Lynn Stone, former Churchill president, dead at 95

Albert Lynn Stone, the president and chief executive of Churchill Downs from 1970 through 1984, died on Feb. 22 at a hospital in Lexington, according to an announcement of his death. Stone was 95.

Stone, a former minor-league baseball player, was employed by Churchill for 23 years, starting as resident manager at the Louisville track in 1961. During his tenure at the head of the track, three winners of the Kentucky Derby went on to win the Triple Crown: Secretariat, Seattle Slew, and Affirmed.

Also while at Churchill, Stone served as the president of Hialeah Park in South Florida. He was a two-term president of the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, a trade group of racetracks that was highly influential in the industry at the time. He was a former member of the boards of the American Horse Council and Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders Association.

Stone transitioned into racing after serving in managerial capacities for the Boston, and then Milwaukee, Braves organization. He oversaw the relocation of the Braves’ Triple A team to Louisville in 1958, just prior to being hired by Churchill. Several famous athletes with Kentucky roots, including Paul Hornung and Pee Wee Reese, were guests of Stone while he ran Churchill.

Following his retirement in 1984, Stone served as a consultant to Churchill and other racing and sports organizations.

Survivors include his wife, Jane; three sons; and two stepchildren, a son and daughter.