Abstract
It was an honor to be the Keynote speaker at the 2016 American Federation of Aviculture conference. I am thankful—on behalf of Bird Endowment—for that opportunity.
Working on that presentation made me aware of what a big role AFA has played in my life and the formation and achievements of Bird Endowment.
Got my first bird in 1990. Joined AFA that year. The cover of the 1991 issue of Watchbird magazine caught my attention. There was an article about Caninde Macaws (as they were called then) and how little was known about them. It gave some information about their status in the wild, and stated that they needed help in captivity.
Attended my first bird conference in 1992. The AFA convention was in Miami where I met Benny Gallaway, Bob Berry, Dale Thompson and other influential aviculturists. Some would become mentors. After the convention there was a tour of the private breeding facility, Luv Them Birds. My tour guide was Rick Jordan who worked there at the time. I saw my first pair of wild-caught Caninde Macaws.