HAMLET – In 1969 I graduated from Hamlet High School and enrolled at Pembroke State University. At this time I had a brief interruption from quail hunting. I was forced to sell Kate because I needed the money for college. She had become a fine dog and companion and it was a difficult and heart wrenching decision. I let a friend of mine have her for $150.
Four years passed by and amazingly I got a degree in Business Administration. I interviewed with Burlington Industries, a dyeing and finishing plant on the great Pee Dee River in Society Hill, SC. My interview was with one of “the big wheels,” Max Gainor, who was a group manager for Burlington. He looked at my transcripts, shook his head and remarked, “I have a son just like you.” Surprisingly, he offered me a job in the management training program. I knew as soon as I got that job that the first thing I had to buy was a bird dog.
I stumbled on an Irish Setter raised by an Indian man in Pembroke. He had named the setter Mr. Sampson, but I ended up calling him Red. Since I was now fully employed, my hunting time was limited and Red came along slowly. As the years progressed, he turned out to be a hell of a bird dog and a great sidekick. Once, after a long, cold day’s hunt, I took Red in the house. Being tired, we both sacked out in front of the fireplace, warming ourselves and resting in front of the fire my bride had going. Both Red and I had “cockleburs” on us and Red would pick some off himself and then turn and pick some off me. Life was good.
At this time I was hunting often with Mike Cochran, another railroad guy I had met through yet another vice I developed along the way – tennis. We played a lot of tennis and bird hunted even more. Mike did not particularly like big dogs and Red was large and gangly. Red must have known how Mike felt about him because when we hunted together Red seemed to enjoy showing off in front of Mike’s setters. He had become a genuine broke bird dog.
