Douglas Lees photoJim Atkins, the well-known and greatly admired native Virginian huntsman, died on Tuesday, June 25, 2013, after suffering a heart attack. Although Jim had retired from hunting hounds, he was highly respected as a judge of foxhounds, most recently judging the Crossbred Ring at the Bryn Mawr Hound Show earlier this month.
Jim served as professional huntsman for the Old Dominion Hounds (1978–1987), the Piedmont Fox Hounds (1987–1989), and finally the Warrenton Hunt (1993–2005).
“Jim has to be recognized as one member of that exceptional group of natural huntsmen from Rappahannock and upper Fauquier Counties,” said Dr. Will Allison, ex-MFH of Warrenton. “As boys, they grew up hunting to put food on the table. They developed an innate feeling for game.”
Jim Atkins (center) with the Warrenton hounds. On left is whipper-in Rick Laimbeer,
now MFH. Behind (on the grays) is Loki Van Roijen, also future MFH and Linda Clarke,
honorary-whipper-in. / Douglas Lees photo
“Jim brought so much pleasure to the field,” continued Allison. “He always tried to make field members aware of hounds by talking about special hounds. He would point out one or two and talk about them in the context of a little story.
“Jim was untiring in his ability to build coops in the country. He could take a small parcel of a hundred acres, install coops in just the right places, and give excellent hunting in a confined area.
“He was always ahead of the curve—always prepared for change. When coyotes started showing up in our country, Jim added a couple of coyote hounds. One day he heard those two hounds open and knew it was a coyote. He galloped on ahead, and they ran that coyote down and killed it.”
Warrenton MFH Kim Nash and Will Allison both remember hunting behind Jim even back in his days at Old Dominion. In fact both were present at an Old Dominion-Warrenton joint meet that many at Old Dominion consider their greatest hunting day ever. Hounds found a fox and ran it from the Barr’s Houyhnhnm Farm near Hume all the way to Flint Hill.
Old Dominion Hounds-Warrenton Hunt joint meet from The Hon. Joseph W. and Beth Ann
Barr’s Houyhnhnm Farm. (l-r) Dick Spindle, MFH, Old Dominion; Harcourt Lees, MFH
Warrenton; Old Dominion huntsman Jim Atkins: Old Dominion whipper-in Gerry Palmer.
Current Warrenton MFH Kim Nash is wearing derby. / Douglas Lees photo
“It was our very good fortune to lure Jim to Warrenton,” said Nash. “He was a formidable figure in the hunting world, yet he was so good with the juniors. There was a time when my son Steven was the only junior in the field. Jim always went out of his way to stop and speak to him. He always asked Steven to ride up with him on Junior Day, and he gave him a wooden hunt whip that we cherish to this day.”
Speaking independently, both Allison and Nash made identical observations about Jim and his wife, K.T., who survives him.
“Jim and K.T. were an inseparable team as huntsman and whipper-in,” recalled Allison.
“It’s so hard to separate Jim from K.T.,” said Nash. “Together, they were a remarkable team.”
Funeral services will take place on Monday, July 1 at 5:00 pm at the little church at Brandy Station ,Virginia. Reception to follow at the Brandy Station fire house.
Click for a slide show of more Douglas Lees photos from Jim Atkin’s career.
Posted June 26, 2013