On March 7, 1997, the Morgan Horse world lost one of its guiding lights,

William Dayton Sumner, who as a trainer, breeder, judge, horse-show

manager, exhibitor, writer, historian, and all-around devotee of the

Morgan breed, lent his wisdom and experience for some 40 years. As

dedicated as Dayton Sumner was to horses, especially the Morgan breed,

he was a multi-faceted man with many passions and interests. Eulogies

to him universally state that he was a quiet, unassuming gentleman.

This site is dedicated to his memory so that those who didn't know

much about him can get to know his legacy and so that some visitors

to this site might be inspired to remember Dayton Sumner by

contributing to the causes he cared about.

When Dayton Sumner died, Morgan devotees contributed an outpouring of tributes to him via the Morganlist e-mail discussion group. Most of

the writers of these messages had never met him, yet they experienced

his death profoundly.

Why did people who had never met W. Dayton Sumner grieve and sing his praises when he died? He inspired this response by being a helpful,

witty, gentlemanly contributor to the Morganlist e-mail discussion

group. He was particularly well-versed in Morgan bloodlines, going

back many years. He also amused members of the discussion group with

his witty signatures.