Dear James Ray and R.A.Keith,

It has come to my attention that you fellows released the Tar River Fox Pen to the new management recently.

I want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for all the hard work that you did to bring this facility up to the very top of the foxhunting world.

I can remember when you first took over and a lot of folks laughed at the idea that you would be able to improve the pen to a point where great field trials would be able to take place. They didn't think you guys could do it. Boy did you ever show them.

I also remember some folks griping about there being too much game on hand. I always got a big chuckle about that. Some folks wouldn't be satisfied with a money tree in their back yards.

I remember getting 219 crossings in one day and Paul Caskey getting more than I did. I thought about the folks that didn't think you could stock a pen this well. I wanted to show my score sheets to them and say read it and weep.

I also appreciate all the new paths that you cut and all the road work. All the kennel work. All the work that you put in so that the ladies would be able to have their own rest room. I appreciate all the nights and days that you worked to keep the fence in good shape after big rains and wind storms.

I know that you guys weren't always in the best of moods. If I had the worries that you did in trying to keep this place under control, I would have not been in a very good mood myself. I always understood and I still appreciated you.

I hate that you had bad luck with the game over the last year or so. Stuff like that has happened all across America and will probably happen again. I appreciate the effort that you put forth to try and correct the problem and know that you did your best.

It ticks me off to hear folks griping about the game situation over the past few months. Let them try and operate a place like this and see how far they get. You fellows did all you could do and I appreciate it.

I know that I have thanked you before face to face for all your efforts, but I wanted to do it in public too. I want to thank you for all the fun I've had and all the good running I've been able to listen to and see and all the great hounds that I've seen operate because you guys had the pen in the kind of shape it needed to be in.

I am sure that Benny, Shane and Mike will put forth great effort to maintain what you guys were able to develop and I look forward to many more good times at Tar River.

Once again, THANK YOU James Ray and R.A. Keith. Your efforts were NOT wasted!

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