Ed Ford, who served as a director of the Grayson-Jockey Club Foundation, died July 2. He was 80.
A native of Montgomery, Ala., Ford was the founder of the Harrison Veterinary Medical Center in Cynthiana, Ky., and practiced veterinary medicine in Harrison County and Central Kentucky for 25 years. After leaving private practice he became executive director of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, an international equine medical research foundation, for 12 years.
He was a life member of both the American and Kentucky Veterinary Medical Associations and was honored by the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association as Veterinarian of the Year in 1979 and received their Distinguished Service Award in 1992. He was named as the 2002 recipient of the Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni Award by Auburn University, where he received his doctorate in veterinary medicine.
Ford was elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1978 and served there for 17 years. After retiring from the senate he joined Gov. Paul Patton’s administration and spent eight years in the executive branch of government, rising to serve as Secretary of the Executive Cabinet.