Guide to the Thomas M. Gately Collection
1925-1989 (bulk 1944-1968)
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| Thomas and Kay Gately with various breeds in front of their kennels in Wilton, Conn., c.1945 |
Collection Processed by Cherie Acierno, July-August 2006
Finding Aid by Cherie Acierno, August 2006
Call Number: AKE 10.1
Access Restrictions: Open to qualified researchers by appointment.
Provenance: Thomas M. Gately's niece and/or nephew donated the materials to the American Kennel Club after Gately died in 1997.
Material Types:
Photographs - black and white
Photographs - color
Photographs on wood blocks
Photograph on metal plate
Negatives
Slides
Notebooks
Receipt Book
Index Cards
Pedigree Certificates
Championship Certificates
Stud Book Registration Certificates
Stud Dog Cards
Floor plans
Drawings
Passport
Business Cards
Periodicals
Periodical clippings
Correspondence - business
Correspondence - personal
Arrangement
The Thomas M. Gately Collection is organized into two series:
Series I (Documents) is arranged into three sub-series, as follows:
Series Ia, Business Notes, consists of one receipt book of stud services rendered from 1926-1933, four of Gately's kennel notebooks covering the years 1944-45 and 1958-1966, a notebook related to Miniature Schnauzer Ch.Yankee Pride Col. Stump from 1958-59, and index cards on individual dogs arranged alphabetically by breed.
Series Ib, Certificates, consists of pedigree certificates and championship certificates arranged alphabetically by dog name, and Stud Book registration certificates arranged by date. Some large-format pedigrees have been separated to an oversize box.
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| Ch. Boarzell Brightest Star, sired by English and American Champion Boarzell Brilliance, was purchased by the Gatelys in 1939. Known as "Jinny," her first litter, pictured here, produced Ch. Sirus of Gayterry (left), who was a multiple Best in Show dog |
Series II (Photographs) contains the bulk of the collection. It is arranged into 11 sub-series as follows:
IIa - the Terrier Group; IIb - the Hound Group; IIc - the Sporting Group; IId - the Non-Sporting Group; IIe - the Working Group; IIf - the Toy Group. The above sub-series are further organized into folders by breed of dog, and each folder is arranged chronologically, with undated photographs at the back. In the cases of Airedales, Wirehaired Fox Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, and Greyhounds, which are the breeds most abundantly represented, there is further separation into folders for individual champions, arranged alphabetically. The Corgi, now part of the Herding Group, has been included in the Working Group, as it was a member of that group when photographed, and there is no series for the herding group which did not exist as a separate group during Gately's career.
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| Tom and Kay Gately on their 25th anniversary at the Rockland County Kennel Club dog show, 1956 |
Series IIh consists of personal photographs. Most of these are undated, so they are arranged by size. Series IIi consists of negatives of onal photographs. Some additional negatives can be found in other sub-series to which they relate. Series IIj consists of slides. Series IIk contains five photos transferred to wood blocks and one transferred to a metal plate for printing purposes, housed in two smaller boxes. Nine larger photographs have been separated to the oversized box, and are labeled according to their corresponding series and sub-series.
There is a small amount of correspondence in the photograph series, mostly in cases where photographs were mailed with an accompanying letter.
All photographs are encased in mylar sleeves. Where a photograph has writing on the back giving further information not available on the front, the photograph has been sleeved by itself. Otherwise, photographs have been sleeved back-to-back.
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Passport photo of Tom Gately, 1929 |
Thomas M. Gately (Tom to his friends) was born on December 19, 1905 in Reading Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children of Irish immigrant parents. He became interested in the dog world as a teenager, and exhibited his first dog in 1924. Deciding to become a professional handler, he apprenticed under handlers Frank Brumby, Lew Worden and Abe Swartz, before starting his own business in 1927.
In 1931 he married Katherine Kilgore (born February 20, 1910, and known to all as Kay). She went into the handling business with him, and became a successful handler herself. As the owners of Gayterry Kennels in Wilton Connecticut, they guided the breeding operations of many clients, and bred their own Wire Fox, Kerry Blue, and Welsh Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, Brittany Spaniels, and other dogs. Kay Gately ran the business without her husband for two years during World War II, when Tom Gately served as Head Kennelman and Technical Sergeant in the War Dog Company of the U.S. Marine Corps.
Tom Gately was an extraordinarily busy and successful handler, usually attending more than sixty-five shows a year. He was best known as a terrier expert, but he was versatile, handling dogs in all six groups (the Working Group had not yet been divided into the Working and Herding Groups), and making more than eight hundred champions. He never won Best in Show at Westminster, but he won five groups there, and won Best in Show or Group at many other prestigious shows. Because of his excellent judgment, he was often commissioned to purchase dogs for clients. He took particular pride in the fact that many of these dogs went on to become champions.
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| Tom Gately with Westhary Fiona of Harnay, group winner at Westminster, 1957 |
Kay Gately died February 10, 1990. Tom Gately died on January 28, 1997.
Scope and Content
The Thomas M. Gately Collection is a collection of historical photographs of prize-winning dogs, and materials related to the Gatelys' handling and kennel business.
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| Architect floor plans for Gayterry Kennels by W. Edgar Baker, c. 1945 |
The personal photographs of the Gatelys, their friends, and their home, provide biographical illustration.
The Documents Series chronicles the daily business of a kennel and handling operation. It gives a good sense of the scope of the Gatelys' business and the many people with whom they were in contact. Harold and Marion Florsheim, of Florsheim Shoe fame, were two of Gately's main clients, and are particularly well represented. In addition, the series contains a few periodicals and clippings which provide historical context on the sport of purebred dogs. Most notable are the 1955 issue of Holiday in which the reporter follows Gately at the Westminster show, and a December 1968 profile of Gately clipped from the Philadelphia Sunday Times Advertiser.
Drawing of Gayterry Kennels by J. Alden Twactitinan, c. 1945 |
Inventory
Series I - Documents Series
The Documents Series chronicles the daily business of the Gatelys' kennel and handling operations. It gives a good sense of the scope of the Gatelys' business and the many people with whom they were in contact.
Ia - Business Notes
Sub-series Ia consists of one receipt book of stud services rendered from 1926-1933, four of Gately's kennel notebooks covering the years 1944-45 and 1958-1966, a notebook related to Miniature Schnauzer Ch.Yankee Pride Col. Stump from 1958-59, and index cards on individual dogs arranged alphabetically by breed.
| Box 1 | FF 1 | 1926-1933 receipt book of stud services |
| FF 2 | 1944 kennel notebook | |
| FF 3 | 1958 kennel notebook | |
| FF 4 | 1958-59 notebook related to Ch. Yankee Pride Col. Stump | |
| FF 5 | 1960 kennel notebook | |
| FF 6 | 1963 kennel notebook | |
| FF 7 | Index cards A (Afghan, Airedale) | |
| FF 8 | Index cards B (Beagle, Bedlington, Boxer, Brittany, Bulldog, Bull Terrier) | |
| FF 9 | Index cards D, E (Dandie Dinmont, English Springer Spaniel) | |
| FF 10 | Index cards G-I (Gordon Setter, Great Dane, Greyhound, Irish Terrier, Italian Greyhound) | |
| FF 11 | Index cards K, L (Kerry Blue, Lakeland, Lhasa Apso) | |
| FF 12 | Index cards Miniature Schnauzer | |
| FF 13 | Index cards Mo-R (Mongrel, Norwich, Papillon, Pointer, Pug, Retrievers) | |
| FF 14 | Index cards S (Schipperke, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham, Silky Terrier, Skye Terrier, Smooth Fox Terrier, Standard Schnauzer) | |
| FF 15 | Index cards Wei-Wes (Weimaraner, Welsh Corgi, Welsh Terrier, West Highland White) | |
| FF 16 | Index cards Wi-Y (Wirehaired Fox Terrier, Yorkshire) |
Ib - Certificates
Sub-series Ib consists of championship certificates and pedigree certificates arranged alphabetically by dog name, and Stud Book registration certificates arranged by date. Some large-format pedigrees have been separated to an oversize box.
| Box 2 | FF 1 | Championship Certificates 1937-1984 |
| FF 2 | Pedigree Certificates 1925-1964 (includes two photographs) | |
| FF 3 | Stud Book Registration Certificates September 1926-January 1934 |
Ic - Other Documents
This sub-series consists of periodicals, periodical clippings, a small amount of business and a larger amount of personal correspondence (mainly Christmas cards), and Gately's passport, along with the wallet he carried it in and the travel ephemera within the wallet, including business cards collected by Gately when he traveled to England to buy dogs. A kennel floor plan and a drawing of Gately's home have been separated as oversize. One issue of the periodical Holiday from 1955 and two periodical clippings have also been separated as oversize. All materials have been arranged chronologically in folders arranged in the following order: periodicals, periodical clippings, correspondence, passport wallet, miscellaneous.
| Box 2 | FF 4 | Fox Terrier, Vol. I, no. 2, March 1943 (cover photo of Gately's Boarzell Brightest Star) |
| FF 5 | Ken-L-Bits, Vol. 4, no. 24, December 1948; Vol. 5, No. 5, March 1949; Vol. 5, no. 6, March 1949; Vol. 5, no. 7, April 1949; Vol. 5, no. 8, April 1949 | |
| FF 6 | Periodical Clippings, 1937-1969 | |
| FF 7 | Correspondence, Business and Personal 1938-1978 (includes photograph) | |
| FF 8 | Correspondence, Christmas Cards, undated | |
| FF 9 | Correspondence, Christmas Cards, 1940-1978, and undated with photographs | |
| FF 10 | Passport Wallet | |
| FF 11 | Miscellaneous |
Series II - Photographs
Series II contains Thomas Gately's photographs. The majority of photographs are "win shots" taken at the presentation of the prize at a dog show. In addition, there are many professional portraits of dogs, and a few casual pictures. The majority of photographs, both "win shots" and portraits, were taken by photographer William Brown. The dog photographs are a potentially valuable resource for researchers tracing changes to the breeds over time, as well as for those looking for images of particular judges, kennel clubs, and dog shows. The group most fully represented is the Terrier Group. The breeds most fully represented are Airedales, Wirehaired Fox Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, and Greyhounds. With the exception of photographs of Pugs, there are very few photographs from the Non-Sporting, Working, and Toy groups, with some folders having only one or two images. The majority of photographs are from the 1950's and 1960's, and most of them are black and white 8x10s, although there are a good number of smaller photographs as well, as well as Stud Dog Cards with photographs on them.
The personal photographs of the Gatelys, their friends, and their home, provide biographical illustration.
The series is arranged into 11 subseries as follows:
IIa - the Terrier Group; IIb - the Hound Group; IIc - the Sporting Group; IId - the Non-Sporting Group; IIe - the Working Group; IIf - the Toy Group. The above subseries are further organized into folders by breed of dog, and each folder is arranged chronologically, with undated photographs at the back. In the cases of Airedales, Wirehaired Fox Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, and Greyhounds, which are the breeds most abundantly represented, there is further separation into folders for individual champions, arranged alphabetically.
Series IIg consists of two photo albums assembled by Gately in 1957 and 1960, containing photos from dog shows in those years. The 1957 album is mostly photographs of Airedales, especially Ch. Westhay Fiona of Harham. The 1960 album has a wider variety of dogs. The photographs have been removed from the original acidic albums which were determined to have little artifactual value, and have been foldered in chronological order, as they were in the original albums.
Series IIh consists of personal photographs. Most of these are undated, so they are arranged by size. Series IIi consists of negatives of personal photographs. Some additional negatives can be found in other sub-series to which they relate. Series IIj consists of slides. Series IIk contains five photos transferred to wood blocks and one transferred to a metal plate for printing purposes, housed in two smaller boxes. Nine larger photographs have been separated to the oversized box, and are labeled according to their corresponding series and sub-series.
There is a small amount of correspondence in the photograph series, mostly in cases where photographs were mailed with an accompanying letter.
All photographs are encased in mylar sleeves. Where a photograph has writing on the back giving further information not available on the front, the photograph has been sleeved by itself. Otherwise, photographs have been sleeved back-to-back.
IIa - The Terrier Group
| Box 3 | FF 1 | Ch. Bengal Flyer, Airedale, September 1963-February 1965 and undated |
| FF 2 | Ch. Bengal Leprechaun, Airedale, 1963-June 1967 and undated | |
| FF 3 | Ch. Bengal Sabu, Airedale, September 1959-July 1961 and undated | |
| FF 4 | Ch. Kresent Reb Ribbons, Airedale, September 1965-October 1966 and undated | |
| FF 5 | Ch. Querencia's Suerte Brava, Airedale, August 1962-April 1963 and undated | |
| FF 6 | Ch. Westhay Fiona of Harham, Airedale, June 1957-May 1960 and undated | |
| FF 7 | Airedales, 1935-1968 | |
| FF 8 | Airedales, undated | |
| FF 9 | Bull Terriers, 1934-1958 and undated | |
| Box 4 | FF 1 | Cairn Terriers, May 1962-April 1968 and undated |
| FF 2 | Dandie Dinmont Terriers, undated | |
| FF 3 | Irish Terriers, 1925-1964 and undated | |
| FF 4 | Kerry Blue Terriers, April 1934-March 1938 and undated | |
| FF 5 | Ch. Yankee Pride Col. Stump, Miniature Schnauzer, February 1959-October 1963 and undated | |
| FF 6 | Miniature Schnauzers, June 1949-October 1968 | |
| FF 7 | Miniature Schnauzers, undated | |
| Box 5 | FF 1 | Scottish Terriers, 1955 and undated |
| FF 2 | Sealyham Terriers, September 1963-October 1965 and undated | |
| FF 3 | Smooth Fox Terriers, August 1950-April 1965 and undated [1940-1946] | |
| FF 4 | Welsh Terriers, 1936-June 1966 and undated | |
| FF 5 | West Highland White Terriers, undated | |
| Box 6 | FF 1 | Ch. Arley Adorable of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, September 1952-November 1952 and undated |
| FF 2 | Ch. Boarzell Brightest Star, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, September 1941-September 1943 and undated | |
| FF 3 | Ch. Chief Barmaid, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, October 1947-March 1951 and undated | |
| FF 4 | Ch. Cudhill Kalypso of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, February 1959-November 1959 and undated | |
| FF 5 | Ch. Gayterry Little Cherry, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, May 1969-December 1971 | |
| FF 6 | Ch. Gosmore Emprise Elite, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, May 1967-July 1968 and undated | |
| FF 7 | Ch. Merbeth Melanie, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, March 1962-September 1962 and undated | |
| FF 8 | Ch. Roundway Lightning of Gayterry, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, 1954, and additional copies from 1955-1959 and undated | |
| FF 9 | Ch. Sirius of Gayterry, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, May 1947-May 1949 and undated | |
| FF 10 | Ch. Travella Special of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, June 1958-July 1958 | |
| FF 11 | Ch. Travella Starstud of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, undated [mid-1950's] | |
| FF 12 | Ch. Travella Sunbonnet of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, October 1925 and undated | |
| FF 13 | Ch. Travella Superman of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, 1954-May 1959 and undated | |
| FF 14 | Ch. Travella Suredo of Harham, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, December 1955-May 1957 and undated | |
| FF 15 | Ch. Wintor Caracas Call Boy, Wirehaired Fox Terrier, 1965-September 1968 and undated | |
| Box 7 | FF 1 | Wirehaired Fox Terriers of Gayterry Kennels, June 1953-January 1956 and undated |
| FF 2 | Wirehaired Fox Terriers 1934-1984 | |
| FF 3 | Wirehaired Fox Terriers, identified but undated | |
| FF 4 | Wirehaired Fox Terriers, unidentified and undated |
IIb - The Hound Group
| Box 8 | FF 1 | Afghan Hounds, December 1942-September 1943 and undated |
| FF 2 | Beagles, undated | |
| FF 3 | Dachshunds, undated | |
| FF 4 | Ch. Rudel's Firefly, Greyhound, April 1962-May 1966 and undated | |
| FF 5 | Ch. Rudel's Reindeer Cupid, Greyhound, 1967-August 1968 and undated | |
| FF 6 | Ch. Rudel's Solitaire, Greyhound, May 1960-September 1964 and undated | |
| FF 7 | Greyhounds, June 1951-June 1969 and undated | |
| FF 8 | Norwegian Elkhounds, undated |
IIc - The Sporting Group
| Box 8 | FF 9 | English Springer Spaniels, February 1952-September 1979 and undated, and undated other spaniels |
| FF 10 | Pointers, undated | |
| FF 11 | Setters, Irish and Gordon, 1942, 1946, and undated | |
| FF 12 | Weimaraners, undated | |
| FF 13 | Yellow Labrador Retrievers, 1957 and undated |
IId - The Non-Sporting Group
| Box 9 | FF 1 | Boston Terriers, 1933 and undated |
| FF 2 | Bulldogs, November 1963 and undated | |
| FF 3 | French Bulldogs, undated | |
| FF 4 | Miniature Poodle, November 1945 and undated | |
| FF 5 | Schipperke, February 1963 and undated |
IIe - The Working Group
| Box 9 | FF 6 | Boxers, December 1949, August 1954, and undated |
| FF 7 | Newfoundlands, undated | |
| FF 8 | Saint Bernards, undated | |
| FF 9 | Samoyeds, undated | |
| FF 10 | Welsh Corgis, undated |
IIf - The Toy Group
| Box 9 | FF 11 | Pekingese, undated |
| FF 12 | Pugs, May 1953-May 1989 and undated | |
| FF 13 | Silky Terriers, November 1962 and undated |
IIg - Gately Photo Albums
| Box 10 | FF 1 | 1957 Album, December 1956-November 1957 |
| FF 2 | 1960 Album, January 1960-October 1960 |
IIh - Personal Photographs
| Box 10 | FF 3 | 1943-1956 and undated |
| FF 4 | 1936, 1949 and undated |
IIi - Negatives
| Box 10 | FF 5 | undated |
IIj - Slides
| Box 10 | FF 6 | [Ch. Yankee Pride Col. Stump] November 28, 1960, Alabama |
IIk - Photographs screened on Wood Blocks and Metal, for Printing Purposes
| Box 11 | 5 photographs screened on wood blocks: Ch. Boarzell Brightest Star, Ch. Parcancady Lily, Ch. Yankee Pride Col. Stump, Heigh Ho Trail Blazer, and one marked Phila Sailer [1940's-1960's] | |
| Box 12 | One photograph on a metal plate [Cch. Sirius of Gayterry] [1940's] | |
| Box 13 | Oversize Materials
9 photographs, 1955 and undated Pedigrees, 1956-1963 Floor plan of Gayterry Kennels, Wilton CT. 2 newspaper clippings, 1959 and 1968 Holiday Vol. 17, no. 2, February 1955 List of shows attended and prizes won by Ch. Yankee Pride Col. Stump 1957-1959 Drawing of Gately house |
