The Historic Preservation Committee is assigned with the task of preserving photographs, videos, historical records, and memorabilia pertaining to Great Pyrenees. It is an ongoing venture, as more items are located or donated or purchased yearly. There are several projects that are in process currently, including adding articles and pictures from older GPCA Bulletins, film to dvd, and Pyrs in Media.
Mary Crane Collection – The founder of the breed in America has left us many photos, kennel records, postcards, and advertisements.
Videos – We’re in the process of converting many of the older film media to digital format.
GPCA History – A Brief History of the Great Pyrenees Club of America.
Items of Interest – Various articles, pictures, magazines, catalog ads and other items relating to Great Pyrenees and other platforms that our dogs shine in.
We currently have on disc the entire Mary Crane print collection that was donated to the Dog Museum in St Louis. It includes over 1500 pictures and almost 100 original kennel records of both Mrs. Crane’s breedings as well as the foreign dogs she imported as her foundation stock. The collection also includes old postcards, kennel brochures, advertisements, awards, and many articles that Mrs. Crane wrote over the years. It is a fascinating look into the sport of dog breeding over 75 years ago.
Our Film Preservation is currently in the second of three phases to be completed by 2030 if funds permit. Our goal is to restore, clean, and repair all of the original 8mm and 35mm films and convert them and the VHS tapes to DVDs. We currently have over 25 reels finished with more to be done. Our plan is to have these DVDs available to the membership on this site as well. Converting these films is expensive, and donations to this cause would be greatly appreciated.
We are always looking for new projects to add to our collection; be it old photos, kennel records, film, or awards or trophies earned. Our entire collection is housed in a climate-controlled facility to protect the older photos and paper copies for future members to enjoy. If you have any items you wish to either donate or loan to the HP committee, please notify us and we will arrange for the item to be photographed and added to the collection.
Joan Ziehl joan@jmdist.com
Historic Preservation Committee Chair
