Don K Cable

[Mike Gilbert]

Rummaging through some old materials this morning, I came across this 2004 photo of Don Cable.  He is holding a S.C. Nankin cockerel he raised from Monte Bowen stock.   Monte is the newsletter editor for the SPPA.   

[Suki]

Nice picture.  I didn't realize that Don raised Nankins and pigeons.  Did you ever find out where he is now?

[Mike Gilbert]

Nice picture.  I didn't realize that Don raised Nankins and pigeons.  Did you ever find out where he is now?

No I never was able to make contact.  I have quit trying at this point.

[Suki]

That's a pity but you made a good effort.  I'm sure he'd appreciate it.


Sue

[John W Blehm]

Don was born July 4th, 1933.  Jeannette Frank mailed a birthday card to the last address she had for him.  His son, Kurtis, called her to let her know his father had died in his sleep, in September, 2018.  Don made his living as a school teacher.  He and his wife, Ruby, lived in Orangevale, California.  Kurtis said his father had often talked about Mike Gilbert and some of the others that he had been involved with in the poultry fancy.  Start with the About page on site and you'll see "Don Cable" in the first line.  Then take some time to read thru some of our Archived Handbooks and Newsletters to get an idea how much he has contributed to our breed of chickens and our Alliance.

[Mike Gilbert]

Thank you John.   And thank you Jeannette.   I feel like an era has passed.  Here is a 1966 photo of Don teaching his middle school science class with a live bird.   Don had served as secretary-treasurer of the Crested Fowl Fanciers club before we ever got to know each other.    This is an old Poultry Press clipping that the late Bernard Kellogg gave me years ago. 

[Russ Blair]

Thanks for the update John and Jeannette.

[John W Blehm]

Don was the real force and workhorse behind getting the Ameraucana recognized as a breed by the ABA and APA

[Suki]

Lovely pictures Mike.  It's really good you and Mary got to see him for your 50th tour to California.
My condolences on your loss.


Sue

[Beth Curran]

Thanks John & Jeanette for the update, and closure. And thank you, Mike, for the wonderful photos. My deepest condolences to you guys who knew and loved Don. I wish I'd had the chance to meet him. As Sue said, I am so happy, Mike, that you and Mary were able to visit with him several years ago. I'm sure that meant the world to him, too. 🙏💓

[Mike Gilbert]

Thanks everybody.   Thanks to John for putting up those "before and after" photos.   They prove that time is no respecter of persons.   Don was the perfect person for the job from 1978 until 1985.   Later, John became the best person for the job during his long tenure during which the club grew and prospered.   We have good people in the club right now who I expect will take the reins at some point in time and continue on.   The Alliance is in good hands.   But I have a question.
I wonder if there would be any interest in a Club Historian position?   I have a treasure trove of original documents, mostly letters from and between members in the very early years of the club, along with pertinent articles in the Poultry Press from the 1970's.    There are files of correspondence between us and ABA leaders of the time, Frank Gary and Fred Jeffrey.   I would like to pass them on to someone who cares before my time is up and my heirs dispose of them as just more junk collected over the years.   It would be up to the Board of Directors to create the position, and then someone to volunteer.   If there is no interest, I will probably start disposing of some of it, as there would be no point in keeping it any longer. 

[Suki]

Hi Mike


I see you left Facebook.  As for the Club Historian you realize that such a post would be reliant on you and John heavily to fill in the missing information, so the question is would you or he mind the incessant phone calls and questions.


Best, Sue

[Mike Gilbert]

Hi Mike


I see you left Facebook.  As for the Club Historian you realize that such a post would be reliant on you and John heavily to fill in the missing information, so the question is would you or he mind the incessant phone calls and questions.
Best, Sue

Well, I am retired and we don't take any calls after 9 p.m. central time, so I think it would be okay.   The main thing on my end is the document dump, as that will provide a lot of information that is difficult to even remember any more.   

[John W Blehm]

Thanks everybody.   Thanks to John for putting up those "before and after" photos.   They prove that time is no respecter of persons.   Don was the perfect person for the job from 1978 until 1985.   Later, John became the best person for the job during his long tenure during which the club grew and prospered.   We have good people in the club right now who I expect will take the reins at some point in time and continue on.   The Alliance is in good hands.   But I have a question.
I wonder if there would be any interest in a Club Historian position?   I have a treasure trove of original documents, mostly letters from and between members in the very early years of the club, along with pertinent articles in the Poultry Press from the 1970's.    There are files of correspondence between us and ABA leaders of the time, Frank Gary and Fred Jeffrey.   I would like to pass them on to someone who cares before my time is up and my heirs dispose of them as just more junk collected over the years.   It would be up to the Board of Directors to create the position, and then someone to volunteer.   If there is no interest, I will probably start disposing of some of it, as there would be no point in keeping it any longer.

I think it was an unofficial appointment, but Bernard Kellogg was Club Historian and I don't believe anyone else has had a title like that, but like Mike I've personally retained a lot of photos and newsletters.  I've tried to share as much as possible thru this forum and our Ameraucanal.org site.  I've added the Achieve page there with all the old handbooks and newsletter I could gather.  That site has limited space available, like Sue said I would scan and post as much online as you want to.  Start different topics on this forum and post away.  I always suggest the images are titled so they may popup with searches for those words.  You may post up to 6 photos per post and although I know they increased the maximum image size I suggest keeping them down around 128 to maybe 256kb, so we don't ever have a problem with running out of server space here.
As president I could appoint "historian" duties to a director, but ultimately anything worth saving should be scanned and shared so no one person has boxed of papers to be in charge of.  Becky is director of all our internet sites and can help out.   

[Suki]

Didn't Mr. Kellogg give you some old APA books at some time too Mike?

Sue