by Seth Johnson

He has achieved success who has lived long, laughed often, & loved much.

Who has gained the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men, & the love of little children.

Who has filled his niche & accomplished his task.

Who has left the world better than he found it, whether it be through a lovelier poppy, a perfect poem, or a rescued soul.

Who has always appreciated the earth’s beauty & never failed to express it.

Who has always looked for the best in others, & given the best he had.

Whose life was an inspiration; whose memory a benediction.

Gene Meyer was a Guernsey man from the start who went on to make his mark on the entire dairy industry. The list of well-earned awards and commendations he received during his career is staggering. He helped and impacted so many different groups it is a wonder he had any extra time at all. Yet, there he was, at industry events, encouraging youth and visiting with the enormous group of friends he had made over the years. His attention and dedication to the Guernsey herd at Hoard’s Dairyman farm helped maintain one of the greatest ambassadors the Guernsey breed has. I will never forget the proper, gentlemanly manner with which he conducted himself. In his dealings with the AGA he was never demanding, only polite and inquisitive, and yet he accomplished so much.

Ken A. Forster was a joy to meet and talk with. Ken and his wife Betty were fixtures at Guernsey sales and shows in the US for years and were stalwarts of the Canadian Guernsey Association. Many of the cow families that Ken invested in and brought to Canada years ago, from the US, are still going strong on both sides of the border today. Looking back on the animals he developed, his ability to seek out only the best still amazes me. He was a man who loved great cows and knew what it took to develop and promote them. I speculate that he felt his greatest achievement in the Guernsey world was the breeding of Maplehurst Hopeful, an EX-95 cow that “owned” the Royal Winter Fair for several years and made many friends on both sides of the border. An enormous photo of her dominates the Forster’s living room. His more lasting legacy will be the Maplehurst name, which is synonymous with quality around the world. John Posnett was unknown to many US Guernsey breeders, which is a shame. He was a man with the energy, vision and means to continually push forward for the good of the Guernsey breed. In what turned out to be his last five years, he was blessed to own two truly incredible Guernsey cows; cows that allowed him to “show the black and white boys a thing or two,” at the shows. A supreme championship for one of his cows meant a call to the AGA office, after a celebratory bottle of champagne, to let me know that all was well with the Guernsey breed in the UK. Although an excited John was difficult for this Yankee to understand, there was no mistaking his enthusiasm for the breed. Recently he was working towards shipping semen and embryos to the US, after having used North American genetics religiously for years. His other new endeavor was the Guernsey yogurt his son, Phillip, was producing from Golden Guernsey milk. John died of a heart attack delivering this yogurt that he felt would ensure the future of his herd, and hopefully show others what could be done to add value to Guernsey milk. His laugh could be heard across a crowded room and his legacy to the breed will last as long as the good humor that he spread while always pressing forward.

I have no doubt that the Guernsey breed has lost a step or two with the passing of these three great men. I am proud to have known them for a brief time, and wish that I had learned more from each of them, because they certainly had a wealth of knowledge and experience to share. I’m sure I never finished a conversation with any of them without a smile on my face. Perhaps the greatest compliment that we can pay them is to say that they spent their lives dedicated to the Guernsey breed, and left the Guernsey fraternity a better place in the process.