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| MISSED YOUR NEWS LETTER CLICK KOI PERSON OF THE YEAR 2004Charles Lewis is this years koi person of the year because we were low on choices and we may have made a mistake. KOI PERSON OF THE YEAR 2003Is it true what they say “time flies when
your having fun? I can vouch for what seems a fact to me. As one
gets older time seems to accelerate. I say this as the Associated Koi
Clubs of America’s annual seminar is upon us once again. It is also the time
that our koi person of the year is recognized. This year that person is Jack
Kratish. I asked Jack for a short biography of how he became interested in
koi and this is what he told me. In 1943 at the age of 9, his family moved from Chicago to South Florida and he immediately fell in love with the climate and the related outdoor activities. He soon was pursuing lifelong hobbies including swimming, boating, fishing (not for koi) and keeping tropical fish. Jack has had freshwater aquariums for many years, but admits to being a relative novice when keeping koi in a pond. About 8 years ago he was given a pair of koi as a gift. Somehow they had to fit into his already full 75-gallon tank. Some 6 months after receiving the koi Jack was hospitalized after suffering two heart attacks. It was during his recuperation in the hospital that he mentioned to Elise, his spouse, that it had been a lifelong dream of his to have a koi pond with a waterfall. Space was at a premium at the family home. A swimming pool in the rear of the house ruled out a pond there. It was decided that a modest manageable pond would be built at the front of the house. We hired a contractor, relied on his “expertise” and before long the 2 koi had a much larger, nicer home. As any serious koi keeper will tell you 2 koi are never enough and soon problems with the growing fish population and pond began to surface. It was at this time that Jack discovered the Tropical Koi Club of South Florida and joined. He says he will always be grateful for the friendly and knowledgeable help and advice he has received over the years. The pond filter system, plumbing and many other improvements were made. The system is now fully operational and working well. One piece of advice he offers. If you are interested in keeping koi then you need to join a club before starting any pond construction. This can save you both heartache and $$$. Upon his first anniversary as a club member he was elected Treasurer of the club. He has held this position for 7 years and his dedication is much appreciated. One final quote from Jack “Koi keeping is a great hobby. What could be nicer than seeing beautiful fish, viewing magnificent ponds, meeting interesting people and making wonderful friends?” Use the Adobe link to download reader.
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