Features From The Past-Ed White Won The First Trial He Ever Attended
By Larry Lee, BraceBeagling Editor
March 29, 2003

Left to Right, Ed White and Neil Roberts writing in their judges books while judging the Honeybee Licensed Trial in 2002.

(Editor's Note) It was 29 years ago in the year 1974 when I wrote the following feature article about popular Michigan beagler and judge, Ed White. I was the editor of the monthly newsletter at Great Lakes Beagle Club at the time. I thought you might enjoy reading it.

A northern Boy from Petoskey, Michigan comes to Genesee County to go to school. He stays and marries a local girl and then goes on to be president. That sounds like the start of a biography on JFK or perhaps Harry Truman, doesn’t it? But its not. It’s the starting of an interesting story about Ed White, the new President of Great Lakes Beagle Club.

Ed got his start in beagling in a unique and quick way that takes most of us much longer to accomplish. He won the first field trial that he ever attended. Ed had bought a pup from Cal Kranzo that was out of Cal’s Hunter Babe and Gibb’s Bobby during the summer of 1967. He raised the pup and was going to use it for a gun hound.

In the mean time he found out about Great Lakes Beagle Club when he went out with Bob Herner and Richard Pittenger to look at a gun dog. Ed joined the club at that time but didn’t go to a trial until that fateful day in December of 1967 when he took the dog that he had raised and won the Great Lakes sanction trial. Ed knew then that he was in beagling for keeps. Since that day in December seven years ago, Ed has won six other sanction trials.

Ed lives at 10103 Lake Rd. in Tuscola County with his pretty wife Mary and their two children, Brian and Lisa. The entire family is interested in beagling. Mary is a member of the ladies Auxiliary and helps Ed with the feeding, watering and starting of pups in their puppy enclosure.

Brian is a tough beagler for his seven years of age. He went out to the kennel before the Kids Trial last fall, picked out a dog and won the trial that day. Both classes were combined and second series lasted better than three hours, but Brian was out in the field running his dog until the very end. Lisa was sick that day but Brian ran her dog and it placed fifth.

Ed feels that “Great Lakes is a close knit club with a real bunch of active and concerned members.” But he does think that the new beagler should be noticed more and made more active. Ed says, “new beaglers need to be given more responsibility so that they can become more involved with the activities of the club.”

Ed also thinks that the membership should be made more aware of the financial obligations of the club. He would like to see a budget committee set up with the responsibility of preparing a budget for the entire year. He believes that the necessary obligations of the club, such as lights, gas, taxes and rabbit food should be taken care of first and then if there is extra money improvement projects should be undertaken.

Ed said that his favorite dog was a toss up between two—Pine Lane Lulu and Little Hobo Tuffy. “I liked Tuffy’s straight through style real well.” Tuffy was a male that Ed purchased from Ken Gibbs and was out of Gibb’s Apache Jada and Pearson Creek Pirate. Ed got his first licensed place with Tuffy and will never forget the day. It was hot and dry and tough. Tuffy was down with Omena Joshua in the first series and they really put one on. Joshua came back high and won the trial. Tuffy was back fifth and finished third. Ed has a lot of fun with Lulu and besides winning two sanction trials placed her in numerous others.

When asked what he likes to see in a good dog Ed replied, “I like to see a dog that is straight through and smooth on a line. It should stay at the point and work out from there rather than going out first. He should be able to screw down. He also should be independent.”

Ed feels that a good brood bitch should have mouth and lots of it and an extremely good nose. He feels that she shouldn’t have any real bad traits. She should also stay and if she doesn’t she should at least come back to the point.

The Great Lakes membership made a wise choice in selecting Ed White as their president. His leadership will prove that out before his term is over.