Morris & Essex – The Story

308 – July, 2010

by Joan Harrigan

Photos courtesy of Morris & Essex Kennel Club

The original Morris & Essex Kennel Club Dog Show was the realization of one extraordinary woman’s vision. Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge set a standard for shows in the first half of the twentieth century. She had the influence and resources to craft a show to her own specifications. However, when Mrs. Dodge could no longer orchestrate the show, Morris & Essex ended. Only memories remained and a treasure trove of catalogs, pictures and memorabilia were forgotten in an attic at St. Hubert’s Giralda, the shelter established on Mrs. Dodge’s Madison, New Jersey estate after her death.

Almost 40 years after the last of the original Morris & Essex shows, a shelter employee approached Giralda board member Wayne Ferguson. “He said, ‘You know, there’s a whole lot of dog show things in the attic,’” Ferguson recalls. When he investigated, Ferguson could not believe what he saw. “It was a Never Never Land of boxes and trunks, all filled with artifacts from the shows.”

The archive could not have fallen into more capable hands. New Jersey native Ferguson started his career in banking, and then moved to marketing and sales in the liquor industry, serving as the National Brand Manager for Chivas Regal Scotch when he was only 28. Long a dog fancier, Ferguson bred St. Bernards under his Cherrybrook prefix, and owned Ch. Folly Barn’s Dexter, number one in the breed in 1979, 1980 and 1981. As a breeder and handler, Ferguson noticed the need for a source of “serious tack” at dog shows. He started Cherrybrook, Inc. in 1969 with $100, a card table and beach umbrella. Originally based in Ferguson’s garage, Cherrybrook soon grew into its own facility in Broadway, New Jersey and diversified its distribution beyond on-site sales at shows. Ferguson left the liquor business a year or two later, to concentrate on his own company, combining his passion for purebred dogs with his talent for marketing.

In the fall of 1996, Ferguson attended a cocktail party hosted by Border Terrier breeder Kate Seaman in conjunction with the Ox Ridge Kennel Club Show in Darien, Conn. “I started talking about what I’d found at Giralda and there was huge interest. People stood two and three deep, just listening.” Other breeders, handlers, and owners shared his respect for the traditions of the past and wanted to reclaim them. “We wanted to bring back a show in the same tradition as the great Morris & Essex of the past, and to show that you can hold a dog show today in a different manner.”

The “New” Morris & Essex

First, the club itself had to be re-established. The enthusiasm generated at the cocktail party provided the impetus, as well as the initial membership. As the club grew, it held to one basic criterion for membership – two member sponsors drawn from different households. “It’s an amazing club,” Ferguson says. “There’s no strife and never any disruption.”

Because it is so geographically diverse, the club’s membership meets only once each year, in New York during Westminster weekend. Because of its size and scope, the Morris & Essex show is held every five years, with match shows on the site of Mrs. Dodge’s own matches in the off years.

“Everyone contributes as they are able,” Ferguson explains. “Their enthusiasm alone is a contribution.” That said, enthusiasm isn’t enough to stage even the smallest dog show, let alone a show that is also a festival. “We need an army of volunteers, and more than 90% of the workers at the show are members,” states Ferguson. “You might find an AKC Director parking cars or pruning branches – that’s what we all did when we started in dog shows, and that’s what we do for Morris & Essex.” Members also help to defer the cost of the show – for example, the judges’ luncheon and exhibitors’ complimentary box lunches are each sponsored by a member. “The show expenses are about $250,000,” Ferguson says. “Everything must be donated or paid for out of entry fees.” The proceeds from the point show and matches, supplemented by member donations, go to charities selected by the members – the AKC Canine Health Foundation, the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University Veterinary Schools, St. Hubert’s Giralda and Take the Lead.

Breeders, Owners, Handlers – and Betty White

Morris & Essex’s membership is posted on its website. The roster is a veritable “Who’s Who” of the dog world. It also includes some names instantly recognizable outside the fancy – including archaeologist Iris Love, author Amy Tan, and actresses Mary Tyler Moore and Betty White.

Iris Love is, of course, famous for her Dachshunds as well as her archaeological discoveries. “Amy Tan showed her Yorkshire Terrier, ‘Frankie,’ in 2000,” Ferguson explains. “She’s been a major supporter of the Canine Health Foundation and has hosted many CHF fundraisers in her SoHo apartment.”

Mary Tyler Moore is well-known as an animal activist and for the “Broadway Barks” adoption and rescue event she founded with actress Bernadette Peters. Her involvement with purebred dogs, notably Golden Retrievers and PBGVs, has been less publicized, as has her attendance at Westminster. She came to the club through her friendship with several members and is always invited to its shows.

Betty White is a recent addition to the Morris & Essex membership. “We’ve been friends for years through work on the board of the Morris Animal Foundation,” Ferguson explains. A tireless advocate for homeless animals, White has a special affection for Golden Retrievers. She adopted Dinah, the retired guide dog of singer Tom Sullivan. “As Dinah got older, she began to get confused,” says Ferguson. “She started making mistakes – leading Tom into the ladies’ room at the LAX airport, for instance. One day, she just stopped on the sidewalk and started to spin. Tom sat down next to her, put his arms around her and cried.”

Sullivan knew that he could no longer ask his partner to guide him. Close friend White knew that Dinah couldn’t continue to live with Sullivan after he obtained a new guide dog. She opened her home to Dinah, who lived out the rest of her life in comfort. “Betty and Tom wrote a wonderful book about her – ‘The Leading Lady: Dinah’s Story’– I recommend it highly,” says Ferguson.

Dinah has since passed on, and White has a new rescue Golden, ‘Chief Pontiac. “We call him ‘Ponty,’” Ferguson laughs. “I don’t know the origin of his name – when Betty White says that her dog is named Chief Pontiac, you don’t ask why!”

“We’re hoping she’ll be at this year’s Morris & Essex show, but don’t know if her schedule will allow it,” he continues. The 88 year-old White is filming a new situation comedy, “Hot in Cleveland” and she’s once again a hot property in Hollywood, with her sitcom role expanded from a couple of appearances to include every episode.

Morris & Essex 2010

Ferguson hopes that 2010’s entry will approach the 4,456 dogs exhibited at the original show’s peak in 1939. There’s no limit – the spacious grounds and 27 rings can handle record participation. Planning for the judging panel began immediately after the 2005 show ended – Morris & Essex prides itself on gathering 68 of the foremost judges in the country.

Once again, three enormous generators concealed behind trees will supply power via miles of electrical cable. There’s no need for exhibitors to use noisy portable generators and shout to be heard in the grooming tents.

Precisely at noon, a bell will ring. The show will pause for an hour while judges and exhibitors alike enjoy lunch. At one, the bell will sound again and judging will resume. Vendors will be grouped together in a mall-like hundred-foot tent.

Antique cars from Mrs. Dodge’s era will be displayed. While the cars are sheltered under a tent, Ferguson is proud that there has never been a need to protect them from admirers. “Everyone is so respectful,” Ferguson explains. “The owners couldn’t believe it – no one tried to touch them and there was no need to put ropes around them.”

New at this year’s show is the Morris & Essex Kennel Club Art Show. Entries depicting purebred dogs in any media may be submitted via photographs before the September 1 deadline. William Secord, owner of the William Secord Gallery in New York, will select seven finalists, representing each of the dog show groups, as well as Best In Show. The finalists’ pieces, all of which will be for sale, will be exhibited at Morris & Essex. The winner will be featured in the Secord Gallery during Westminster Week 2011.

It is clear that Wayne Ferguson and the diverse membership of the Morris & Essex Kennel Club have done more than bring back a legendary show. They have united dog fanciers of many backgrounds who share a love of purebred dogs and a desire to contribute to the fancy. The love of dogs is part of each member’s daily life. Many contribute personally, through board memberships, volunteer work and the advancement of their breeds. Together, they form the Morris & Essex Kennel Club, uniting a diverse membership to present a different kind of dog show. And, it’s no accident that most of the Morris & Essex-sponsored charities deal with canine health. It’s the club’s way of working to preserve the sport of purebred dogs for future generations.

The 2010 Morris & Essex Kennel Club Show is scheduled for Thursday, October 7 at Colonial Park in Somerset, N.J. Details of the dog show and art show may be found on the club’s website (http://morrisandessex.com) and Facebook page. For more information about the submitting entries to the art show, email MorrisEssexArt@aol.com

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Posted by admin on Aug 22 2010. Filed under Dog Show History, In The Spotlight, Remembering Our Past?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.