PROFILE: O.B. Beckner was born May 11, 1884. Beckner retired from greyhound racing in 1957 turning his kennel over to his daughter and son-in-law, Omar and Mary Rawlings. O.B Beckner passed away in 1968 at the age of 84. Beckner was added to the PIONEER section in 1980.

HISTORY: Mr. Beckner started greyhound racing in 1926 when he and his son-in-law W. Lee Bryant, combined to race a kennel at New Orleans, East St. Louis, Butte, Charleston and Shreveport. Beckner also raced greyhounds in Sarasota, FL, Hawthorne, IL New Kensington, PA and Belmont, CA. During his later years in the racing Kennel Beckner settled into racing at Miami Beach, Hollywood and finally at Jacksonville.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: Among Beckner’s many great greyhounds were; PLUMA, STREIT, BALFOUR, and MOSKIN. As a patriarch of the now, (1979) famous Beckner family of racing, O.B Beckner’s name lives on through his children and their spouses who have continued in the greyhound industry. The Bryant’s, the Rawling’s, the Sanstrom’s, the Henry Wright’s EL “Skinny” Beckner, H.D. “Dude” Beckner and Mr. & Mrs. “Buck” Cryer.