March/April 2025

45 – Purebred PIGEON A True Master Breeder of American Show Racers Ralph Whitson I first met Ralph Whitson in the early 1970’s. I don’t think he and Loren Porsche were loft part- ners then, but were soon after. As I’m sure most of you know, Ralph was a competitor in every sense of the word. I knew he was a good breeder, but as time went on you could clearly see that he was one of the best at evaluating and pair- ing up his birds. He knew what worked and what didn’t. He knew how to have his birds in top con- dition for the shows. A little later Ron Whitson joined up with Ralph as loft partners, and the brothers became even more formidable as breeders and competitors. In the early days Ralph and Loren were every year attenders at what was then called the “In- termountain West Show Racer Classic” (later renamed the Salt Lake Show Racer Classic). In the opinion of many, it was one the best Show Racer Meets in the world. Comparable to the NPA National and the Pageant of Pigeons in California, especially as it per- tains to American Show Racers. Castle Child was the father of Show Racers here in Utah. He was there when the ASRA was originated, he was behind the success of the Salt Lake Show for many years. Later I took the reigns of the show for awhile, but Cass was the heart of Show Racers in Utah. The top Show Racer breeders from across the nation would regularly show up at the Salt Lake show. And several times, our friend Phil Cleghorn from Aus- tralia would attend our show. Back in the day, if you wanted to win the Salt Lake Show, you had to go through Ralph and Cass. There was a strong group of about twelve Show Racer breeders here in the Salt Lake area in the 1970’s, 80’ and 90’s. Just going by memory we probably had over 150 Show Racers in our shows for many years. Mostly Ralph or Cass had the Champion. Especially over the last 30 years or so, Ralph would save his best birds for the National and still win the show with his “2nd” team of birds. I did break through with some champions, reserve champions, and final four winners over the years, but that was a result of Ralph’s bloodline. We always had great fun at the Salt Lake Show, we were all good friends and enjoyed our time togeth- er at the shows. There was never any contention or hard feelings about who won Champion, all the guys had great attitudes as winners and also gracious when they didn’t win. I remember standing next to Ron at one of the National shows back east, as we were discussing the birds being judged, some of Ralph and Ron’s birds were a little too tame and not on station, Ralph told Ron that the “dam” birds were too tame and grumbled and he walked away. Ron looked over at me and said, “I just can’t do anything right, last year they were too wild and now they’re too tame”. It was always a fun time when the Whitsons were around. As we would gather together at night after a day at the show, I will never forget the Ralph Whitson “story telling time.” It was constant laughter as we all visited and had fun together. Ralph was always a gentleman, especially around our wives at the shows, and the after show get-togethers. I remem- ber Ralph as a good friend, a fierce competitor, and always gracious whether he won or lost. The last time I talked to Ralph, his goal was to pass one of the King breeders with the most NPA National Champions, I think he only needed one or two more. And maybe he accomplished that goal as the last two National Champions were bred by him (red bar cock). The wonderful Show Racers we have today (and all over the world now) are a result of Ralph Whitson’s dedication to building the beautiful Show Racers of today. You are missed my friend, and God bless you and all your family. — Kent Wright Editor’s Note: Ralph and his brother Ron rarely advertised so I was particularly pleased when they bought the cover for this 2017 American Show Racer issue. As you can see, this was the 20th National Champion for their loft and there were more to come.