The Earle Hurlbutt President's Award
Ed Bogucki, Artist

In 1949 Earle Hurlbutt gathered a group of Arabian enthusiasts and organized the  Arabian Horse Association.  Earle was elected as the first President.  Earle and his wife Frances remained active in IAHA until they passed on.  Earle was a delegate for his Region 2 Club up through his 95th year.

Region 2 recognized the love and dedication Earle and Frances had for IAHA and in 1990, created the Region 2 Heritage and Education Committee (Lorry Wagner, Chair) and as the first project, started working on creating an award to honor IAHA's 1st President and member of the founding body.  Ed Bogucki was commissioned to create a magnificent bronze to represent this award.  The original concept awarded this honor to the U.S. National Champion stallion.  It was dedicated at the 1992 U.S. National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.  Earle was presented in center ring along with this beautiful Bogucki bronze.

Region 2 was delighted to have Earle live to see that the organization he had helped to create had honored his many years of work and dedication.  Earle passed away in September of 1993.  The Bogucki bronze has a permanent home in the offices of AHA in Denver.  It is on loan at this time and can be seen at the Library on the Cal Poly campus in Pomona, California.

The Keeper Sculpture for
The Earle E. Hurlbutt President's Award
Stacey Mayer, Artist

In 1998 it was decided that this award would be much more appropriate if given as the "IAHA Presidents Award" which is given to an IAHA member who has made outstanding contributions to the Arabian breed, IAHA and to IAHA members.

This committee then had the task of finding an appropriate "keeper award" to give to the recepient.  Stacey Mayer, an outstanding artist, was selected.  The very first Earle Hurlbutt President's Award was received by Immediate Past President Mary Anne Grimmell at the 1999 IAHA Convention in Anaheim, California.  Above is a picture of this wonderful creation.  Region 2 is extremely proud to have Earle and Frances remembered by this very appropriate sculpture created by Stacey.  Those of us who were privileged to have known the Hurlbutts personally know that they are looking down and  are "humbly" thanking IAHA for honoring them.   The descriptive term "humbly" is used because these wonderful people truly loved the Arabian horse and never took the credit they so richly deserved for the many, many years of their selfless dedication to the Arabian horse.