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Marion cultural icon Arthur Appleton dies(Ocala Star-Banner (FL) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 16--OCALA -- Chicago industrialist, founder of the Appleton Museum of Art and owner of Bridlewood Farm, Arthur I. Appleton, died at home Tuesday morning. He was 92. Those who knew him, and those who didn't, drew a picture of a man who was larger than life: a brilliant man who shared what he had; a hard-working businessman loved by his employees; a loving father who cooked by taste and taught how to love; a man who gave Ocala its first art museum and was one of the horse industry's top breeders. "He was just a great, great man and I miss him so much," said his daughter, Linda Potter. "It was incredible to have him as a father and a mentor. He taught me to always try my best. He taught me there's value in anything you do, as long as you put great effort into it. He taught me the value of dreams and putting the effort to make them reality. ... He made his dreams come true by working hard, and he made others' dreams come true by giving." The love of horses brought Appleton to Ocala in the 1970s, and he fell in love with the city. "He wanted to be a citizen of Marion County and a good steward. He said there's no museum in Ocala ... He said, 'I want people of Ocala to have this museum here and won't have to travel far,'" Potter recalled. He designed the museum on the back of a napkin and offered the city $10 million to build the museum, along with his 6,000-piece art collection. The museum celebrated its 20th anniversary in June 2007. In 2004, Central Florida Community College assumed sole financial responsibility for the museum. "I admire the man very much," said Jim Kirk, former mayor of Ocala, and one of the first individuals Appleton worked with on the museum project. "What he did for our community was a remarkable thing." Appleton also was a key figure in the horse industry, in Florida and around the nation. He bought Bridlewood Farm in 1977, now spreading out on 960 acres of land, less than a decade after he got involved in the thoroughbred industry as an owner. He has been among the top 10 breeders in North America and is in the top five this year, said Dick Hancock, executive vice president of Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association. "He's done so much for the city and our industry," Hancock said. "He's a very special person ... We'll miss him. He was valuable to the industry." But one of the men who will miss Hancock the most is his farm manager of 11 years, George Isaacs. "When I first went to work for him in 1996, he told me I'll be traveling for the farm," Isaacs recalled on Tuesday night. "And he said, 'I want you to travel first class and drive a Cadillac. I want you to travel like I would.' He worked hard and made his company a hugely successful company and reaped the financial rewards of that, and he wanted to share that." Isaacs witnessed countless anonymous donations Appleton made to the community. He saw him help his employees send their children to college and deal with tough financial situations. "So for me to summarize in a few sentences what this man means to my life ... it's just impossible to paint that picture in a few sentences," Isaacs said. "Aside from my own father, he's been the most influential man in my adult life ... I cared about him deeply." And now those who he has left behind are determined to carry on his legacy, his museum, his farm, his millionaire horses, forever. "We open our eyes and see his legacy all around us. We see the sign for Appleton on I-75. We see the art he painstakingly collected at the museum. We go to the farm and see the animals. We see the races. It's here for us, so we don't have to draw everything from our heart and mind, because he wanted to make sure his dreams were there for everyone," Potter said. Other survivors include sons, Thomas, Arthur Jr., James and William; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. His wife, Martha O'Driscoll, a Hollywood B-movie beauty in the 1940s, died in 1998. His son, John, died in 2005. A private funeral will be held in Chicago. A Day of Celebration will be held at the Appleton Museum at 1 p.m. Feb. 4. ARTHUR I. APPLETON Born: Oct. 14, 1915 Died: Jan. 15, 2008 Education: Business degree from Dartmouth College Professional Background: Appleton became president and chairman of the board of Appleton Electric in 1957. Appleton Electric was sold to Emerson Electric in 1982. Appleton, an avid inventor, acquired more than 150 patents on different types of electrical systems and switch boxes. Horse Racing: The Appleton family at one time owned interests in Hialeah and Gulfstream Park racetracks in South Florida. After the family's interests in the two tracks were sold, Appleton continued to serve on Gulfstream Park's advisory board. The Appleton Handicap at Gulfstream was named in his honor. Appleton became involved in the thoroughbred industry in the 1960s as a horse owner. He bought 500 acres in Ocala and formed Bridlewood Farm in 1977. The farm now encompasses 960 acres. Appleton had bred or raced nearly 100 stakes winners and was named the 1991 Florida Breeder of the Year. To see more of the Ocala Star-Bannner -- including its homes, jobs, cars and other classified listings -- or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.starbanner.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Ocala Star-Banner, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |