My Tribute to Sally Liddick

I was shocked to hear that Sally Liddick  had passed away.

I know that she has suffered from some health issues, but she has been there my entire grooming career so far, and you can't help but feel that someone that prominent in the industry will always be around.

I read my very first Groomer To Groomer when I was in grooming school.

I subscribed to it right away.

I was so hungry for news about other groomers and grooming in general.

 It was a letter sized, hand typed little newsletter back then.

It was an 8 page newsletter, and it was full of information.

I could not wait till I got the next one in the mail.

I found one of them, but I know that I have more.

Yes, I still have them.

I think that I might just go back and read them again after I finish writing this post.  :)

  Then she went to a larger newspaper size.

Even more to read!

Then Sally started Groom Expo.

I went to the very first Groom Expo.

I was so excited that it was so close to me.

It was small compared to the Groom Expos of today.

Is it sad that I still have a stack of the Groomer To Groomer newspapers?

Then the newsletter/newspaper turned into a magazine.

How amazing was Sally?

To take a small newsletter and turn it into a major magazine for our industry.

I still have all of those Groomer To Groomer magazines too.

I need help don't I?

During my very first attempt at creative grooming, Sally came to my rescue.

I sculpted a large butterfly into my standards coat. (at least I attempted to)

It did not quite turn out the way I wanted it to.

It was a tribute to two of my dogs that had died within a week of each other that summer.

I had written a poem in honor of my two dogs.

I didn't cry when I wrote it.

I didn't cry every night as I tried to memorize it for  the Hershey Creative contest presentation.

Then Gwen stuck that microphone in my face and I started to read the poem.

By the third line I was a basket case.

I don't know where it came from.

I just started crying...there, right on the stage...in front of hundreds of people!

I had read that thing a hundred times.

I had read it out load to my husband, to my kids, and never teared up.

I tried to start over a couple of times.

I could not do it.

I looked at Sally and said that I was sorry.

I could not finish.

Sweet Sally.

She asked for my paper with the poem on it, and she read it for me.

She broke down at the end of it too, so I didn't feel too bad.

She save my bu** that day.

Thank you Sally for all that you have done for this industry.

You will be missed.

God Bless You Sally.

Sally Liddick

1946-2012