Contributors
Dr Willard F. Hollander
During his life, Dr. Hollander, also known as Doc in our pigeon world, was involved in many pigeon related issues and or projects. Doc loved to teach and especially he loved teaching and explaining pigeon genetics. We owe our beloved late friend Dr. Hollander our deepest gratitude for his life's work in genetics and pigeons. Thank you Doc, may your legacy and words of knowledge live on. To learn more about Dr Hollander Click Here.
Ronald R Huntley
Ronald R Huntley was born (1941) in Terre Haute Indiana. His family later moved to Michigan where he attended school in the small village of Holly. On 9 December 1959 he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and rose to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant (E-9); and subsequently retired after 23 years service.
Ron's military training and assignments included Engineering and Architectural drafting, Construction Surveying and Construction Management Superintendent duties. Ron became a Certified Engineering Technician (CET) by the National Society of Professional Engineers in 1970 based upon his military and civilian training and experiences.
His many overseas duty assignments include tours at RAF Alconbury, England; Hahn AFB and Rhein Maine AFB, Germany; Tuy Hoa AFB and Nha Trang AFB, Vietnam; Osan AFB and Kunsan AFB Korea for a total 14 years overseas assignments. His State side assignments include Lackland AFB, TX.; Fort Belvoir, VA.; Offutt AFB, NE.; Webb AFB,TX.; KI Sawyer AFB, MI. and Robins AFB, GA.
Ron's Vietnam tour of duty was with the 820th Red Horse unit; a self contained, heavy operational engineering unit assigned to construct Air Bases in 1966 - 67. While his engineering unit was being formed and trained for their deployment into Vietnam; Ron, a SSgt at the time, along with four other unit members deployed three months in advance of his units departure and set up their base camp at the selected Tuy Hoa site. A month later an Advanced Party of 60 men joined them to complete the units base camp facilities. The complete unit arrived three months after Ron’s deployment and the construction of Tuy Hoa AFB was begun. Living conditions were very primitive and the work was long and hard but within five months of Ron’s five man deployment, combat missions by the 31st TAC Fighter Wing were being conducted daily from this new air base.
After retirement from the military, Ron took a job as Project Engineer at a pulp and paper mill in Macon GA. While working at the paper mill, Ron who had pigeons as a young boy in Michigan rejoined the hobby and put up a loft in his back yard. He joined the Middle Georgia Pigeon Club (MEGA) which later became the Heart of Georgia (HOG) pigeon club and again later reverted back to its original name of the MEGA club.
This club flew with the Greater Atlanta Combine from a North East course. Over the years Ron has served as club Race Secretary, Club President and Combine President. However after 23 years in the Macon area, Ron retired from the mill and moved to his current home in Duncan SC. There he became a member of the Spartanburg Racing Pigeon Club but no longer takes part in the racing of his birds. He breeds for color and various genetic study projects but remains a racing enthuses at heart.
For additional information on Ron's service please visit http://www.huntleys.org/R/ronald_r.htm
Dr Richard Cryberg, Phd.
Bio:
I got my first pigeons, ferals from our barn, when I was about 11. I kept a lot of ferals and a few fancy birds through my high school years. College interrupted pigeon keeping while I got a BS in Chemistry from Iowa State and PhD from Ohio State. I again kept a small loft of show Fantails for a number of years until family issues interfered. While still in high school I became quite interested in genetics and have followed the field in the technical literature for my adult life. After I retired a lost ring neck dove in our yard relighted the fire to get some pigeons. I quickly realized my biggest interest was the study of genetics. The only pure breeds I keep are starting points for genetic studies. I rapidly turn those pure breeds into ferals doing genetics. Unlike most people who dabble in genetics I am not particularly interested in color issues. I find some of the structural genetics in pigeons both more interesting and considerably less understood. Like everyone it is hard for me to limit the number of birds I feed. To keep from turning a fun hobby into hard work I limit my individual breeding coops to 12 to contain my hobby.
Staci Newsom
Staci is an avid pigeon fancier and though she has been out of the hobby for many years her renewed vigor in becoming involved was prompted by the rescue of two Ringneck Doves from a local pet shop. She was involded in 4H activities as a child raising Birmingham rollers and any stray pigeon she could get her hands on. She was a subscriber to the Late American Pigeon Journal and is sad at its demise. Staci is also the web master (or should that be webmistress) for this, your National Pigeon Association website.
Staci got involved with computers when she was young and has had a successful career in the computer field. She works on websites, is a small business consultant having owned two prior businesses. She is very much involved in breeding and raising her current Doves and a pair of young West of England Tumblers. In her spare time she loves to cook for her friends.