20 / 20
20 – Purebred PIGEON
after the standard was re-written, the membership voted to include
the Grizzles permanently. This accomplishment was totally due to the
respect that the breeders had for Rudy as a leader and a showman.
Regarding judging birds, Rudy always had a saying: “It is easier
to pick a winner out of a group of quality birds, than it is to pick a
winner out of a group of mediocre birds.” If you ever have the experi-
ence of judging yourself, then you will learn to appreciate what Rudy
was telling us at the time. Picking a quality show bird just becomes a
preference for a particular trait when making your decision. When the
birds are so very far apart it is so very much harder to make your deci-
sion and it very hard to explain yourself to the exhibitors present.
I was able to meet Dr. Szecsenyi through Rudy and eventually
I was able to visit Hungary even during Communist times. The Cold
War was still on. When I arrived in Europe, so very many people
asked about Rudy and were happy with his accomplishments. The
only trait that Rudy never mastered with the Budapest was their body
type. Rudy was a “head hunter” and the body and stance suffered. I
would dare to say that this problem continued to be a problem in the
breed until I brought back better bodied birds from Hungary and Emil
Piergiorgi brought back nice bodied birds from Germany leading to
the successful results that we have today in a complete Budapest. It
is very hard to produce a quality Budapest in Head and Bearing in the
same bird.
When Rudy passed, we really lost a true dedicated breeder and
friend on so many levels. His contributions to the hobby will never be
forgotten.•