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    I went to visit friends Candy and Mark Stormes (Classic Labradors).  Candy had a litter of puppies, and one active young male caught my eye.  He had been her yellow pick, but she was keeping his black brother, Parker.  I snatched up the yellow guy, and brought him home to surprise my husband (we already had about ten dogs or more, so I’m not sure it was a pleasant surprise).  Immediately, the entire family fell in love with him.  Since I hoped he would grow up to be our first stud dog, I wanted to use genesis in his name. 

    Adam had a mind of his own, and “no, Adam”, became a staple in our vocabulary for quite awhile.  He never failed to make us laugh. 

    Showing Adam became a family affair.  He and his brother, Parker, competed often in the puppy classes, and as adults, when the class was split by color, Adam often took first in open yellow, while Parker took first in open black, and they competed together for Winners Dog.  Parker often took the day, and was ahead of Adam in points, but both boys were getting closer to their Championship. When one went Winners Dog, the other went Reserve Winners Dog to his brother. One notable placement was a Reserve Winners Dog (to his brother), under Ms. Mary Weist.  I was thrilled to put Adam's first three point major on him at the Beverly Hills Dog show in 1992.  I put a total of five points on him, but believed that my handling was not quite up to par, so we sent Adam out with a professional handler for his second major and final points.  He quickly finished his American Championship under her expert handling, followed by his Canadian Championship.  He finished his American Championship with three majors, one being a five point major under Ms. Jane Borders. 

    I documented 39 Best Of Breed placements (I stopped documenting later in his career), and at least six group placements, with one of those being a Group I placement.  Adam was the #3 ranked Labrador Retriever in 1995.

    Among the many litters out of Adam, we are most proud of those we donated to Guide Dogs Of America.  Adam was the sire of a number of working Guide dogs.

    When Adam reached senior status, he competed against his own father in the Veteran Dog class at one Specialty.  Adam went first, over his father, Even.  Geri Bensyl, Even’s owner, and I cried as we were handed the ribbons.  It mattered very little which dog won, but we realized at that moment that father and son were both Veterans, and that they would now be growing old.  It was a bittersweet moment.

    Most important, Adam was a loved member of our family.    He was a pet to my children, and in his last years, he was a friend to our grandchildren.  So sweet was his nature, that although a senior, he would encourage one of our infant granddaughters to hold his fur, as he stood and walked slowly with her toddling next to him while holding his fur for balance.

    We lost Adam to Cancer in June of 2002 at 12 years of age.  It was a difficult loss, compounded by the fact that we had just celebrated the graduation of our daughter from West Point, and 2002 was West Point’s Bicentennial year.  Great joy was followed by great sorrow.  2002 will be stamped in our memory forever.  Adam - OFA Excellent, Elbows normal, ACVO yearly - 5/21/1990 - 6/14/2002