Farewell to a Great Lady

In 1970, my husband and I decided to look for a boxer puppy. We had a vague idea that we might eventually want to "show." I called a past president of the American Boxer Club, whose daughter was a childhood friend. She referred me to Phyllis Hamilburg of Salgray Boxers in Brookline, Massachusetts. Phyllis could not have been kinder to this utter novice, and after deciding we might be suitable boxer owners, she sent us to look at a litter of pups sired by a dog who was largely Salgray in breeding. From this visit, quite by chance and blinding good luck, we brought home the future Legion of Merit winner, Ch Gray Roy's Minstrel Boy. So when I say that Trefoil Boxers is grateful to Phyllis Hamilburg, you will understand the strength of my conviction.

I don't know anyone who ever met or talked with Phyllis who failed to be impressed by her gracious manner and the depth of her knowledge on the subject of boxers. Always rising above the petty gossip around ringside, and ever ready to help the novice and experienced breeder/exhibitor alike, she was universally admired. Few of us active in the breed today do not owe her a great debt - every boxer who descends through Fashion Hint, Shadrack, Ambush, Minstrel Boy, Traper, Vendetta, Arbitrage, Crown Sable, Knight Revue, and many, many more - all trace directly back to the Salgray Boxers of the 60s and 70s. More than any other breeder, Phyllis changed the "look" of the breed when she developed a taller, more elegant animal than had heretofore been popular in the USA. Her ideals are reflected in the language of the present day Boxer Standard.