LINES FROM LINDA
FAMILY, FRIENDS & AKC SPORTS JOY FOR JEFF HILLMAN
BY LINDA AYERS TURNER KNORR
R ight in the middle of a Hallmark Christmas in July movie, I received a telephone call from my friend Kris Harner. Kris is the Cluster Chair- man for the Carolina Foothills Classic Dog Shows and Show Chairman for the Greenville Kennel Club. Since I was scheduled to judge their upcoming Pee Wee event, she said she had a special request: Would I agree to allow Jeff Hillman, a grown man, to participate? The Pee Wee Special Attraction is a pre-Junior Showmanship class for youngsters between five and nine years old and their canines over four months of age. Each unit includes the child, their parent/guardian/responsible adult, and their dog. Youth get to exhibit their dog one at a time, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the thrill of Conformation. Crowds are drawn to watch, and applause is abundant. Jeff Hillman came from a military family, growing up on Long Island, New York. He has special needs that were not being properly cared for when his sister, Jan Plant, and her husband, Scott, stepped in and brought Jeff to their home in Upstate New York to be a part of their family.
L/R: Linda Ayers Turner Knorr, Jeff Hillman, Doug Ljungren, Jan Plank, Todd Turner, Gloria Askins, and Judy Cheshire
146 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2022
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