Retiree reflects on time with library board, raising horses
Dolores and Marion Davidson have been a staple in the Weatherford community for many, many years.
The pair moved to Weatherford from Roger Mills County, and Marion opened his Ford dealership. Dolores, who earned music and early elementary education degrees from SWOSU, said the move was like coming home.
While Marion ran the Ford dealership with his business partner, Dolores became very involved with the community, especially the library.
Dolores was a frequent visitor at the Weatherford Public Library.
Dolores eventually joined the Weatherford Public Library Advisory Board, where she helped to raise money for the current library on Franklin Avenue. She said she enjoyed meeting new people from around Weatherford and reading all the new books before they hit the shelves.
“We had people from all walks of life on the library board,” Dolores said. “We had college professors, business owners and housewives.”
As the library grew, Dolores and the board would help with different library events in the community. Some of her favorite events include hosting community coffee and book reviews. Unfortunately, the library no longer hosts the reviews as interest in the event dwindled.
Dolores also was a charter member of the Weatherford Sorosis the lovely Christmas tree at the Weatherford Library.
Dolores recently retired from the board due to Marion’s health. He was diagnosed with dementia in the last few years and now needs full-time care.
Dolores and Marion spent many years raising and racing horses. In fact, the training track was near the current Wal-Mart location. Some of Dolores’ favorite horses included Cherokee Goddess, Zealous Zulu and Red Hawkeye who once won a $40,000 purse.
In addition to racing horses, Dolores also liked to bet on them.
“I like grays. I’ll bet on a gray. If one has a cat name, I’ll bet the cat and the gray,” she said. “I don’t bet a lot of money though — $2 is about my limit.”
The Davidson’s mostly bought their horses but also had a few they bred. Marion, as a car dealer, named their bred horses after the year they were born, such as Ninety-Four Model who went on to be a winner.
Another big winner then was Zealous Zulu. “You could tell when he was going
“You could tell when he was going to win because as he got closer to the finish line his tail would stick straight out behind him,” Dolores said. “He loved Marion’s cologne. When we would visit him before the races, he would sniff Marion from one side of his neck to the other.”
The Davidson’s daughter and son-in-law, Dorothy and Steve Erban, now are horse breeders. Their horse, Chasin Mason — named after their daughter — won the Minnesota Oaks in 2006. The couple also takes a group to the Kentucky Derby every year. Dolores, who joined them one year, said she was amazed by all the big hats.
The Davidson’s no longer go to the races or raise horses due to the late hours and Marion’s illness, but Dolores still enjoys looking at the pictures and memories they made throughout the years.