The Board of Directors of the Museum of Polo and Hall of
Fame announced that the Nominating Committee made its selection of the 2013
inductees into the Hall of Fame.
Michael
V. Azzaro, a former 10-goal player (a rating he held for 14 years)
with six U.S. Open Championships, three Silver Cups, Butler Handicap, Iglehart,
and World Cup to his credit, will be honored for his outstanding record as a player
for many years.
A 9-goaler who played for Myopia teams in the late 19th
century and early 1900s, Robert Gould
Shaw, II (1872 – 1930) was the committee’s choice for
the posthumous award. Shaw won all the
major tournaments of the era in his time as an active player.
For the Hall of Fame Iglehart Award, Tim Gannon, well known for his selfless generosity to polo and
other charitable causes and a three-time winner of the U.S. Open will be honored
for his outstanding lifetime contributions to the sport.
To be recognized as the posthumous Hall of Fame inductee for
the Iglehart Award is Bill Gilmore,
who is remembered as a powerful force in the revival of the game in California
after World War II.
In the Horses to Remember category the committee elected Fairy Story a celebrated mare bred in
England and later owned and played by Stephen “Laddy” Sanford. Fairy Story was
one of the top polo ponies in the 1920s, sweeping an unprecedented number of
the major awards given at that time.
Ever
Ready, a chestnut mare, trained and played by Ray Harrington
(Hall of Fame 1993), was also selected to be honored in this category. Ever
Ready was Ray’s “war horse” on whom he depended throughout his extraordinary
four consecutive wins in the U.S. Open, 1966 – 1969. She was awarded the Hartman Award for Best Playing pony of the
Open in 1969and also that year played with distinction in Argentina in the 1969
Cup of the Americas at Palermo.
Committee Chairman Horacio
Laffaye states
“The Class of 2013 represents the best of American polo. The Committee selected
10 and 9-goal players with outstanding records, a pair of supporters of the
game which made lasting contributions to polo in this country, and two polo
ponies which were at the top of their respective generations. I wish to express
my gratitude to all the Committee members who worked hard and long in selecting
these inductees from a large pool of highly qualified nominees.”
The
Awards Gala and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Museum of Polo on
Friday, February 15th, 2013. If you would like to join in the
celebration to welcome these legendary individuals to the Polo Hall of Fame,
you may purchase seats for the dinner up to a week in advance. Reservations are
$200.00 each (tax deductible portion $100.00). The Hall of Fame Awards Dinner
and Silent Auction is the most important fundraising event for the Museum each
year, so we hope you will help support your Museum – a 501 (c) 3, not-for-profit organization.
Contact Brenda Lynn at the Museum of Polo, (561) 969-3210 or (561) 969-7015,
e-mail: polomuseum@att.net for
further details, information, or to make your reservations.