Josephine Abercrombie

1926 - 2022

Josephine Abercrombie
1926-2022
Josephine Abercrombie, 95, died peacefully at her home in Woodford County, Kentucky on January 5, just 10 days shy of her birthday. Born January 15, 1926, in Kingston, Jamaica, she was the only child of Texas oilman and Cameron Iron Works founder James S. "Mr. Jim" Abercrombie and Lillie Frank Abercrombie.

At the age of seven, Josephine's love of horses led her to begin showing American Saddle Horses. This was the start of an illustrious career where she eventually became a record holder at Madison Square Garden for the most blue ribbons won in a single season, winning 12 out of 20 classes. Her passion for the sport, combined with her strong desire to support civic projects, led Josephine to join her father in creating Houston's Pin Oak Charity Horse Show in the mid-1940's. This highly successful fixture on the national circuit for many years dedicated its support to Texas Children's Hospital, which Mr. Abercrombie had been instrumental in establishing.

Josephine's success on the horse show circuit led her to major competitions in Louisville and Lexington, Kentucky, where she fell in love with the land and being surrounded by horses. Soon, she began to turn her energies toward Thoroughbred breeding and racing. In the 1950's, she and her father purchased a large farm, which they named Pin Oak, in Woodford County, Kentucky, and established a Thoroughbred breeding and tobacco farming operation.

Following her father's death in 1975, Josephine took over at the helm of his Houston oil and gas company, J.S. Abercrombie Mineral Company, which she successfully ran as a woman in the historically male-dominated industry. In the early 1980's, she also became the driving force behind the Houston Boxing Association, having first been introduced to the sport by her father. During this period, her impact on the sport was such that Don King once called her the first lady of boxing.

In 1986, Josephine stepped down from her role at JSAMCo and began to spend most of her time in Kentucky. After 35 years on the original Pin Oak, she decided to move to a smaller farm just down the road to focus solely on Thoroughbreds. The new farm, named Pin Oak Stud, became a labor of love for Josephine. As a hands-on owner, she was actively involved in all aspects of breeding and training her Thoroughbreds. Her hard work and attention resulted in great success in the industry. To date, nearly 70 stakes winners have been bred or raced by Pin Oak Stud, including Classic winners in America and England and Grade 1 stakes winners in three countries. She was especially proud of her Eclipse Award winning homebred champions. Recognized as National Breeder of the Year in 1995, Josephine received many accolades and awards for her contributions to the sport and was inducted into the Texas Horseracing Hall of Fame.

With a strong sense of responsibility to future generations, Josephine was passionate about conservation and education. She provided generous philanthropic support of civic, educational, and Thoroughbred industry projects. In addition to her generosity to her alma mater Rice University, she was also the founder of The Lexington School in Kentucky.

Late in her life, Josephine revisited her lifelong love of ballroom dancing and spent many years training for and competing in ballroom dancing competitions all over the country. Her zest for life and quest for new challenges never faded.

Josephine Abercrombie is survived by two sons, George Anderson Robinson IV and Jamie Abercrombie Robinson, as well as grandchildren George Anderson Robinson V and Blair Abercrombie Robinson.

Funeral arrangements are private. For those wishing to honor Abercrombie's memory, contributions can be made to The Lexington School, Attn: Una McCarthy, 1050 Lane Allen Road, Lexington, KY 40504; Woodford Humane Society, Attn: Katie Hoffman, P.O. Box 44, Versailles, KY; or the Thoroughbred Charities of America, Attn: Erin Crady, P.O. Box 910668, Lexington, KY 40591.