1897-1965
Tevis Paine was born in Sacramento in 1897. His father, Charles W. Paine, was director and manager of the California State Fair for thirty-five years beginning in 1901. Tevis became a pony boy at the State Fair and in 1912 became Assistant Marshall on the State Fair race track. A year later he became Marshall, the man on the pinto pony who called the horses into place.
He went to France in the Army during World War I. Afterwards he worked for an oil firm in San Francisco. In 1922 he started his horse show career by helping to stage the first horse show at the Ambassador Hotel. He managed a Portland Hotel for a time and then served as Assistant Secretary of the California State Fair.
During World War II Tevis served on the Farm Production Council. He then became general manager of the California Thoroughbred Breeders Association and managing editor of its publication, The Thoroughbred of California. For nine years he worked as public relations director of the Western Fairs Association and in 1952 joined the staff of the Los Angeles County Fair. He retired from the Pomona show in 1965 and passed away on September 1, 1965.
Tevis was "Big Paine" and his older brother, Ed, was "Little Paine". Tevis was noted for his sense of humor and for his loyalty. He lived a full life, worth living, worth remembering.