John Abner Bell III ’41

John (known to us as "Pappy") died Jan. 31, 2007, of pulmonary fibrosis.

He prepared at Shady Side Academy and The Hill School. At Princeton, he majored in geology, played freshman soccer and basketball, was a member of Sigma Xi, and graduated with honors. He joined Tiger Inn, and roomed with Don Robertson and Chuck Winston.

Pappy attended Harvard Business School before entering the Army in 1942, where he served in the Medical Administrative Corps. In 1945 he founded Jonabell Farm in Fayette County, Ky., where he owned and bred thoroughbred horses. He raised Never Say Die, the first American-bred horse to win the English Derby. Jonabell Farm also was the final resting place of triple-crown winner Affirmed. In 2001 he sold Jonabell Farm to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al Hakton.

Pappy was past president of the Thoroughbred Club of America and of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners. In an article in Spur magazine several years ago, he was described by Alfred G. Vanderbilt as "the best man in Kentucky."

He created the Bell Chair for Alcohol and Addictions at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine.

Pappy is survived by Jessica Gay Bell, his wife of 60 years; daughters Jessica Nicholson and Harriet Bennett Williams; and sons John IV and James G.