of shoes on September 20, 2014, in Lyon, central France, during the annual demonstration by NGO Handicap International to denounce the use and sale of anti-personnel landmines.

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A girl on a rainbow crossing created in chalk by protesters during a rally for marriage equality at Sydney Town Hall on August 9, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. They are specifically calling on the government to pass a Marriage Equality bill in parliament to allow full marriage rights for LGBTIQ people in Australia.

A girl under the auspices of Chibok Girls Ambassadors marches to press for the release of 219 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram Islamists during a demonstration at ministry of education in Abuja, on April 14, 2015. Nigeria's president Muhammadu Buhari cautioned he could not make promises on the return of the schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram, as the country marked the first anniversary of their abduction.

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A little girl holds a placard at Bara Imambara to protest against ISIS on November 20, 2015 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The protest was led by Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad in Lucknow.

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A girl holding a cross during a candlelight vigil and protest against the gang rape of a 72-year-old nun at a convent school on March 16, 2015 in Kolkata, India. On Saturday, around a dozen suspected dacoits entered the Convent of Jesus and Mary and gang raped the 72-year-old. Eight people have been detained in connection with the case after police officials released CCTV footage of the perpetrators.

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A girl marches hand in hand with other demonstrators during a protest against the latest round of public transportation fare hikes in Sao Paulo, Brazil on January 27, 2015. The prices of bus, subway and train tickets rose from 3 to 3.50 reais on January 6.

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XyNazia Skinner, age 7, of Flint, Michigan, stands with a sign while waiting to participate in a national mile-long march to highlight the push for clean water in Flint, February 19, 2016 in Flint, Michigan. The march was organized in part by Rev. Jesse Jackson.

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Nimani Darch-Walker, 3, wearing a sign that reads "Don't Shoot," looks on during a rally by the Black Lives Matter movement at Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, California on July 8, 2016. About 1,000 people marched along Market Street to City Hall to denounce recent police shootings around the country.

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A young girl holds a small placard reading "I Can't Drink Oil" as she stands with demonstrators that gathered in front of the White House in Washington, DC on September 13, 2016, to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline. The U.S. government on September 9, 2016 sought to stop work on a controversial oil pipeline in North Dakota that has angered Native Americans, blocking any work on federal land and asking the company to "voluntarily pause" work nearby.

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A Syrian girl holds a placard during a rally in solidarity with Aleppo, in the Lebanese northern port city of Tripoli, on May 1, 2016. More than a week of fighting in Syria's second city has killed hundreds of civilians and left a UN-backed peace process hanging by a thread. Concern has been growing that the fighting in Aleppo will lead to the complete collapse of a landmark ceasefire between President Bashar al-Assad's regime and non-jihadist rebels that was brokered by Moscow and Washington.

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A girl with her mouth taped with black tape takes part in a demonstration to protest Assad regime forces and its supporters' attacks on civilians and the humanitarian plight in Aleppo, in Brussels, Belgium on December 18, 2016.

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A young girl and boy hold signs near the Yoyogi Park before the march to protest against the U.S. President Trump's executive order on immigration in Shibuya district on February 12, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. Nearly 300 people participated in the march organized by the Alliance for an Inclusive America to protest against Trump's executive order banning the immigration to the United States from several Muslim majority countries. Japanese Prime Minister Abe is currently visiting the United States for his first meeting with President Trump.

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A young girl with a sign at a protest march and rally organized by the Alliance for an Inclusive America group against the perceived anti-Muslim and anti-foreigner immigration policies of President Donald Trump, on February 12, 2017 in Tokyo, Japan. The Alliance of an Inclusive America is a multi-faith non-partisan group. About 250 Americans, other ex-pats and Japanese people took part in the march to show people around the world they reject the Executive Order President Trump enacted at the end of January, indefinitely suspending the resettlement of Syrian refugees and temporarily banning people from seven majority Muslim countries from entering the United States.

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A girl holds a placard during a protest for Dignity of Farmers and Farmworkers in Barcelona, Spain on January 28, 2017. More than 500 tractors took part in the demonstration of the union of farmers Uni de Pagesos (Farmers Union) in the streets of Barcelona, demanding a new relationship between farmers and the society Barcelona.

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A young girl joins as demonstrators at Philadelphia International Airport protest against the executive order that President Donald Trump signed clamping down on refugee admissions and temporarily restricting travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries on January 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Demonstrators gathered at airports across the country in protest of the order.

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Tens of thousands of health workers, activists and members of the public protested against austerity and cuts in the NHS (National Health Service). A young smiling girl holds a placard she made which says, "Think of me, keep it free; save our NHS."

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A girl holds a placard as she takes part in a protest against the planned Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota on March 04, 2017 in New York.

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A girl carries a sign in the Immigrants Make America Great March to protest actions being taken by the Trump administration on February 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. Protesters are calling for an end to stepped up ICE raids and deportations, and that health care be provided for documented and undocumented people.

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Thousands of demonstrators attend a rally for International Women's Day on March 8, 2017, in Melbourne, Australia. Marchers were calling for de-colonization of Australia, an end to racism, economic justice for all women and reproductive justice, as well as supporting the struggle for the liberation of all women around the world, inclusive of trans women and sex workers.

Read more here:
46 Powerful Photos Of Girls Protesting Around The Globe Throughout History - Huffington Post

The Iowa House has approved a sweeping gun bill that includes a stand-your-ground provision and allows citizens to sue local governments that impose weapons restrictions

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa House on Tuesday approved a sweeping gun bill that would include a stand-your-ground provision and allow citizens to sue local governments that impose weapons restrictions.

The Republican-controlled chamber voted 58-39 mostly along party lines. The bill now heads to the GOP-majority Senate, where it has support.

The legislation would make several changes to Iowa's gun laws, and is the culmination of years of failed attempts from Republicans to amend current rules. The party controls both legislative chambers and the governor's office for the first time in nearly 20 years, and this legislative session marks their first real window to make major revisions.

"It's been a long time coming for this bill," said Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, shortly before the vote. "There's still work to be done. I'm still open to input from anybody out there that has concerns with it."

The stand-your-ground provision has been part of those concerns. It would allow a person to use deadly force anywhere if he or she believes such force was necessary to avoid injury or risk to one's life or safety. It allows a person to be wrong about an estimation of danger.

That's problematic, said Rep. Ras Smith, D-Waterloo. The black lawmaker at one point during floor debate put on a hoodie, a reference to the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin. The 17-year-old Martin was wearing similar clothing when he was shot and killed in Florida by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman ultimately didn't use that state's stand-your-ground law as defense, though its consideration garnered attention. Zimmerman was later acquitted of charges related to the shooting.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting Martin was black and unarmed led to protests and a national debate about race relations.

"The idea that you can be wrong in your estimation of a threat, but as long as you have good reason, is terrifying for some of us," Smith said.

Another proposal in the bill would allow a citizen to sue a local government for enacting ordinances that regulate gun-free zones if the person argues that he or she is adversely affected. Republicans have pointed out that existing law already prohibits such ordinances, but it hasn't stopped communities from enacting policies over the years. Some Democrats said the new provision impacts local control.

"Each of our counties and cities are different," said Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City. "We have different values and beliefs regarding gun ownership and gun safety. Our local government bodies should have the right to determine what is best for their citizens and community."

At least one Republican agreed. Rep. Dave Heaton of Mount Pleasant noted that in 1986, the mayor of his community was gunned down by a resident during a city council meeting. Two other council members were wounded in the shooting.

"Afterwards, we banned weapons from our city council chamber," he said. "And this bill challenges the right of that city council to ban weapons from the city council chamber. My town will never forget what happened."

There are several other changes in the bill. It would allow children under age 14 to use handguns with parental supervision and allow concealed weapons on the Capitol grounds. Some initial proposals to allow guns on college campuses and lifetime firearm permits were scrapped.

Around 50 gun rights activists gathered at the Capitol Tuesday to lobby for the legislation, and a handful stuck around for the chamber debate. Kurt Liske, vice president of the Iowa Firearms Coalition, told supporters the legislation was the "biggest pro-Second Amendment bill in state history."

"At no point will we take a bigger step forward in protecting and enhancing your Second Amendment rights than we will when we sign this piece of legislation into law," he said. "This really, truly is historic."

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See the article here:
Iowa House OKs gun bill with stand-your-ground provision - East Oregonian (subscription)

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017, 9:21 A.M.

In this Sept. 13, 2016, file photo, George Zimmerman looks at the jury as he testifies in a Seminole County courtroom in Orlando, Fla. (Red Huber / Associated Press)

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. Floridas stand your ground law, a source of contention for years, could soon provide even more protection to people who invoke it. Some lawmakers want to make prosecutors prove a defendant wasnt acting in self-defense before proceeding to trial.

Florida has been a leader in giving citizens immunity in cases of self-defense, with its stand your ground law serving as an emotional point of debate after several high-profile shooting deaths, including that of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin.

While at least 22 states have similar laws that say people can use force even deadly force to defend themselves from threats, Florida could soon be alone shifting the burden of proof to prosecutors.

Republican Sen. Rob Bradley says his bill isnt a novel concept.

We have a tradition in our criminal justice system that the burden of proof is with the government from the beginning of the case to the end, he said.

Floridas Supreme Court has ruled that the burden of proof is on defendants during self-defense immunity hearings. Thats the practice around the country. According to a legislative staff analysis of Bradleys bill, only four states mention burden of proof in their stand your ground laws Alabama, Colorado, Georgia and South Carolina and all place the burden on defendants.

Bradleys bill died last year but now its chances are improving: Its ready for a full Senate vote when the session begins next week, and one of two House committees assigned to hear it has approved it.

Democrats are opposing the bill, but have little leverage to stop it in a legislature dominated by Republicans and with a Republican governor.

The bill has received passionate opposition from people who feel the existing law has already been abused and will be invoked even more by people seeking to avoid responsibility for violent crimes.

Stand your ground is not just about guns: The defense can be invoked after any act of violence aimed at self-protection, whether its punching, stabbing, shooting or striking someone with an object.

Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmermans fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin isnt the only case thats part of the debate in Florida.

Lucy McBaths 17-year-old son Jordan Davis was fatally shot by Michael Dunn during an argument over loud music outside a Jacksonville convenience store. And in the Tampa Bay area, retired police officer Curtis Reeves is claiming self-defense in a stand your ground pretrial hearing after fatally shooting Chad Oulson in a dispute over a cellphone at a movie theater.

Both Zimmerman and Dunn claimed self-defense at trial and stand your ground was included in their juries instructions. Zimmerman was acquitted and Dunn was eventually convicted of murder.

McBath believes the way the law currently reads is why Dunns first jury couldnt reach a decision, and says expanding stand your ground protections would make it harder to keep people safe from gun violence.

Testifying against the bill at a Senate committee meeting, McBath said the current law already encourages citizens to shoot first and ask questions later.

This legislation would effectively require defendants who raise stand your ground defenses to be convicted twice, she said. Having lived through this grueling experience first-hand with two trials for my sons murder, I can attest to the anguish and the pain that this process elicits. We should not make it harder for family members to achieve the justice that they deserve.

Marissa Alexander, in contrast, supports Bradleys bill. She unsuccessfully tried a stand your ground defense and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2012 for firing a gun near her estranged husband. She called it a warning shot to protect herself from abuse. Her conviction was thrown out on appeal and she was freed after reaching a plea deal in 2014.

I feel like you go into that kind of situation guilty until proven innocent, she said. She hopes Florida will start another trend if it passes.

Florida kind of sets the tone and other states follow, she said.

Read more:
Florida could flip burden of proving 'stand your ground' - The Spokesman-Review

Mary Burkett, Washington County Republican Party 7:04 a.m. MT March 3, 2017

Mary Burkett(Photo: Jud Burkett / The Spectrum & Daily News)Buy Photo

Police are given discretion as to which cases they will pursue. They make choices about the severity and intent of a crime.

Prosecutors have discretion about which cases they will take to trial, whether to plea bargain and which offenses are most worth going to trial.

Juries, according to the law, have discretion. In many cases, jurors do not know it.

HB332 (Criminal Procedure Revisions) is before the Utah State Legislature and addresses ensuring that judges instruct juries about their discretion. Take a few minutes to read the summary (le.utah.gov), the first few and last paragraphs of the bill. It is designed to ensure that juries are fully informed of their options when deciding a verdict, including jury nullification.

Most of us dont know that jury nullification is a valid option. Simply put, someone can break a law and show in court that the law is unjust. The jury can then return a not guilty verdict. This is where juries have discretion.

Womens March, media fuel divisive movement

Its a remarkable idea. As the Libertas Institute explains, Juries serve as one component of a much larger justice system a final checkpoint to help ensure, as far as possible, that innocent individuals are not wrongfully convicted or that well-intentioned laws do not create an injustice by being unfairly applied to a particular person or circumstance.

However, there are judges and lawyers who do not like the idea of jury nullification so they withhold this vital information from the jury. Its much easier to control an ignorant jury. HB332 will stop this withholding of information.

There are high-profile cases in which juries have likely gone rogue.

The O.J. Simpson jury may very well have practiced nullification by finding the defendant not guilty even though they thought he had committed two murders but because the investigating detectives were seen as racists, they were justified to find him not guilty.

Other legal experts have called the George Zimmerman verdict in the Trayvon Martin case a classic example of jury nullification.

In 2009, Doug Darrell was charged with cultivating marijuana for distribution in New Hampshire. He said that the marijuana was being grown for personal use and religious purposes. His attorney actually had to ask the judge to tell the jury they had the right to nullify and they did.

Circumstances surrounding most jury nullification cases include unjust laws, unjust sentencing guidelines, victimless crimes and particulars of a single case, including mitigating factors.

Jury nullification is neither a Democrat or Republican issue, although many Libertarians have taken it up as a cause.

The bigger point is simple. And very important. When there are injustices, juries, a group of regular Americans pulled from voter rolls, can right wrongs. Its one of the many ways that the Founders showed their faith in their fellow citizens.

Its an optimistic view of the future, so contrary to the view liberals hold toward their fellow Americans. Where liberals treat their fellow Americans like victims, constantly trying to allow the government to interfere with their lives, with the intent of fixing things citizens are better served to fix themselves, our Founders and today, conservatives, have high hopes and expectations for the American people. We have faith in our fellow citizens, as demonstrated by the idea of jury nullification.

A few of the great resources online to learn more include Fully Informed Jury Association, Cop Block, Truth in Justice and the Libertas Institute.

Mary Burkett is a member of the Washington County Republican Party.

Read or Share this story: http://www.thespectrum.com/story/opinion/2017/03/03/legislature-should-ensure-juries-know-their-options/98681444/

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Legislature should ensure juries know their options - St. George Daily Spectrum

If ever a guy reinvented himself, it was George Smith, whose funeral service is Thursday.

Growing up in a blue-collar, factory-working family on Ashley Street near the Fairgrounds, he was befriended by then-University of Dayton basketball coach Tom Blackburn, who ran Madden Golf Course in the summers.

Smith worked in the pro shop, did other jobs around the West Dayton course and, along the way, learned not only how to play golf, but how to hustle.

Blackburn had a lot of stories how hed bring George along to some of his golf games, Don Donoher, who followed Blackburn as Flyers coach and was Smiths pal for some 65 years, said with a laugh. George was his ringer.

Smiths golf was so good at Stivers High School that hed end up in the schools Athletic Hall of Fame and get a scholarship to Ohio State.

He lettered three years for the Buckeyes, was the team captain and, as a senior, led OSU to a 22-stroke victory for the Big Ten title.

By the time he graduated, Smith was considered one of the best amateur golfers in the nation, a fact he underscored at the Ohio Amateur championship in 1954 when he was the medalist of the 36-hole qualifier, topping the likes of Arnold Palmer, who had won the tournament the year before when he was stationed in Ohio with the Coast Guard and then had gone on to Wake Forest, and Jack Nicklaus, then a highly-touted prep player at Upper Arlington High outside Columbus.

But then came the match play and, well, the partying from the night before took old Smith down, laughed Donoher. George said his first tee time happened to coincide with just about the time he got in and he missed his first match.

Soon after that Smith suffered a devastating blow that would have forever ended the party for someone with less of a backbone.

Donohers wife-to-be, Sonia, had graduated with George at Stivers and she introduced her high school pal and her beau, who would become great friends.

We were both in ROTC and after college I ended up in Germany and George went to Fort Sill (Oklahoma), Donoher said. Thats where he contacted polio just weeks before the Salk vaccine was released.

Smith lost the ability to walk on his own and from then on was relegated to crutches and cumbersome leg braces and mostly a wheel chair.

He still had that competitive edge and he soon found another sport in which he could channel it. He had been introduced to thoroughbred racing by his college golf coach, Bob Kepler, who was from Dayton and loved to go to the track, and then was further immersed in racing by one of his polio doctors.

He bought his first race horse with George Zimmerman (in 1956), Donoher said. It was called Pineapples. He didnt like the name, he inherited that, but he sure did like the sport.

In 1970 Smith and his friend, local dentist Dr. Wilbur Johnston, bought 110 acres on Nutt Road in Centerville and formed Woodburn Farm.

It would become one of the most prominent thoroughbred farms in the Midwest, producing numerous stakes winners, state champions and graded stakes winners horses like Spoken Fur, Extended Applause, which ran fourth in the Breeders Cup, and Sweet Audrey, which won the Fall City Handicap in Louisville. Soon horses Smith and Johnston owned or bred were ending up in the Winners Circle in places like Hialeah Park, Gulfstream, Churchill Downs, Saratoga, Arlington Park and, of course, nearby River Downs.

Through it all George just kept plugging along, Donoher said:

He lived to be 84 and Ill tell you 84 and polio just dont go together. People marveled at his longevity. But he never complained. Never . He was as tough as nails, right to the end.

That end came last week when he was headed with longtime pal and former UD basketball player Terry Bockhorn and Terrys son to the Miami Valley Raceway in Lebanon. He suffered what Terry believes was a massive heart attack.

Smiths memorial service is at 11 a.m. at St. Georges Episcopal Church (5520 Far Hills Ave.).

The family George is survived by Norma, his wife of 54 years, daughters Audrey Nichols and Amy Sauk and son Austin Kep Smith (another son, Grantland, died in 1999) and five grandchildren will receive friends an hour before the service.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in Smiths memory to Old Friends Farm, a thoroughbred retirement home at 1841 Paynes Depot Road, Georgetown, Ky., 40324.

Loved the sport

Terry Bockhorn remembered the first time he met George:

I was with my brother Arlen (Bucky) and we went to the old Park Row (supper club) after a UD game. We met George and Mick (Don Donoher) there and they said they were going to River Downs the next day.

I said, You guys mind if I tag along?

That was over 40 years ago and Terry tagged along with George ever since.

They used to go to South Florida in the winter when Smith had horses running there, and then they would frequent tracks all over the Midwest.

In the mid-1970s, Smith served as president of the Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Association and he later was a governors appointee on the Thoroughbred Advisory Racing Board.

One of his most noteworthy feats was pulling together the competing thoroughbred and harness industries in Ohio to help bring simulcast racing to the state.

He said he was coming back from Turfway Park in Kentucky where he had watched a simulcast of one of his horses running in Florida and happened to pass the old Lebanon Raceway where he said there were about two cars in the parking lot.

I thought, Why are we dumping all our money in Kentucky? We should have simulcasting at tracks up here.

He met with Lebanon racing kingpin Corwin Nixon and his partner, Lou Carlo, and hammered out a plan they both could live with and then presented it to the Ohio legislature.

A skeptical Carlo told him if he could pull that off hed build him a special room to watch races at the Lebanon track.

The proposal passed and sure enough Lebanon soon had the George Smith VIP room.

It was like a glorified closet, but it was carpeted, had air conditioning, a refrigerator, a desk, a TV and betting machine.

It became a sort of clubhouse for watching the races for Smith and his pals, including Donoher, Bockhorn, Dr. James Gabel, the longtime vet of note and a former Ohio racing commissioner and horse owner, and Jim Morgan, the Stivers and University of Louisville basketball standout, who gave up the NBA to coach at Stebbins High and became the winningest stakes trainer in Ohio thoroughbred history.

Along the way Smith named horses for some of them and others in the community. Donher had Mickey Baskets and Gabel got Commissioner Gabe. Longtime Dayton Daily News sports columnist Si Burick has a horse by the same name and also Simon Punster.

A little over a decade ago Smith named a grey colt later gelded Tom Archdeacon and he had a few nice wins, including the 2007 Awad Stakes at Arlington Park.

Smith said he named the horse for me because he knew I loved the sport. It was the same for the other guys.

And, most of all, it was the same for him.

He loved the sport as much as anyone Ive ever known, Morgan said Wednesday from Florida. He had a great passion for it. George just loved being around racing.

Bockhorn agreed:

That last day we were headed to the track. Like always, he was looking forward to it. George was a gamer right to the end.

More here:
Tom Archdeacon: Celebrating George Smith, local racing legend - MyDaytonDailyNews