Doug King
Being inducted into the NMRRC Hall of Fame was one of the highlights of my life in rabbits. It is an honor that I cherish and hold in high value. I was the second inductee, behind the originators of the breed, the Berryhills.
My life in rabbits began almost 42 years ago, joining 4-H as many others did in our hobby. I bought my first Mini Rex in 1989 and soon began the journey and development of what now has become the breeding and show herd known as "King’s Mini Rex". My show career includes a Best in Show at the 2009 ARBA Convention with a broken black senior doe named Hollywood, in addition to a total of 8 Best of Breeds and 7 Best Opposite of Breeds at Conventions and Nationals. I have coveted the highly prestigious Best Display awards at over 50% of Conventions and Nationals since 1993. I use the phrase, "quality runs deep in this herd", noting the winning of best display awards but also meaning deep toplines! In the 90's I showed just about every weekend and was grateful to win sweepstakes 4 times. I am devotedto the NMRRC and the hobby, attending every Convention since 1991 and every National Specialty since 1992.
My devotion to the NMRRC is a life long project. I joined the NMRRC in 1988 and soon knew in my heart that I would devote much of my life to this wonderful breed and club. I became President in 1996 and held that office for 4 years. During my term we published our first Guidebook, pushed for and doubled membership and was instrumental in driving members to become involved in the club. I am very proud of starting our ARBA banquet tradition, as it was while I was in office that we started our "fancy" banquet as we know it today, taking it up a notch from small all you can eat buffets. I also held the office of Vice President for almost 4 years and was Secretary/Treasurer for 5 years. I view my contributions as Secretary/Treasureras my greatest contribution to the NMRRC and feel the club was never more successful when I held this office. During my tenure, I offered our first ever balanced budget and was part of taking the club from a zero reserve to a treasury of over $50K, which included an expenditure of $12K for our 2006 Guidebook. I have been a dedicated supporter of the club functions and fundraisers and over the years I have been the sport of many fun jokes, which normally ended up with me donating money to one fund or another. One year I paid hundreds of dollars to buy a picture of me judging a national without a tie on ( I have past President Tracy Deifenbach to thank for that). But that is what makes all this worth it, the fun and laughs at the end of the day.
I have been on numerous committees over the years, lending a hand whenever I could. My most rewarding appointment was to Standard Committee for almost 10 years. As Standard Committee Chair, I am
responsible for our Standard of Perfection as we know it today.
This year at the Wichita ARBA Convention I will be presenting the Sable Mini Rex variety along with Jeremy Watmuff. To present a variety is something that I have always wanted to do and I feel it further demonstrates my desire to elevate Mini Rex to be the best breed in the ARBA.
My rabbits are now only shown twice per year, at ARBA Convention and our National Specialty Shows.
It is sometimes difficult to stay motivated when the rabbits sit in the
barn without being shown on a regular basis, but my love of the breed and the NMRRC keeps me going. I hope one day that the "King's Mini Rex" legacy will be one that fellow breeders strive to follow.
It is with sincere appreciation that I join the likes of Ken and Monna Berryhill as a Hall of Fame member of the NMRRC.
My life in rabbits began almost 42 years ago, joining 4-H as many others did in our hobby. I bought my first Mini Rex in 1989 and soon began the journey and development of what now has become the breeding and show herd known as "King’s Mini Rex". My show career includes a Best in Show at the 2009 ARBA Convention with a broken black senior doe named Hollywood, in addition to a total of 8 Best of Breeds and 7 Best Opposite of Breeds at Conventions and Nationals. I have coveted the highly prestigious Best Display awards at over 50% of Conventions and Nationals since 1993. I use the phrase, "quality runs deep in this herd", noting the winning of best display awards but also meaning deep toplines! In the 90's I showed just about every weekend and was grateful to win sweepstakes 4 times. I am devotedto the NMRRC and the hobby, attending every Convention since 1991 and every National Specialty since 1992.
My devotion to the NMRRC is a life long project. I joined the NMRRC in 1988 and soon knew in my heart that I would devote much of my life to this wonderful breed and club. I became President in 1996 and held that office for 4 years. During my term we published our first Guidebook, pushed for and doubled membership and was instrumental in driving members to become involved in the club. I am very proud of starting our ARBA banquet tradition, as it was while I was in office that we started our "fancy" banquet as we know it today, taking it up a notch from small all you can eat buffets. I also held the office of Vice President for almost 4 years and was Secretary/Treasurer for 5 years. I view my contributions as Secretary/Treasureras my greatest contribution to the NMRRC and feel the club was never more successful when I held this office. During my tenure, I offered our first ever balanced budget and was part of taking the club from a zero reserve to a treasury of over $50K, which included an expenditure of $12K for our 2006 Guidebook. I have been a dedicated supporter of the club functions and fundraisers and over the years I have been the sport of many fun jokes, which normally ended up with me donating money to one fund or another. One year I paid hundreds of dollars to buy a picture of me judging a national without a tie on ( I have past President Tracy Deifenbach to thank for that). But that is what makes all this worth it, the fun and laughs at the end of the day.
I have been on numerous committees over the years, lending a hand whenever I could. My most rewarding appointment was to Standard Committee for almost 10 years. As Standard Committee Chair, I am
responsible for our Standard of Perfection as we know it today.
This year at the Wichita ARBA Convention I will be presenting the Sable Mini Rex variety along with Jeremy Watmuff. To present a variety is something that I have always wanted to do and I feel it further demonstrates my desire to elevate Mini Rex to be the best breed in the ARBA.
My rabbits are now only shown twice per year, at ARBA Convention and our National Specialty Shows.
It is sometimes difficult to stay motivated when the rabbits sit in the
barn without being shown on a regular basis, but my love of the breed and the NMRRC keeps me going. I hope one day that the "King's Mini Rex" legacy will be one that fellow breeders strive to follow.
It is with sincere appreciation that I join the likes of Ken and Monna Berryhill as a Hall of Fame member of the NMRRC.