Guide to The Bull Terrier Club of America Collection
1947 - Present
3.5 Cubic FeetCollection Processed by Cherie Acierno, July 2006
Finding Aid by Cherie Acierno, July 2006
Access Restrictions: Open to qualified researchers by appointment.
Provenance: Series I and II were donated by the Hon. David Merriam, past President of the Bull Terrier Club of America, and member of the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club. Additional accretions to these Series are scheduled to arrive regularly from the Secretary of the Bull Terrier Club of America, whoever may hold that position in any given year. Series III was donated by Winkie (W.E.) Mackay-Smith.
Material Types:
Minutes, photocopied
Monographs
Periodicals
Periodical clippings
Catalogs
Pamphlets
Correspondence - business
Correspondence - personal
Fliers
Drafts
Photographs - color
Reports
ArrangementThe Bull Terrier Club of America Collection is organized into three series:
Series I (Meeting Minutes) consists of photocopies of minutes (and, beginning in 2003, computer printouts) from Board of Directors meetings, Delegates meetings, Membership meetings, and Special Meetings of the BTCA from 1947-2002, with more scheduled to arrive. Folders are arranged by date and numbered consecutively within each box.
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| The BTCA's Record published in 1972. On the cover is Ch. Killer Joe owed by Mr. and Mrs Michael Arnaud, who won the Silverwood Trophy in 1970. |
Historical Note
The Bull Terrier Club of America was officially founded and recognized by the AKC in 1897, after a false start and a disagreement with the AKC in 1895 over the issue of cropped ears, which the AKC opposed. Cropped ears quickly became a non-issue, though, as Bull Terriers were bred to ensure their ears pointed stiffly upwards.
The first breed standard was adopted in 1915. Minor amendments, concerning weight and other issues, were added in 1926 and 1936. The issue of whether to recognize non-white Bull Terriers as legitimate was hotly contested among Bull Terrier fanciers. A majority refused to recognize colored Bull Terriers. In 1936 the AKC ordered the BTCA to recognize a separate colored variety. A separate standard for colored Bull Terriers was adopted in 1949. The last major change to the breed standard came in 1957 when the Bull Terrier's personality was characterized as "full of fire but of sweet disposition and amenable to discipline." This change was made to counteract negative impressions of the breed, and dispel the common confusion of Bull Terriers with Pit Bulls. The issue of whether to combine the judging of the white and colored varieties of Bull Terriers continued to be a point of contention among members of the BTCA. They voted on the question in 1970 and 1986. The proposition was defeated both times. In England, the two varieties are judged together, but they remain separate in the U.S. The last minor amendment to the breed standard was made in 1974.
The Bull Terrier Club of America publishes a bulletin entitled Barks. It was irregularly published beginning in the 1960's, became a professionally-produced quarterly in 1977, and is now published thrice annually. Since 1973 the Club has also published an annual entitled The Record, which chronicles the previous year's events. Prior to The Record, there was a publication called an annual which was only published six times between 1936 and 1951. The Club has also published pamphlets on Bull Terriers and on the health problem of slipping patellas, and books on Bull Terriers.Currently there are 30 regional clubs in the BTCA. The BTCA became a truly national organization, as opposed to a Northeast-centered organization, in 1970 with the institution of the annual Silverwood Competition. The Silverwood Trophy is awarded to the best American-bred Bull Terrier. The competition is hosted by different regional clubs each year, drawing Bull Terrier people together from all over the country and Canada. The ROM (recognition of merit) program, which began in 1978, also brings Bull Terrier people together, as their dogs compete to earn ROM points in different shows.
During the 1980's the breed became suddenly popular due to beer commercials featuring a Bull Terrier named Spuds Mackenzie, and irresponsible breeders took advantage of the craze to sell to irresponsible owners. With $40,000. from the estate of Ethel Simpson Murray, the club spun off a separate non-profit Welfare Foundation, which had its hands full with rescue operations. Today the BTCA is thriving with a large, committed membership. The club continues to work on the welfare of Bull Terriers through its Welfare Foundation, and through its continued research into genetic defects. The Club also emphasizes its educational mission, countering misperceptions about Bull Terriers.
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| Bull Terrier of Today published in 1951 by the BTCA, was aimed at "...develop[ing] a better understanding of the physical and mental qualities of the breed." (James J. Kermath, BTCA President) |
Series III consists of the papers of Winkie (W.E.) Mackay-Smith. Winkie Mackay-Smith, also known as W.E. Mackay-Smith and Mrs. Matthew Mackay-Smith, was (with her husband) the head of Banbury Kennels, a top Bull Terrier breeder. Banbury is now called Banbury-Bedrock and is still run by Mrs. Mackay-Smith, along with Mary Remer, current First Vice President of the BTCA.. Dogs owned by Mrs. Mackay-Smith have won the Silverwood competition three times (in 1971, 1975, and 1984). A Banbury-Bedrock dog won the National Specialty Best of Breed in 1989. Mackay-Smith's dogs have also won five Lovell Trophies, six Raydium Brigadier Trophies, and more. Mackay-Smith was on the board of the BTCA for seven years from 1984 through 1990, serving as Second Vice President and First Vice President.
At the same time, she chaired the Luxating Patella Committee and the Education Committee. She spearheaded the formal merit point system that became the ROM program, and edited the BTCA Illustrated Standard, which was published in 1991. She researched and prepared the club's pamphlet on luxating patella and put together a video for the AKC on the Bull Terrier. She has written many articles on Bull Terriers and in 1997 wrote the chapter on Silverwood for the BTCA's Centennial History. In 1988 she was awarded the BCTA's prestigious Bar Sinister Award. Mackay-Smith remains a tireless advocate for Bull Terriers, and is especially concerned about genetic issues with the breed. In 1993 she stopped judging competitions because she felt genetic defects were not being taken seriously enough by breeders. The Banbury-Bedrock website contains additional editorials by Mackay-Smith.
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| The Philadelphia BTCA drafted this poster as part of a broader program in the early 1980s to educate the public about the breed and rescue unwanted Bull Terriers. It is now part of the Winkie Mackay-Smith Papers in the BTCA collection. |
Series I contains photocopies or computer printouts of the Club's minutes from Board of Directors meetings, Delegates meetings, Membership meetings, and Special Meetings from 1947 to the present, with gaps from 1949-1951 and 1954-55. Folders do not always include every meeting or all types of meetings, but they are relatively complete especially from the 1970's to the present. In addition, Winkie Mackay-Smith's personal copies of the minutes from 1982-1989 are included in Series III. The minutes provide an administrative overview of the Club's history, and reflect the concerns and politics of the Club's members and Boards of Directors over the years.
The materials in Series III, the Winkie (W.E.) Mackay-Smith Papers, date mostly from the 1980's, although there is some material from as early as 1967 and from as late as 1997. The series provides a more in-depth look at some of the BTCA's concerns and politics during the 1980's, a particularly active and turbulent time for the Club. The membership was divided and there were many conflicts. Elections were hotly contested. The editor of Barks was fired, in a controversial move by the Board of Directors. The Welfare Foundation was initiated. Bull Terriers were in the news because of the Spuds Mackenzie beer commercials and media-fed public panic about Pit Bulls, with whom Bull Terriers were often confused. New research into canine genetic defects had the potential to influence Bull Terrier breeding programs. In addition to her copies of the minutes, the series consists of correspondence to Mackay-Smith, drafts of articles by Mackay-Smith, articles by others clipped by Mackay-Smith (with a particular focus on genetic issues), correspondence on zinc metabolism syndrome (zinc deficiency) and other genetic issues, materials regarding BTCA elections and the Welfare Foundation, and materials related to Mackay-Smith's work for the BTCA on luxating patellas, the Bull Terrier video, the Illustrated Standard, and Silverwood.
The publications series (series II) is small, but may have further accretions. It currently consists of four issues of The Record (including vol. 1, no. 1), one issue of Barks, two show catalogs, and one book.
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| The Bull Terrier Club of America Collection at the AKC Archives, 2006. |
Series I - Meeting Minutes
Series I consists of photocopies (or, beginning in 2003, computer printouts) of minutes from Board of Directors meetings, Delegates meetings, Membership meetings, and Special Meetings of the BTCA from 1947-2006, with more scheduled to arrive. Folders do not always include every meeting or all types of meetings. There are gaps from 1949-1951 and 1954-55.
| Box 1 | FF 1 | 1947 |
| FF 2 | 1948 | |
| FF 3 | 1952 | |
| FF 4 | 1953 | |
| FF 5 | 1956 | |
| FF 6 | 1957 | |
| FF 7 | 1958 | |
| FF 8 | 1959 | |
| FF 9 | 1960 | |
| FF 10 | 1961 | |
| FF 11 | 1962 | |
| FF 12 | 1963 | |
| FF 13 | 1964 | |
| FF 14 | 1965 | |
| FF 15 | 1966 | |
| FF 16 | 1967 | |
| FF 17 | 1968 | |
| FF 18 | 1969 | |
| FF 19 | 1970 | |
| FF 20 | 1971 | |
| FF 21 | 1972 | |
| FF 22 | 1973 | |
| FF 23 | 1974 | |
| Box 2 | FF 1 | 1975 |
| FF 2 | 1976 | |
| FF 3 | 1977 | |
| FF 4 | 1978 | |
| FF 5 | February-May 1979 | |
| FF 6 | May-November 1979 | |
| FF 7 | 1980 | |
| FF 8 | 1981 | |
| FF 9 | 1982 | |
| FF 10 | 1983 | |
| FF 11 | 1984 | |
| FF 12 | 1985 | |
| FF 13 | 1986 | |
| FF 14 | 1987 | |
| Box 3 | FF 1 | 1988 |
| FF 2 | 1989 | |
| FF 3 | 1990 | |
| FF 4 | 1991 | |
| FF 5 | 1992 | |
| FF 6 | 1993 | |
| FF 7 | 1994 | |
| FF 8 | 1995 | |
| FF 9 | 1996 | |
| FF 10 | 1997 | |
| FF 11 | 1998 | |
| Box 4 | FF 1 | March-18 June 1999 |
| FF 2 | 19 June-December 1999 | |
| FF 3 | 2000 | |
| FF 4 | 2001 | |
| FF 5 | 2002 | |
| FF 6 | 2003 | |
| FF 7 | 2004 | |
| FF 8 | 2005 | |
| FF 9 | 2006 |
Series II - Publications
Series II consists of publications by the Bull Terrier Club of America. It is further divided into four subseries: Subseries IIa contains books. IIb contains the annual The Record. IIc contains show catalogs. IId contains the tri-annual Barks.
IIa - Books
| Box 5 | FF 1 | Bull Terriers of Today (1951) |
IIb - Record
| Box 5 | FF 2 | Vol. 1, No. 1, 1972 |
| FF 3 | 1996 | |
| FF 4 | 1998 | |
| FF 5 | 2001 |
IIc - Show Catalogs
| Box 5 | FF 6 | Specialty Catalog 1997 |
| FF 7 | Specialty and Obedience Catalog 1998 |
| Box 5 | FF 8 | 2002 |
Series III - The Winkie (W.E.) Mackay-Smith Papers
Series III consists of the papers of Winkie (W.E.) Mackay-Smith. Folders are in MacKay-Smith's original order - arranged alphabetically by Mackay-Smith's subject titles, and chronologically within the folders. The materials date mostly from the 1980's, although there is some material from as early as 1967 and as late as 1997.
| Box 6 | FF 1 | Articles and Clippings | 1979-1993 |
| Box 6 | FF 2 | Articles and Clippings | undated |
| FF 3 | Articles and Clippings | undated | |
| FF 4 | BTCA Elections | 1983-1986 and undated | |
| FF 5 | BTCA Member Problems | 1982-1986 | |
| FF 6 | BTCA Minutes | 1982-1985 | |
| FF 7 | BTCA Minutes | 1986-1989 | |
| FF 8 | BTCA Next Meeting | May 1987-Jan 1988 and undated | |
| FF 9 | BTCA Other | 1968-1986 and undated | |
| FF 10 | BTCA Publications | 1982-1984 | |
| FF 11 | BTCA Publications | 1985-1986 and undated | |
| Box 7 | FF 1 | BTCA Regional Directory | 1986 |
| FF 2 | Bull Terrier Video | 1986-1987 | |
| FF 3 | Genetics [articles and reports] | 1967-1987 and undated | |
| FF 4 | Genetics [correspondence] [includes photographs] |
1981-1991 | |
| FF 5 | Health Committee | 1996-1997 | |
| FF 6 | Illustrated Standard Invoices | 1991 | |
| FF 7 | Luxating Patella | 1983-1985 | |
| FF 8 | Luxating Patella | 1986-1989 and undated | |
| FF 9 | Silverwood | 1979-1989 and undated | |
| FF 10 | Silverwood Chapter [written for Centennial History] |
1996 | |
| FF 11 | Welfare Foundation | 1988-1990 and undated | |
| FF 12 | Welfare Manual | 1982 and undated |
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