Patricia Nichols was 84 at the time of her death in Bloomington, Minnesota, on September 26, 2014. She took her position as the ASHA Executive Secretary in 1985, while the ASHA office was in Louisville, Kentucky. The office was moved to the Kentucky Horse Park a short time after Pat became the Executive Secretary. Pat made the move to the Lexington office along with Lynn Weatherman and Dede Gatlin. Mae Condon joined Pat’s team soon after the move to Lexington. Mae commented that, “We had a wonderful team and we all knew that Pat was the leader.” Current ASHA employees Lisa Duncan and Carrie Mortensen worked with Pat until she retired in 1996.
Pat was the widow of the late Hall of Fame trainer, Chat Nichols. Pat and Chat ran a successful training operation in Illinois, before she took her position as the Executive Secretary of ASHA. The family plans to arrange a remembrance party to be held in Minnesota sometime in November. More details will follow.
“Pat’s love of skiing was eclipsed only by her love of the American Saddlebred,” Judy Werner said.