Introduction:

I was raised in Los Angeles, California, where I had the chance to be educated by some knowledgeable roller men such as,  Darryl Wylie and Cedric Bogan.

I have known Darryl Wylie since I was 11 years old. Daryl had the biggest loft and the best rollers in the neighborhood. I am still good friends with Daryl today. He has always had an eye for a good spinner and the type. Daryl is currently gearing up for a promising 2004-2005 competition season.

I would like to acknowledge Cedric Bogan. I grew up with Cedric and we attended elementary school together. In 1992 when I started raising rollers again after a long time away from the hobby. I would visit Cedric's loft and I was highly impressed with the spin his birds demonstrated and the fact that he had early developers that were stable fast spinners of 15-25 feet. This motivated me to breed these attributes into my line of birds. This guy can pick a hot pigeon.

There were a lot of us in the neighborhood with rollers. We were very competitive young men. We would critique each others birds every chance we got.  We all wanted to have the best spinners in the air and the best looking birds on the ground.

I met two other roller gentlemen whom I respect a great deal and have contributed to my knowledge of the Birmingham Roller. James Barber of Oxnard, CA and Greg Anderson of Palmdale, CA..

I have known of James Barber for quite some time now. He has been someone that I have always respected  in the sport. I can always absorb his knowledge of flying and anything related to rollers. James has always been a threat in the roller flies. In the 1996 California Classic one of James's entry made the reserve champion. The following year in 1997 California Classic three of the top 20 were bred by James. He has been someone that I can loan a good roller to and not worry about it returning to my loft.

I would like to thank Greg Anderson. He has taught me patience and that everyone in the sport is not seeking to obtain a good spinner at the cost of friendship. He has demonstrated that some of us practice morals and ethics on a daily bases. I would like to thank him for keeping my birds while I pursued a higher education. Greg should be a force in the 2004-2005 competition season. He has a some quality spin and the frequency to be a threat in the competitions that he enters.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the unethical, immoral roller enthusiast whom I have come across. For I strive to be the complete opposite.

In 1992 I moved to Palmdale, California where I started flying kit competition with the local club. I was placing with the birds that I had collected from everywhere i.e. pet shops and many different friends. However, I wanted to do better in the competitions and get a family that had the uniform characteristics that I desired.

 I performed a lot of research which consisted of reading many of the old articles from the early 80”s and conversing with many of the respected roller men in my area such as James Barber of VCRC, Gene Giegoldt and Dave Goss. In addition, I observed many of the different club flies around the Los Angeles area. I soon learned many of the guys who where winning the competitions had the Jaconette strain crossed into their families. While reading an American Pigeon Journal from the early 80’s.  I noticed an advertisement of Richard’s. The ad read “flyers wanted for competition”. I thought “this guy has confidence in his birds and his flying ability”.  So I called him and set up an appointment to visit.

When I arrived, I was surprised to see how robust his birds looked. The type and the colors on his birds were impressive. He had every pattern and color under the sun. He told me of the color breeding that he does to keep his birds balanced.  By this time Richard had stopped flying, so I could not see his birds in the air. I immediately ask “How do you know your birds continue to perform to your expectations?” He stated, “I keep a good rapport with the guys who have my birds and they keep me updated on what is working”. I could not argue with that, considering I had been told that his birds had a lot of roll in them. Furthermore, I was told he was an excellent flyer.

Over the next year we would correspond and I would visit Richard many times. I was surprised when I sat down to read a letter from him one evening. He wrote, "I will be getting out of the birds." When I spoke with him on the phone. He stated that he wanted to travel. I went to visit him and I picked out five pairs of his breeders to go along with the young birds that I had previously acquired.

Richard was truly a gentlemen always willing to share his knowledge and give sound advice. Thanks Richard.