John Pritchett Memorial Scholarship

Each year ARHRC funds a $1,500 scholarship through the Hunting Retriever Club Foundation. This scholarship is in memory of long time member John Pritchett. John and his wife Nanette were very active in the club and participated in many different ways toward its betterment. John was always open to sharing his knowledge and experience to teach new handlers how to train their dog. For this reason and because of his volunteer work in the club, we wish to honor his memory with this scholarship.

John had several dogs throughout the years. One special dog he owned was HRCH Louisiana Bud MH. Bud was a member of the HRC 500 Point Club and had one Grand pass. Unfortunately, in his later years, health problems prevented John from earning the second Grand pass and Grand title. Another dog owned by John was named Coal. A long standing joke in John's training group was that the dog thought his name was "NO, Coal!" since John said that so much!

An annual fundraiser is held each year to fund the scholarship. While similar to a hunt test, it is a fun event. No points are awarded, but the winning dogs receive a plaque and bragging rights. The test format changes yearly and this past year one category included the fastest retriever. Each dog was timed while picking up three single marks. This format allowed dogs at all levels to participate on an equal footing.