1955 NFC
sired NFC Big Stone Hope, NFC Del-Tone Colvin, NFC Whygin Cork's Coot, also sired over 20 FC/AFC's plus 4 Bench Champions. Cork was the tremendously important sire of the 1950's who was behind nearly all FC's since then. The two lines of Cork Of Oakwood Lane and Paha Sapa Chief have dominated since.
Cork was a great house pet and at the age of six months, did his first duck and pheasant hunting with Dr. Mork. ." After watching the dog's determination, spirit and enthusiasm, Dr. Mork decided some obedience training was needed or else. Up to that time, he had never participated in or seen a Field Trial. Some friends told the Doctor about Tony Berger, and in June of 1952 Cork got his first professional command to "heel." In June of 1953, he won his first blue ribbon at Armstrong's Ranch in an informal trial in the hunters special, handled by Dr. A. Harold Mork. In the fall of 1953 he was again hunted on ducks and pheasants, and in the winter months of 1953, Berger advised Dr. Mork that Cork had great Field Trial possibilities and should be kept in continuous training. Cork never returned after that, to his home in Anoka, but lived out his life at Del-Tone Kennels, St. Cloud, Minn.
Cork never ran in a licensed derby trial but in the fall of 1953, at the Minnesota Trial, won first place in the Qualifying stake. He became an Open All Age dog at the age of 2 1/2 years. On his third birthday, 1954, he won his first Open All Age Stake at the Central Minnesota Retriever Club in St. Cloud, Minnesota and went on to become Field Trial Champion that year in addition to qualifying for his first National at Weldon Springs in 1954, where he went through five series.
1955 was the banner year for Cork of Oakwood Lane. He started in five Opens, won three, placed second in the other two, qualified for the national and then went on to win the National Championship at Sacramento, California. Also, in 1953 and 1955 he ran in four Canadian trials, won two firsts and two seconds, to become Canadian Field Trial Champion. He qualified for the national from 1954 through 1958 and was qualified for the National Amateur in 1957, completing the full ten series under Dr. Mork. He won the Minnesota State Field Trial Championship in 1954 and 1955. Cork's accomplishments in the field, his tremendous desire to please and the courageous manner in which he went about to do his job, will be long remembered by field trialers.
No doubt his greatest accomplishment are in the records written in the books, which tell the story of CORK, the Champion, as sire he was bred a little over 200 times with offsprings of over 1000. There were many running in field trials, 20 Field Trial Champions, both Open and Amateur sired by Cork Added to this number of Champions are four bench Champions. The catalog of the 1962 National Trial shows a good percentage of the dogs were sired by Cork. Of the eight finalists in the '62 National, four were Cork's offspring, and it was won by his daughter, BIGSTONE HOPE. Two of his sons also became National champions, Del-Tone Colvin won in 1961and 1963, and Whygin Cork's Coot won in 1966 and 1969. CORK OF OAKWOOD LANE was a big, rawboned, stylish dog. He set the pace in many trials, particularly going up on line. The many people who knew him personally, will remember him best for his big moist eyes that seemed to sparkle with brilliance, a great characteristic of his. He was a truly great one. He was laid to rest on his own training grounds on a cold day, in January 1963, at Del-Tone Kennels, in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
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