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Recommendations and guidelines to offer LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD were presented to the ACC Board in September, along with the first recipient, by Donna Autry. The recommendations presented by Donna read as follows: “This award should be recognized as being the most prestigious and highly honored award that the ACC can bestow on an individual. It should be awarded to the individual who best exemplifies good sportsmanship, compassion, kindness, integrity, courtesy; and someone who has spent a major part of his/her lifetime with a strong and undying devotion to the welfare of the breed.” Nomination procedures followed with final guidelines to be set by the Board. The nominee is to be kept secret with the award given at the banquet held in conjunction with a specialty. This award is not necessarily to be given annually.
On September 9th I was contacted and asked if Janet Horn was going to the Specialty Show and how she would get there. Entries had not closed yet, but she had two dogs entered and I was to provide transportation to New York State, so the answer was easy. A short time later I was told WHY it was important that she be there, and asked if I would like to be part of the program. I turned the offer down, feeling that others would do a much better job of telling how she had become part of their lives along with their Chesapeake Bay Retrievers.
Carole Bomberger (Board Member) did the introduction as follows: “Thank you, Donna Autry. Donna presented the idea to the club for the American Chesapeake Club Lifetime Achievement Award. She also suggested a recipient. At the Sept. 8 teleconference, the Board unanimously approved the award and the recipient. Tonight, the ACC will honor a member from among its ranks with the first ACC Lifetime Achievement Award. Here in the audience there is a member who has meritoriously served the club for five plus decades. Her name is synonymous with the Chesapeake Bay Retriever and the American Chesapeake Club. She has a vast knowledge of the breed which is shared freely. She is a breed communicator – educating, mentoring and tutoring those who seek her wisdom. You could not ask for a more knowledgeable, helpful individual. Her family is very proud of her and it is unfortunate her lifemate is not here to share in this honor for together they have provided the Club with a multigenerational legacy. It gives me great pleasure to announce the first and certainly most deserving member of the ACC Lifetime Achievement Award, Janet Horn.”
The whole place came down and everyone stood up giving Janet a standing ovation. When I walked over to her to take her by the hand she looked totally astounded. It was truly wonderful and couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person. (She was sitting at a front row table reserved for judges and mentors, so it was a short walk to the podium.)
Friends then spoke. Angie Cox mentioned that the first time she saw her it was “on a video at Sharon Young’s house in 1982. I was new to Chesapeakes, and learned so much from you, from your talk – before we ever met! While watching the video, I thought, “gosh, this lady should write abook!” And you DID! Janet you are a wealth of information which you so graciously share with others. You provide encouragement and motivation for so many so that we can continue to understand and improve our Chesapeakes. Your contributions to the breed continue in your articles and mentoring, and especially through your ability to listen and teach people, whether they are beginners or “old hats.” Janet, this is in great appreciation for your tremendous gifts to the breed in the past, present, and future. THANK YOU!”
Ranee Nevels met Janet in 1975 at a dog show in France. (The Horns lived in France from Jan 1975 to April 1976.) Ranee was showing a Golden Retriever and was benched next to the Horns. They began meeting at dog shows all over Europe, and wrote and visited in between. One litter of Chesapeake Bay Retriever puppies was born in France during that time. One little bitch puppy was held back, and during a visit, Ranee and her sister, Lali stayed overnight. The little puppy spent the night in Lali’s bed and that puppy went home the next day with them and became Ch. Eastern Waters’ Damariscotta. Over the years the friendship has continued and Ranee continues to own progeny of her very first Chesapeake.
Sheila DiVaccaro (who was still single at the time), met the Horns at a match show in New Jersey in 1957. She and Dick had “Porty” with her (Ch The Port of Windy Bay -1958) and the Horns were showing “Star”. “Chief (Ch Eastern Waters’ Sachem) had come along for the ride. The reaction from both parties was “Oh, there’s another Chesapeake!” For the next four or five years, Sheila and Janet corresponded, writing about once a month, discussing breed type here and in other areas and emphasizing coat and type of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Later Sheila said to me that she looked at my brother and l, our expressions and had a hard time continuing on…any notes that Sheila had planned to use sort of went “out the window” and also said that journalism was something else she had planned to mention, and that the breed columns in the American Kennel Gazette were well-written and so valuable.
Meghan Conner Eaton also spoke: “It seems worlds away when I would so often make pilgrimage to Kingwood so sit, listen and absorb as much Chesapeake knowledge as possible from Janet and Danny Horn. During those visits I found an air of complete grounding. Something I had an extreme passion for, and before me were the masters and of course, their dogs. Since those times I have come to know Janet in many different ways. Janet has taught me much about Chesapeakes, and somewhere between those lines I have found remarkable life lessons as a bonus. Here are some words I sewed together to form an image of Janet Horn for those who are not as blessed as some of us to know her so well: a giver, a breeder, a handler, a keeper, a dream maker, a poetry lesson, writer of letters, author, elegant, strong. The Queen Mum, divine, lover of sweets, knower of European streets, she has given most of us our Chesapeake roots. Collector of every Gazette, quiet, proprietor of the Real Knowledge. Great grandmother, grandmother, mother, Queen mother. Her accomplishments list among others: Four children, eight grandchildren, three great-grandchildren. ACC Specialty Awards – the most important to her: Ch Eastern Waters’ -Baronessa, TD Best in Specialty Show 1964, 1965 and 1966.
Fred Feins summed it up rather well, as part of his comprehensive report on the entire Specialty which appeared on the internet: “some others spoke and made the presentation. Janet helped and corrected them when necessary. Besides being the most deserving possible recipient, Janet was truly humbled. As it was a total surprise, Janet did not have any prepared remarks and simply said “Thank You.” She BEAMED. “As I write this article I asked Janet what she would like to say now that she has had time to absorb receiving the honor. She replied “It was an incredibly well kept secret. Listening to the announcement I was impressed by the description of the character of a deserving recipient, and I thought, ‘where are they going to find a wonderful person like that?’ When I heard my own name I could not believe it was happening. Words failed me and all I could say was “Thank You.” I am still overwhelmed by this great honor, and hope to show my appreciation by doing my best to live up to the qualities described and to prove myself to be truly deserving of this great Award.”
Submitted by Betsy Horn Humer