Milton Prince Higgins III

Milton Prince Higgins III died in Hawaii in April after a brief illness. His beloved nephew and niece, Dauber and Renee Higgins, were with him. He was 85.

Born in Worcester, MA, to the late Alice Coonley Higgins and Milton P Higgins II, he was the oldest of five children, and known as Mitty. He lived in many places throughout his life including Australia; Dedham, Mattapoisett, and Hardwick, MA; Colorado Springs, CO; Ojo Caliente, NM; Olney, MD; and Kamuela, HI. He attended Bancroft School, and graduated from Milton Academy, Colorado College, and Harvard Business School. He had been married and divorced.

Mitty began his career working for the Norton Company and then for Arthur D. Little, but he found his calling when he combined his love of horses and athletics, forming a partnership with veterinarian Tom Bowman to breed and race thoroughbreds. Their successful partnership included breeding Love the Chase, the dam of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome. To this day, their horse Richie The Coach holds the record for 1 1/4 miles at Laurel Park set in 1996. While he took great pride in these successes, friends recall that they sometimes seemed secondary to the joy he took in walking the fields to observe the horses and to get to know each of them.

It's unsurprising that horses became his life's work. While he loved animals and kept dogs, cats, and even a wisecracking parrot, it was these larger creatures to which he was the most connected. His affection for them began over summers he spent as a teen working at the Half Moon Ranch in Jackson Hole, WY, and continued both in his work as a breeder and as an advocate for racetrack reforms that would protect their health and safety. He was a director and treasurer of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association.

Mitty is survived by his four younger siblings and their spouses: Prentiss and Polly Higgins, Genie and Don Rice, Trish and Chris Arnold, and David and Lonny Higgins; his greatly loved friends Mary Ellen Tasillo, and the Tom and Chris Bowman family. He is also loved and survived by a string of nieces and nephews; and a sizable herd of many more of the same with the required "great" occasionally tacked on for the sake of clarification that never seemed particularly important to him.

Mitty loved spending time with family and friends and relished hearing about their exploits and accomplishments. He seemed most happy with a comfortable perch in a sociable space where he could listen intently or share his own thoughts. He had a way of presenting his opinions or sharing his knowledge that combined mischievous self-deprecation with authoritative knowledge of his subjects ranging from southwestern art to breeding to Boston sports. In his writing and his relationships, he often revealed his understanding and compassion for human frailty. He was a friend who could know a person fully and without judgment.

Kind and generous, Mitty did not suffer fools gladly, but he routinely reached out to those in need with support or companionship. He always had time for those who needed it, time that would often be complemented by spontaneous generosity. Whether giving a younger sister his Milton Academy baseball captain's "M," answering an email asking for help buying a dog with great detail and wisdom, providing a thoroughly annotated list of recommended mystery novels, ensuring a friend's production of Carousel would actually have "the damn carousel" it needed, or supporting a nephew through a personal crisis, his first instinct when confronted by need was to see how he could help and then take action.

This generosity and gentleness with those in need defined many of his relationships. Known variously as Uncle Miltie, Mitty, Mitt, and SMNU (the Super New Uncle Mitty) to family and friends, memories of his generosity include providing scholarships to young people starting out in the horse world and young drama students who wanted to attend a summer camp in NYC, and encouraging, and sometimes financing, the aspirations of his friends.

In the words of one remembrance, Mitty had a way of "romanticizing the smallest detail" in the world around him. He recognized the significance and meaning of small moments with those he loved and who loved him: walking through a pasture, laughing at a clever nickname, enjoying dinner with friends. His kindness, wisdom, and joy enriched the lives of the many who loved him. He is and will be deeply missed. A service has been held.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine - Milton Higgins III Fund, Att: Regina M. Turner, VMD, PhD, New Bolton Center, 382 W. Street Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348; or Thoroughbred Placement Resources,Inc, 13130 Molly Berry Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772; or a non-profit of your choosing.