NCHA Hall of Fame member J.M. Frost III of Houston, passed away June 20 at the age of 98.
A fourth generation Texan, whose family arrived shortly before the Texas Revolution and whose paternal grandfather was one of the first breeders of Brahman cattle in this country, Frost grew up riding his pony, “Pinto,” to school every day and tying him to the tree that still stands in front of Lanier Middle School. His lifelong love of horses drew him to jumping as a young man, and later to cutting horses and race horses.
Frost, a Director Emeritus of the American Quarter Horse Association, was recognized at this year’s AQHA Convention as the senior member of the AQHA board.
When Frost was inducted into the NCHA Members Hall of Fame in 2007, it was noted that he helped the association get on a sound financial footing in its early days. Secretary Doug Mitchell’s salary would typically be delayed for a few months at the end of the year until the following year’s membership renewals came in.
At his own expense, Frost hired a CPA to help him set up a viable bookkeeping system for the association, and applied for NCHA’s non-profit status.
In addition to showing horses from coast to coast, Frost was a successful cutting horse breeder. At the 1954 Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show in Fort Worth, two horses he bred, Fiesty B King and Honey B Joe, finished first and second in a field of 39 junior cutting horses.
“I’ve done everything horseback that a person can do, but riding a cutting horse is by far the most enjoyable,” he said.
He is survived by his son, Ford Jay Frost, his granddaughter Ann Chiles Frost, his daughter-in-law Claudia Wilson Frost, and many nieces and nephews and their families.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 72 years, Mickey Frost, brother W. Scott Frost, and sister Marian Frost Keenan.
A funeral service will be conducted at 2 p.m. Friday, June 28 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1015 Holman Street in Houston. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a favorite charity.
