In 1986 while living and working in Norwalk, CT (the first time), I was invited to go to dinner with some local Democrat women at Bloodroot Restaurant in Bridgeport. I do not recall the exact circumstances of the dinner since I am not involved in politics and never have been. Guess I am a political slacker.
I got into the back seat of the sedan and there was an elderly woman, who was already in the vehicle, sitting next to me. After the usual introductory chit-chat, we just starting talking about dogs. I guess this old lady could see that I liked dogs. So we started talking about dogs and the Westminster Dog Show. So I said: "I recall the last Sporting Group winner was the Alabama Slammer, the Gordon Setter" (1985). She looked at me and said: "I bred the Alabama Slammer" .
So I said to her, in disbelief: "You bred the Alabama Slammer"? You know how young people, such as myself back then, can be!
"Yes", she said, "I did". "However, Cocker Spaniels are what I am known for in the dog world". .....
The location of this conversation was while we was driving along Route 136 in Westport, CT. I was much younger and likely naive. Yet, I knew without saying much that this was a moment in life that I would never forget and I never have forgotten. Never met the old lady, again and that evening I never asked her name and she never told me her name. She was one of my inspirations for becoming a fan of the American Kennel Club and the Westminster Dog Show.
See the Westminster Kennel Club link for the "1985 Champion": http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/history/sportwinners.html
Postcript (2/14/2014): As things go, it was subsequently revealed that this old woman was the author F. Scott Fitzgerald's daughter. Her father had been part of the Westport, CT arts scene in years past.
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