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Old German Owls – Page 20 – Purebred PIGEON
B
reed of
the
I
ssue
- O
ld
G
erman
O
wl
Twenty Plus Years – But It’s the People
By Mike Spencer
I
have now had my Old German Owls for 20 years. However,
the Old German Owl club has been going a couple more years
than that. Even though I got my first owls in the year 2000, I
joined the club in 2004. I have had pigeons since 1970 and while
I have several favorite breeds, the Owls have become my number
one. I have been fortunate to have done very well with them. I
have had many great experiences and enjoyment over the years. I
have traveled to shows from coast to coast, exhibiting and judging.
I have had a blast in the breeding pen striving to make the breed
better than I found it. Good and bad I even got involved with the
politics of it all. My point is that I have had a tremendous amount
of fun doing it. The long and short of it is, it’s the People that made
it that way. It is that way throughout the hobby – whether you’re a
competitive breeder, a pigeon keeper, a person who switches breeds
every year, a geneticist, a swap meet junkie or a person that breeds
them all. Each of us enjoys the hobby in our own way. It takes
everyone to make the hobby. If it were not for others, we could not
be successful. Some of my most cherished friends are in the hobby. I
could write a book about the People.
For purposes of this special, I will write about some of the
People in the Old German Owl Breed that made it go. I know I will
forget some and I apologize in advance. However, no one should
ever be forgotten. That is why I will try to give it a whirl. We owe
them a debt of gratitude.
I am going to start with Sieglinde Tate. She was the first to
import the “New” old breed. Old German Owls go back to antiquity
but they almost died out. A group of German fanciers revived them
starting in the year 1956. I believe her first imports were in 1989.
Sieglinde did not show them but, just enjoyed having pigeons in a
large variety of breeds. I had the opportunity to meet her only once.
Some years later John Nelson was importing them in large num-
bers and sold several across the country. His daughter Jessica took
a shine to them and started showing them extensively as a junior
exhibitor all through the mid-west. Due to the efforts of these two
people the breed started to become popular quite rapidly.
In about 1995 John Verberg and Helen Bressler took an interest
in the breed and acquired some birds from Sieglinde Tate. They
started to become popular in the Washington State area and they
formed a club called the Evergreen Old German Owl club. Some
of the founding members were: Harry Hudgins, Don Hall, Orrie
Moore, Dan Kieth Chadd, Wayne Hanson and Verl Kirk. I have had
the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with these people over the years.
John came to Salt Lake about 12 years ago to judge the Premier
Show. It was a real pleasure to visit with him and I found him to be
a real student of the breed. John served as President, Helen as Vice
President and Verl Kirk as secretary of the Evergreen OGO club.
Helen Bressler was our first and only Master Breeder under the
old program. In 1997 the club took out an affiliation with the NPA.
Since so many people were joining the club from across the coun-
try, a year later they changed the name to the National Old German
Owl Club. The breed was off and running.
Since the founding of the club, there have been many who have
stepped up to the plate and made sure the club continued to grow
and be successful year after year. I could write much about each one
but, time will not allow. Consequently, I will list them in groups. It
will be a kind of Who’s Who and a brief history of the club.
• Presidents of the Old German Owl Club: John Verberg, George
Tyndall, Mike Spencer and Jeff Cap
• Secretaries: John Verberg, Dave Henshaw, Bob Arnold, Greg Pola,
and Josh Zilles
• Eastern Vice President: Dave Henshaw, Ron Davis, Jeff Cap, Bill
Henderson, and Len Kuzminski
• Midwest Vice President: Jeff Butler, Keith Phelps, and Brian Elwell
• Western Vice President: Dyana Carnes, Gary Miller, Mike Spencer,
Don Hall, and Chet Edmunds
• Canadian Vice President: Giulio Marcoccia. We no longer have the
Canadian Region. Giulio is the current President of the Canadian
Old German Owl Club.
• Master Breeder Points Chairman: Bob Salwey, Joe Grau, Nick
Ogrosso, Mike Spencer
• Bulletin Editor: John Verberg, Dave Henshaw, Christine Nyland,
Greg Pola , Jeff Cap, and Robert Dryden
• Outstanding Service Recipients: George Tyndall, Dave Henshaw,
Helen Bressler, John Verberg, Leonard Kuzminski, Robert Dryden,
Josh Zilles, and Baskar Anjappan
• Master Breeder Recipients: Gold Master Breeder 3,440 pts. Mike
Spencer, Silver Master Breeder 2,150 pts. Giulio Marcoccia, Silver
Master Breeder 2,065 pts. Leonard Kuzminski, Silver Master
Breeder 2,020 pts. Bill Henderson, Master Breeder 1,475 pts. Jeff
Wozniak, Master Breeder 1,300 pts. Don Hall, Master Breeder
1,005 pts. Bryan Elwell, Master Breeder 1,000 pts. Helen Bressler.
Eight master breeders to date.
• Band Director: Jack Higgins and Brian Magee
• Web Master: Jeff Cap
May I say something about a couple of key positions in any
club and especially ours. The secretaries first, and the bulletin
editors second. They have the lion’s share of the work and keep us
going as a club. We have had some good ones. Thank You Josh Zilles
and Robert Dryden who currently serve.
This next list is not in any order but, long time members,
and early members who have contributed in various ways. Bob
Bollinger, Cubus Whitehead, Murray McAllister, Bob Perkins, Lisa
Flory, Dick Walkush, Mike Conway, Valentine Kuster, Tom Ogrosso,
Victor Cline, Bob Kuziminski, Frank D’Alessandro, Bob Lien, Jeffrey
Hankey, Greg and Joyce Cap and John Redmond. Most importantly
our past and current membership. I sincerely hope I have not left
anyone out.
It’s the People who have made our club what it is today.