Hall of Fame Committee Meeting Minutes – Feb 25, 2014

by | Oct 12, 2021 | Hall of Fame Committee Meeting Minutes | 0 comments

ecs-hall-of-fame

ECSFTHFC Committee Meeting

Tuesday, February 25, 2014, at 8:00 pm EST

In attendance were:  AR Ginn, Peter Rizzo, Larry Hansen, Kate Romanski, Barbara Haupt, Hobson Brown, and Keith Meissner, Robb Cotiaux.

AGENDA

***Approval of December minutes

We opened the meeting with discussion of the January meeting minutes.  Robb moved that the minutes be accepted as published on the Hall of Fame website.    AR seconded and the minutes were approved.

***Report on the HOF Induction Ceremony

Prior to this meeting every committee member received the induction booklet so we had a sense of the entire procedure.  Hob reported that the ceremony was a very pleasurable down to the earth experience.  It began on time in the morning with the springer presentations done first, then the cockers, and retrievers.  The pointing dogs presentations were in the afternoon.

Regarding those in attendance, there were quite a few springer people on hand since they had a trial in the days preceding the ceremonies. The traditional pointing dog trial at the Ames plantation followed in the days after the induction ceremonies so they too were there in full force. This trial can bring upwards of 1000 pointer people – a BIG event. The retriever folks were well represented, but there were not many present for the cockers. We had a short discussion about having a cocker trial in the area in the future to get more people involved and interested. The available grounds are excellent. Hob reported he got a lot of feedback from the pointing and retriever people about how smart the cockers are. Breed awareness is definitely growing.

The induction ceremonies take place at the same time every year because of the aforementioned scheduled pointing dog trials. This year Mother Nature dealt a hefty blow to many who planned on attending the ceremony. Specifically, Mike Gilpin couldn’t go because of loss of power in his PA home. Tom Ness had unexpected duties to fulfill in Colorado, and the Bedford family were stranded by the ice storm. Thankfully, Susie and Mike Duckels were there to give ECS support. Susie has been a member of the ECSCA for many years. She and her husband live in Colliersville TN where folks stay who are going to the HOF museum. The scrolls for each recipient will be mailed to the appropriate people by the Hall of Fame staff.

We discussed the importance of keeping past and present recipients involved in HOF plans and activities and appreciate the Harriman family giving an item for the Silent auction this year.

***Update on the Status of the Display

Here again Mother Nature dropped her heavy hand. Terry Reckart was unable to install the display in our area at the Hall of Fame prior to the ceremony; the students could not finish it due to school closings plus Terry was dealing with illness in his family. He will try to get the display installed in early March. Once that is done, we can permanently hang the Founder’s plaque and the enlargement of the Hall of Fame pin.  

***Treasurer’s Report

At this time we have $6585 in the treasury. We have received a few more entries for the Wall of Champions and have commitments for others that have not come in as yet. Looking ahead, we don’t expect any large expense items in the future. We will cover what is left for Terry’s expenses. The web site should be less costly than in the past since it is now just posting updates. We will have the ongoing expense of framing and shipping, probably $800 – $1000 a year. John Leininger is building our display case and a down payment has been sent to him. He is doing a similar case for the springer section in the Hall of Fame and the two will be in close proximity when installed. Hob will send expenses out to everyone on the committee for approval prior to expenditure.   

***Other Business

–Tom Ness has agreed to continue serving on the Advisory Committee. All former members of the HOF committee are now also on the Advisory Committee.

–Robb Cotiaux reported he had been approached about including the American cockers in the English Cocker Spaniel HOF. The committee had a forthright discussion about whether our space should include dogs from both breeds. The following points of discussion were highlighted:

  • At this point we can induct the people who have worked with American cockers but we cannot induct the dogs.
  • Currently some parts of the HOF are breed specific and some are not.
  • The present English Cocker Spaniel space at the HOF was and is primarily funded by those from the English cocker community.
  • The ECS space at the HOF is administered by the field bred English cocker community.
  • The trials of the past and the present trials are “Cocker Trials” open to both breeds.
  • Initially, the American cockers being considered would be from the period between 1946 and the early 1960’s when the trials concluded.
  • During that aforementioned brief period the two breeds went head to head against each other in trials with neither breed demonstrating dominance over the other.
  • Since the resurgence of cocker trials, they have been dominated by the field bred English cockers.
  • There has been only one American cocker FC since the resurgence of cocker trials.
  • If we are to be true to the history of the ECS and the cocker trials, we cannot ignore the ACS.
  • If we do include the ACS it is possible we would receive monetary support from that faction in addition to many of the fine trophies, etc. from the era.

 This topic will be discussed again and on the agenda for our next meeting at 8 p.m. on March 25th EDST. At 9:15 p.m. the motion was made and seconded that the meeting be adjourned;

 

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Haupt

Following is the press release of the induction ceremony.

The Bird Dogs Foundation, Inc.

  1. O. Box 774

505 West Highway 57

Grand Junction, Tennessee

731-764-2058

sportdog@bellsouth.net

Press Release

Field Trial Hall of Fame Inductees 2014

A light snow and cold temperatures greeted sporting dog patrons and fans on the morning of Saturday, Feb. 8th at the National Bird Dog Museum, Grand Junction, Tennessee.   But the gathering crowd warmed quickly to the fellowship of friends, family and fellow competitors from across the country.  The occasion: the annual induction ceremony for the Field Trial Hall of Fame.  The morning session was devoted to the Retrievers, English Cocker Spaniels and English Springer Spaniel breeds.  In the afternoon, the pointing breeds — Brittany, German Shorthaired and English Pointer/Setters —  were honored.

Don Driggers, Board President of the Bird Dog Foundation, the host organization, gave the opening remarks.   A proclamation from the Tennessee Legislature crowning Grand Junction, Tennessee as the “Bird Dog and Field Trial Capital” was read to the ovation of the crowd.  Acceptance remarks and a welcome were given by Mayor Curtis Lane of Grand Junction.  This year, 11 distinguished persons and nine deserving dogs of various breeds were named to the Field Trial Hall of Fame.  During the preliminaries to the inductions, several Bird Dog Foundation Life Patron, Patron Memorial and Founders plaques were presented, along with one Great Dog plaque.

All attendees were treated to a sumptuous luncheon provided by Purina.  The day’s events were co-sponsored by Ainley Products, Garmin, Bird Dog Whiskey and SportDog Brands.  The American Field magazine of Chicago hosted an evening reception.  This year’s inductees joined the nearly 500 other dogs and persons already enshrined throughout the various Field Trial Halls of Fame within the complex.  The Bird Dog Foundation, an umbrella non-profit organization, provides 30,000 sq. ft. of building space devoted to nearly 40 breeds of sporting dogs.  Learn more by visiting online: www.birddogfoundation.com.