ECSFTHFC Committee Meeting
Tuesday, November 24th, 2015, at 7:00 pm CDT
In attendance were: Tom Ness, AR Ginn, Peter Rizzo, Keith Meissner, Sheryl Mayo
Absent: Rob Cotiaux, Larry Hansen
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm
Treasurer’s Report
There is $8743.36 in the Hall of Fame bank account in North Dakota. The balance in the HOF account is $8743.36, A deposit was made in the account that included $1100 and $2500 from George and Noel Cacchio, $400 from Diane Berol Saxton, $500 from the Elaine Berol Taylor and Scot Bevan Taylor foundation, $200 from the Linehan’s and $200 from the Cocker Spaniel Hunting enthusiasts Club for a total of $4900. This money was donated towards the Wall of Champions.
2015 Hall of Fame Inductee
AR made a motion to have Harold Bixby inducted to the English Cocker Spaniel Hall of Fame, Keith seconded the motion and all were in favour. A brief biography of Harold Bixby follows these minutes. Please read the biography.
Website
AR & Keith are working on collecting photos of Working English Cocker Spaniels to post on the website as well as any other pertinent information. If anyone has a picture or info pertaining to the Hall of Fame please send a copy to AR or Keith.
Resignation
Tom Ness has announced that he must resign from the committee. Tom has apologized for the need to resign himself from the Hall of Fame Committee. He has found that with running his business and prior commitments that he doesn’t feel he has the appropriate amount of time to commit of the Hall of Fame. We are grateful for all of the effort and commitment to the Hall of Fame that Tom has given us and appreciate his candor & frankness in letting us know his situation so that we may plan for the future. Tom will continue to be a supporter and Advisory member of the Hall of Fame. AR made a motion to accept Tom’s resignation and it was seconded by Keith. According to the HoF bylaws, when there is a vacancy position on the committee, that position can be filled by the HoF committee by selecting a representative from the Field Trialing community. AR made a motion to select Bethann Wiley for the vacant position on the HoF Committee, this was seconded by Sheryl and a unanimous vote was taken approving Bethann’s selection to the committee. The committee is looking forward to working with Bethann in the future.
Adjournment 7:23 pm Eastern Time
Harold Bixby was the President of the Spaniel Association of Western New York for 20 years. During the twenty years the SAWNY ran eighty Cocker Open trials / eighteen Spaniel Hunt tests and forty Open/Amateur Springer trials. He was also a major Patron at all the NCC’s.
Harold joined the ECSCA in 1998, and remained a member until his death in October of 2013.
A statement of Harold’s Character
Harold was the ultimate sportsman, always a gentleman who set the standards for the rest of us. His positive outlook and sportsmanship were contagious in the cocker community. He dedicated much time and energy to his breeding program at Wind Whistle Kennel – traveling to the UK where he established a long term relationship with Alan and Cyril Gwynne. He cared so much about the future of the working cocker, and he also cared about young people. Harold wisely combined his focus on these two areas for positive results. Tom Calabrese tells us, “In promoting Youth Programs Bix had a habit of gifting one cocker from each litter to young teens in our club. I recall after one of our trials Bix and Marty ran a fun youth trial. At that event we had participation ribbons for all the trialers. They complained vigorously, and wanted to know which dog was the best. So at the next youth fun trial we had trophies and four place ribbons. I’m thinking that Sue and Fred Nevell were the judges. Anyway they said it was the hardest event they ever judged!”
The Bixby Award
The Field Trial fraternity thought so much of “Bix” they presented an award in his name while he was still alive – the Harold S. Bixby Service Award. This award was dedicated to Harold, who gave an immense amount of time and energy to cocker field trials. It honors Harold Bixby as a true gentleman of the game. The official wording for this award is as follows:
The Harold S. Bixby service Award recognizes the individual who has continuously, unselfishly, and distinctly given of themselves to advance the cause of English Cockers’ field work. The winner is selected to exemplify the high standards set by Harold S. Bixby, whose generosity and unselfish support of English Cockers in the field has contributed enormously to the success in all field events.
The Harold S. Bixby Service Award may be given annually at the discretion of the ECSCA FTC in recognition of the individual who has continuously endeavored to promote the spirit of English Cockers working in the field. The recipient will be nominated and selected by the ECSCA FTC members and awarded at the National Cocker Championship banquet of that year.
Titled Dogs Owned or Co-owned:
What a powerful influence Harold’s breeding program has had in the world of the field bred English cocker. The following list speaks for itself:
NFC FC Diana Floss of Windmillwood MH (UK) “Millie” (UK) Black bitch co-owned with Martha Calabrese High Point Open EC 2000, 2001, 2002; Winner NCC 2005 placed in three
NCC prior to winning; ECSCA Top Field Trial Dog owned by a member: 2000 High Point Open 27 points
FC Kenyee Donna of Windmillwood (UK) “Meg” (O) Harold Bixby ECSCA Top Field
Trial Dog owned by a member 2001 46 points High Point Dog
FC Norbeck Arfer Mole “Barney” (UK) (O/H)
FC Goldstrum Sting of Windmillwood “Goldie” (UK)
Sire of NFC FC AFC Trendsetters Black Beauty MH
Windmillwood Kim “Kim” (O)
FC Windwhistle M. VIDA “Vida” (O)
Wind Whistle Brown Betty “Brown Betty” Placement in NCC
Very early Titled Dogs bred and/or owned:
Beechwood Acres Ella JH Black & tan bitch wh 1996 – and her dam:
Beechwood Acres Patches JH blue roan & tan bitch, wh: 1994
Titled Dogs bred:
FC Wind Whistle A You
FC Buster Brown King of Meadow JH “Buster”
AFC Charma MH
FC AFC Lady Willowby of Wind Whistle “Willow” ECSCA Top Amateur Field Trial Dog
owned by a member 2007
FC Wild Rose of Wind Whistle NA OAJ NAP NJP
FC Windwhistle Fleeflicker “Flicka”
FC Windwhistle Padraig “Paddy” placed third in a NCC
FC Wind Whistle Sunfeather MH “Sunny”
FC Windwhistle Woodward SH “Woody”
Windwhistle Baylor SH MH “Baylor”
Windwhistle Midnight Star MH MHA
Windwhistle Scotch SH MH
Windwhistle Bewitched JH SH
Wind Whistle Norseman SH
Windwhistle Kid Cismo SH
Windwhistle Merlin JH
Windwhistle Princess Belle JH
Windwhistle’s Sunrise JH
Windwhistle Tornado JH
Sires owned of Titled dogs:
Housty Valley Hawk (UK)
Wernffrwd Abertawe (UK)
- Kate Romanski states: “There is no doubt his dogs made an impact on the working English Cockers in this country.”
Trish Jackson: “He brought in some of the best lines and consistently bred quality. Besides his contribution to the ECS he was a true gentleman and Sportsman. I am so glad I had the pleasure of knowing him.”
Harold Bixby was and is still a force in the cocker community. In the late 90’s and the early part of this century we would see Harold running his dogs at trials and hunt tests. If we were lucky, some of us might be running a dog from his breeding program at Windwhistle Kennel. Being in the company of Harold, you couldn’t help but be taken by him. He was always calm and respectful – set the standard for good sportsmanship and what we would hope to be the prototype for the rest of us in the cocker field trial world.
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The following words were written by Tom Calabrese after Harold’s death:
“Sadly, on Sunday morning our friend Bix passed away with family and close friends at his side. A caring husband to his wife, Judy for more than 50 years, father to son Bill a Lutheran minister and daughter Leslie a nurse practitioner.
Many of us have known him over the years as a wonderful gentleman, always exhibiting the best of sportsmanship. We may all reminisce our favorite Bix story and share in the joy of our friendship and his life. If you would allow me a few moments, I’d like to share with you a bit of Bix’s life many may not be familiar with. As a young man he grew up in Connecticut the youngest of a very large family working in his dad’s business during the “Great Depression”. There he learned the lessons of hard work and pain of the depression’s struggles. That experience molded his business fortitude, honesty and most of all integrity.
As a young man he entered Rensellaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) only to be interrupted by World War II, where he served in the Army engaged in the Pacific theater. Like many soldiers from WWII he didn’t talk much of his war experiences. My granddaughter, Madison got into his heart and persuaded him to spend Veterans Day at our local grammar school talking to the children about the history and meaning of Veterans Day. Proud time to see him squeeze into his uniform … the kids loved him…”Mr. Bix the soldier.” He returned many years thereafter, he loved the children.
After the war, he returned to Rensellaer as a more senior upper classman, President of his Frat and all “Animal House” activities possible. I won’t repeat his stories of drinking, gambling etc. but he was the best at it. He did graduate as a Civil Engineer and at the same time met his soon to be wife, Judy. She instilled a calming influence on him then, and forever more. As an accomplished Engineer, he built many highways in and around NYC area. In the early 1960’s moved to Western New York where he build the Tri-Delta Construction firm, employing more than 350 construction workers. He built major sections of Interstate 90, New York State highway 400 & 290, the site work for the Buffalo Bills stadium and about every bridge in and around Western New York. Bix was best known as an equestrian, heavily active in the sport well into his seventies. His influence and guidance touched International Champions including Gold and Silver medals at the L.A. Olympics with the great Trakehner stallion “Abdullah” and his student D. Chiachia winning the Bronze medal at the Athens Olympiad. He founded the American Trakehner Association and Genesee Valley Hunt Club.
- In the early 1980’s we hunted together with our Springer Spaniels in and around the WesternNew York area. I can tell you no one read or studied more than Bix…..in the early 1990’s over breakfast he stated he had been “reading about these English Cockers, we should be hunting over them.” Not too many months later we were off to Wales spending time with Alan and Cyril Gwynne, where he acquired Wernffrwd Abertawe.
A truly amazing “wee” spaniel that could be hunted without a whistle, took the proper bite of cover and gave a look of distain when we missed a bird. The hook was set and the search was on to change the kennels over to the Cockers. Shortly thereafter, at breakfast again (he loved pastries!) Bix said “I’ve been reading about these field trials, we should be doing that.” So Marty and Bix flew out to North Dakota, and were treated well by Tom Ness and the North Dakota gang. The rest is history; Millie, Meg, Goldie, Kim, Brown Betty and even the wild Barney all had a special place in Bix’s kennel.
We’ve all known Bix as a gentleman, a strong person of high integrity and generosity, but there was the quiet side, a goodness that he didn’t disclose to the public. He had a very soft spot in his heart for children, especially those that were frail or born with difficulties. He served on the Boards of several Western New York children’s foundation for the handicap, blind and learning disabled. He financed them through his personal endeavors.
Finally, we’ve had the pleasure to walk with Bix in the fields in North Dakota, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Maryland, Nebraska, New York and Pennsylvania ….every step with him I’ll remember fondly.”
Tom Calabrese
October 20, 2013
Anyone who knew Harold recognized him as a great proponent of the field bred English cocker and the venues for their competition. He was both a gentleman and a gentle man. He exemplified the epitome of good sportsmanship and he REALLY enjoyed the role of handler when he ran his dogs. I can hear that rolling laughter when Barney let Harold know, “I’ll do it MY way.” I can hear that same chuckle when he came off the field after running Millie. “Just like driving a Mercedes”, said Harold with that broad grin across his face. At the 2009 NCC we were sitting together when the call backs were made for the 5th series. Harold looked up with a smile and said, “I have six dogs in the race.” They were the dogs out of his breeding program.
We owe it to this fine man to remember him for the great influence he had on our sport and most importantly, we must never forget the sportsman and gentleman he was. After reading this, my husband said, “How long is it going to be before another Harold Bixby comes along? They don’t make ‘em anymore.”