|
Catharine
Davis Gauss
1904
-
1993
The
first time I met
Catharine was at the
Garden almost twenty
years ago.
Strangely enough,
it was there that I saw
her last
about six years ago.
That cold snowy
afternoon, as we stood
on the sidewalk waiting
for her car to pick her
up, I think we
both
knew that we should not
meet again.
I
had been introduced to
Catharine by my friend,
the late Bobby Peebles.
He had told me
that, if I wanted a
Papillon, Catharine
was the person I needed
to meet.
And, indeed, she
was.
I eventually
found myself in
possession of three
Cadaga Papillons.
Catharine became
my friend and mentor.
Over
the years, I had the
opportunity to visit
with Catharine at her
homes in Texas,
Connecticut and Vermont.
During these
visits and at shows I
learned much about her.
I do not believe
she would object to my
sharing some of this
with others who
perhaps did not know her
as well.
Catharine was a
multi-faceted person
with many interests.
In her younger
days, she was an
accomplished golfer who
was
quite proud
of the trophies she won.
She served on the
board of Directors at
New York’s Bronx Zoo.
In Texas, she
also
served
on the
Board of the Ball
Charities, a
philanthropic
organization supported
by the estate of her
grandfather.
She was
also a talented
artist
choosing as her primary
subject the primitive
Afro-American.
Most
of us, however, remember
Catharine for her
pioneering efforts with
the Papillon.
Through her
efforts and those of
other
early breeders and
exhibitors in this
country, we have seen
great strides made in
improving our breed.
When we are in
the
ring,
we
all stand on the
shoulders of Catharine
and others like her
whose dedication and
perseverance have
produced the
high
quality
Papillons that we now
enjoy.
But
there was yet another
side of Catharine.
I cherish the
memories of her raised
eyebrows and sly smile
that contained a
trace
of mischief.
Her dry sense of
humor seemed to surface
most often when she was
relaxed with friends.
Her Yankee
tenacity and Texas pride
combined to produce an
individual whose strong
convictions never
wavered.
Her pride of
being a
native Texan, born in
Galveston, was not
surpassed by that of any
Texan I have ever known.
I remember her
standing in a
small country cemetery
on a hill in Vermont.
This, she had
said, was where she
wanted to be buried.
She stood there
tall
and
thin
looking over
the valley and
talked of the
inscription that she
wanted on her marker.
She stood a
little taller and
a
little
straighter
when she said that it
should read “Catharine
Davis Gauss” and with
a sweep of her hand
before her "Born in
Texas".
I
trust it will be so.
Enod
McSpadden
Port
Lavica, Texas
- April,
1993
|
