From NKAA, Notable Kentucky African Americans Database (main entry)

Dickerson, Arnold "Dobie"

(born: 1913  -  died: 1980) 

Race horse trainer Arnold "Dobie" Dickerson was the son of Charles T. and Chanie Stout Dickerson, who moved to Brentsville (Bourbon County), KY from Montgomery County, KY in the late 1920s or early 1930s [source: Arnold Dickerson, self-published by Robert Claxton Winston Day]. The following information comes from Day's publication about his father.

Dobie Dickerson started working with horses when he was hired by Jack Keene, who owned the property where Keeneland Race Track is built today. Dickerson worked for Keene until he was drafted into the military in 1942, during World War II. After the war, Dickerson returned home and continued working with horses, starting as a groomsman and going on to become a  trainer. He traveled with the horses to various states, including Florida, Arkansas, and Louisiana in the winter,  working up north in the spring. In Cleveland, OH he managed the Brunswick Farm.   

Dickerson is mentioned in Wagging Tails, Swishing Tails, Fluffy Tails, and Other Tails, by J. Fuson. His career as a trainer included working for owners Donald McKellar, Dr. Ben Roach, Elmhurst Farm, Jack Keene, Walter "Snooks" Ridemour, and Tom Daniels' Broadmoor Farm  [source: "Arnold "Dobie" Dickerson, 66, area racehorse trainer, dies," Lexington Herald-Leader, 2/5/1980, p. C2].

Dickerson died February 1, 1980; his funeral was held in Lexington, KY, with burial in the Dickerson family plot in Cedar Heights Cemetery in Paris, KY.

Kentucky County & Region

Read about Montgomery County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Bourbon County, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Kentucky Place (Town or City)

Read about Brentsville, Kentucky in Wikipedia.
Read about Paris, Kentucky in Wikipedia.

Item Relations

Cited in this Entry

NKAA Source: Arnold Dickerson (self-published)
NKAA Source: Wagging tails, swishing tails, fluffy tails, and other tails
NKAA Source: Lexington herald-leader (newspaper)

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Cite This NKAA Entry:

“Dickerson, Arnold "Dobie",” Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed December 2, 2023, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/3069.

Last modified: 2022-07-15 16:19:31