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A Tribute to Dr. Mary S. Meriwether
(Nov. 13, 1944 – Jan. 18, 1997)
By Daria Edgecombe
February, 1997
Following the loss of my 13½ year old red and white Cocker Spaniel “Cappy” (Ch. Shadyhill’s Frost ‘n Fire T.T.) to congestive heart failure in October 1993, I decided to attend the American Spaniel Club Winter National in New Jersey, in January 1994. I was determined to find another red and white parti-colour and cheer myself up. I can’t live without at least one underfoot.
While enroute, I heard via Jean Dewolfe (Shadyhill Red’d.) that the five year old red and white littermate to her Am. Cdn. Ch. Tagalong’s Shadyhill Storm T.T. was looking for a home. His breeder, Dr. Mary Meriwether, had been diagnosed with cancer and had to reduce her kennel. I decided on the spot (in Jean’s van on the way from the airport) that “Charlie” (Am. Cdn. Ch. Tagalong’s Tough Stuff) was coming to Newfoundland. A quick phone call to Mary and Charlie was on his way to New Jersey via Bill Gorodner, Ging’s Kennels in Virginia, who had so kindly and generously looked after Charlie for six months during Mary’s illness.
Despite cancer treatments, Mary also attended the Winter National that year and we spent several wonderful days along with Jean Dewolfe getting to know each other, talking Cockers and having fun, while Mary filled me in on life with Charlie. I was, quite simply, awe struck with this wonderful lady about whom I had read so much. Mary was warm-hearted and friendly and displayed a keen and sincere interest in everyone she met. It was not long before she had my life history. Her calm but jovial personality and her optimism and wit appealed to my perpetually anxious personality and we became fast friends. Charlie proved to be a wonderful addition to my Cocker Spaniel family and helped ease Cappy’s loss. With a red and white back in my life, all was right with the world. Charlie quickly finished his Canadian championship and continues to bring joy to every day of my life.
I never saw Mary again but our friendship continued to grow along with our telephone bills, the result of our marathon telephone calls. Mary had a life-long affection for American Cocker Spaniels and in her university days had obedience trained her first Cocker “Tuck” who was her constant companion for many years. In the academic field, Mary had a doctorate in English Literature and taught for some time at Stanford University and later at the Buckingham Correctional Facility in Virginia where she taught special education. She was well liked by her students and, as in all areas of her life, her kind, caring and patient demeanour was much admired.
Our friendship saw Mary through the terrible ordeal of cancer – chemotherapy, radiation, pain and discomfort – but Mary never lost her optimism. Not one to wallow in her own problems, Mary embraced life with enthusiasm, always with a need to comfort and empathize with her friends. She never lost her courage even through the loss of her special girl “Jessie” – Frandee’s Ms. Tagalong.
Mary bred Cocker Spaniels sparingly but with great wisdom and insight culminating in the breeding of the unforgettable Am. Ch. Tagalong’s Winter Frost “Geri”, Am. Mex. Ch. Tagalong’s Macho Man “Ben” and Am. Cdn. Ch. Tagalong’s Shadyhill Storm T.T. “Peter” who have garnered awards of which many of us only dream. But for Mary, it was not the pursuit of Best in Show that meant so much to her but the individual personality of each dog that meant much more – those qualities that endear them to us and make each one special. This was never more apparent to me than at the January 1994 American Spaniel Club Winter National where Geri and Ben were shown in the Parade of Champions. Mary sat in the first row, the ravages of cancer clearly evident; but more compelling was the sheer joy around her at that moment – her face a mirror of the love she felt for these two dogs. It was a special moment and an unforgettable sight. Though she could not be present for Peter’s Best in Show at the American Spaniel Club Winter National last year, it was a tremendously meaningful event for her in the last year of her life.
Mary accomplished much in such a short time. Certainly, the Tagalong Cockers have earned a place in the history of our breed. Mary’s love and devotion for this breed, her legacy, will be perpetuated forever in Geri and Ben’s progeny and Peter’s progeny. She has left us a path to follow and ideals for which to strive.
The essence of Mary’s friendship can be wonderfully defined by a quotation from Goethe:
To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts unexpressed – that can make of this earth a garden.
I believe it was God’s blessing and not a coincidence that brought Mary and Charlie into my life. I feel an overwhelming sence of loss and I miss her terribly. Despite this, their is peace in the knowledge that Mary is free from this unrelenting disease, and is with her beloved Jessie now.