The Lifetime Achievement Award (LTAA) is given to individual ACC members who have made significant contributions to our breed and our club through outstanding leadership, the sharing of their knowledge and understanding the challenges of breed advancement. This year we honored two outstanding individuals. Jane Pappler, as featured in an earlier bulletin and Heidi Henningson, whose story I would like to share with our members.It was my great pleasure to be able to present Heidi with her LTAA plaque at the2019 FTS in Bonham, Texas. It’s safe to say Heidi (and sister Kris) were born into the breed. Their parents had Chesapeake’s through a friend from Alfred Storz. Heidi grew up hunting with her father and at 13 she began competing in obedience and then showing as a junior handler. At 13 she contacted Eloise Heller (later Cherry) regarding a started dog but her father would not buy it for her. They settled on a dog sired by one of John Lundy’s dogs. Heidi attended her first FTS in1985 in Bong, WI. where she met Gary Kavan and his dog FC AFC Yukon’s Genuine Jesse. She’s been running field trials and hunt tests since that time. Heidi continues to show her Chesapeakes, having recently finished7th in OH rating and showed at the National Dog Show this past December. Heidi has supported the ACC as an RD, and served on the Field Trial Committee, the Nominating Committee, Trophy Committee, Public Relations and Rescue Committee. She was an ACC Board Member and is currently the ACC Rescue Director. She has held offices with multiple field trial/hunt test clubs, chaired the 1991NSS, and put on multiple midwest FTS events. Heidi will always lend a hand at any ACC event she attends. Accomplishments with her dogs include: 7 Master Hunters, 2 CH MH, the first CH MH with a group placement, 7 QA2 dogs, multiple CD and CDX titles, and 2 dogs on the National Derby list plus 5 bench champions including 4 with HT titles. I believe this is only a small portion of what Heidi has done for the breed and the Club. I also believe she’s nowhere near done! Heidi is one of our breed’s staunchest supporters and will continue to be so for as long as she is able. The breed and our members owe much to members like Heidi and this award is a small thank you from us all.
Linda Harger