The American Shropshire Registry Association initiated a program in 2022 to recognize a person or family that has promoted, raised and contributed to the success of registered Shropshire sheep in the United States. It is the ASRA Board of Directors goal to embrace, celebrate and honor those people or families who have been historically influential to the Shropshire Breed.

For elegibility and nomination form, click here.

2022 Shropshire Hall of Fame

Mike Anderson, left, with his 1993 Grand Champion Ram.

Michael Anderson, Paxton, Illinois
Nominated by Dusty Rincker

  Mike raised Shropshires for 56 years. He was elected to the ASRA Board in 1983 and served for 21 years, never missing a meeting, 3 years as President. Mike was active in the Illinois Shropshire Breeders Association for many years serving as President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer. He was elected to the Land of Lincoln Purebred Livestock Breeders Assoc in 1994 and still serves. He was inducted to their Hall of Fame in 2019.
    Mike exhibited his Shrops at the Illinois State Fair for 50-plus years and other state fairs and the North American, winning many champion honors. Mike made the trek to the National Shropshire Shows in California 3 times.
    He has worked with breeders on breed type and with the Spider gene crisis before there was a blood test. Mike has served as the judge at many shows including the North American 3 times.

Veteran exhibitor Noble Apple, is in a familiar haunt – one of the livestock barns at the Indiana State Fair. Apple was presented with an award honoring his 70 years as a livestock exhibitor at the State Fair. The award was presented by the Indiana Shropshire Association. [Photo by Mike McMahan]

Noble T. Apple
Greenfield, Indiana
Nominated posthumously by Mike Elsbury & the Indiana Shropshire Association

I have been asked by The Indiana Shropshire Sheep Association to write this nomination to the National Shropshire Hall of Fame for my grandfather, Noble T. Apple. Since he passed away almost 30 years ago many Shropshire Breeders today are not aware of his Shropshire and community accomplishments.
    In 1946 he added Shropshire Sheep to his show cattle and farming operation. Shropshires quickly became his passion and by the late 1940s his flock was one of the leading flocks in the country. He began to travel the show circuit to all the major shows and state fairs with the likes of Claude Rahl and Keith Chrome. He was the only Shropshire breeder in their caravan that traveled during the late summer and early fall to these major shows.
    He became the breed promoter, information source, storyteller and historian from the late 1940s until the mid-1960s. His flock was tremendously successful winning at hundreds of shows including all the major state fairs. From 1951 until 1953 (aged ewes were shown back then) his lead show ewe, Apple’s Queen, was undefeated and champion ewe at over 50 shows and more than 15 state fairs. Her pen mate, Silver Lady, stood second to her in every show except the yearling ewe class at the Indiana State Fair in 1952 where they stood first and third.     There were 101 yearling ewes exhibited in class that day.
    That same year, an envoy from the Japanese agriculture department approached Noble at the Iowa State Fair after the ewes were Champion and Reserve in an attempt to purchase them and import them to Japan. The original offer for the pair was $1000, in 1952 that was more than my grandfather made in a year farming. He declined that offer and the next two offers at $1250 and $1500 for the pair of yearling ewes.
    Perhaps even more important to him than the tremendous success he had breeding and showing his Shropshires was the friendships and camaraderie that he had with sheep breeders from around the country. He helped dozens of breeders get a start in Shropshires, including the Wilcliff, Kennedy, Petty and Smith families in his home county, alone. He became the flock consultant, advisor, and animal health adviser for these flocks and several more.
Noble was often involved with the state association and donated multiple achievement lambs to the top Shropshire 4-H member at the state fair. He was awarded the Lifetime Service to Youth Award by the Hancock County Farm Bureau. He was presented the first, that I am aware of for lifetime achievement, which included free admission to the Indiana State Fair. Since that time Jasper Dirlam also received this award.
    During the 1960s and 70s Apple judged many times at various fairs. The county, to the east of his home county, had him judge so many years in a row because he spent more time after the show helping the youngsters with their sheep than the show would take. After several years in a row he finally suggested it was time for them to find someone else to do their judging On one occasion when the judge for his home county unexpectedly didn’t make it to the show the local group had him judge the show with his own children exhibiting.
    When his loving wife, Mary, became ill and then passed away, he seldom got far from home, but he kept a fantastic set of sheep until his death. He passed away in the barn while working with that year’s crop of Shropshire ewe lambs. The county fair was just starting when he passed away. They closed US 40 and the 4-H parade went by the mortuary during his funeral visitation period. They have not closed the road for the parade ever since. Three days after his passing a ewe lamb with his breeding was selected as the Supreme Champion Ewe over all breeds at one of the biggest county sheep shows in the state. One ewe lamb was kept after he passed away to be exhibited in his name and sold at The National Shropshire Show and Sale held at the Indiana State Fair the next year. The ewe didn’t win the show but placed and sold very well. The ewe was purchased by an FFA adviser from an adjacent county that wanted to show his appreciation for over 20 years of allowing his judging teams to come to the farm and practice judging.
    Noble’s true love for the Shropshire breed has been passed down from generation to generation, each with their own Shropshire success story. There are five families that are direct descendants that are still raising and showing Shropshires. There are currently four great-great-grandchildren showing Shrops at junior shows, all of them too young for 4-H, but already excited about their sheep.
    The Indiana Association recognized Noble with a special award after he exhibited at the Indiana State Fair for 70 years. Since his passing, The Champion Indiana Shropshire Flock is presented an award each year at the state fair in his honor and memory. A few years ago, the Indiana Association started hosting the Indiana Premier Sale and each year there is a junior show held in conjunction with the sale. That junior show has also been named in his honor. This next year the Noble T. Apple Junior Show will be held in conjunction with the National Shropshire Sale.
    Even though it has now been several years since his passing, Noble T. Apple was one of the greatest Shropshire breeder, exhibitor and promoter of all time. He is most deserving of being inducted into the National Shropshire Association Hall of Fame and the Indiana Shropshire Association is proud to nominate him for this recognition.
    From October 2022 Shropshire Voice

Dennis Avery

Dennis Avery, Bremen Indiana
Nominated by Charlotte Stephenson

    Dennis Avery has a long history of involvement with the Shropshire breed. Over the course of many years, Avery Shropshires has helped to shape the breed to what it is today. Dennis Avery has had multiple state and National champions at many shows and sales. He was awarded the Best Consignment Award many times at our national show/sale. As a strong supporter of the young breeders, many Futurity nominated Avery Shrops have been shown all over the country and several young exhibitors have won the Futurity sweepstakes with them.
    Dennis has always striven to show and sell top notch animals. National Grand Champion Ram “Juice” was a highly influential stud that sired many, many champions. “Juice” and his progeny still appear on the papers of sheep today. Dennis also has the honor of breeding National Champion ewes and has the distinct honor of even having bred and shown a Louisville Supreme ram.
    Avery Shropshires progressed from fitted Shrops to today’s slick sheared style. That in itself shows the quality & progressiveness of a breeder to be able to adapt and continue to improve one’s flock that can stand the test of time. Personally, Mr. Avery helped establish my flock, Sugar Ridge Shropshires. He has been a mentor and friend through the years to myself, as well as so many others.

Jasper Dirlam

Jasper Dirlam
Mooresville, Indiana
Nominated by Lee Ann Eizinger

    Jasper Dirlam had been raising Shropshire sheep from 1963 until his death in 2020. He was a former director of the American Shropshire Registry representing the state of Indiana for several years. He was a member of the Indiana Shropshire Breeders, the Indiana Sheep Breeders Association and the Morgan County Sheep organization. He oversaw several large sheep shows at the Morgan County Fair, where he was Sheep Superintendent, for over 18 years. Jasper and his flock was named the Premier Breeder at the Indiana State Fair for several years, starting about 1970. Jasper received the Oren A. Wright award and the Master Shepherd award by the Indiana Sheep Breeders Association. He was awarded a lifetime pass by the Indiana State Fair in 2015 for his long time exhibiting Shropshire sheep at the fair.
    Jasper raised high quality Shropshires. He strived to raise sheep that would do well in the showring as well as in the lambing barn. Jasper sold sheep to lots of 4-H’ers and farmers throughout the state of Indiana over the years and advised on how to care for and manage them to make good quality, productive and healthy sheep. Jasper was a true Shepherd of his flock as well as of the people he helped over the years.
    He passed away at age 90 on September 17, 2020, at his home in Mooresville, Ind. surrounded by family. Jasper was born on October 20, 1929 to parents Horace and Josephine Dirlam in Bismarck, North Dakota. They lived on a 320 acre farm near Mennoken, North Dakota until a severe drought caused crop devastation. After two years without any harvest, the family packed up and moved to Indiana, settling on a farm in Bowling Green.
    Jasper attended Patrickburg High School, where he was a talented basketball player and class officer, graduating in 1947. Most importantly, this is where Jasper met Ruth Hauser. They were wed on June 3, 1950 and were happily married for 61 years until Ruth’s passing on October 29, 2011.
    After high school, Jasper attended Butler University and then Indiana State University, where he transferred to be closer to Ruth who was enrolled at Indiana State Teacher’s College. A Korean War veteran, Jasper served for two years in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 508th Airborne Company. Jasper proudly worked for GM Allison Transmission for 40 years. During his tenure, he held numerous responsible positions in Material Control until he retired in 1989 as a supervisor with the department.
    Jasper loved raising Shropshire sheep and did so for over 60 years. In addition to showing at local, state, and national shows, he served as a Director for the American Shropshire Registry, a Director for the Board of Animal Health of the State of Indiana, and a Superintendent of the Morgan County Fair Sheep Barn. He was the recipient of numerous awards, including the Oren A. Wright Award for outstanding service to the Indiana Sheep industry, and more recently, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 at the Indiana State Fair awarding him a lifetime pass to the fair.
    In 2016, Jasper was selected for the Honor Flight honoring his military service. He was a member of the Morgan County Democratic Committee and the American Legion of Coal City. Jasper also had a great love for border collies and always had one riding alongside him in his truck. Jasper was passionate about IU basketball and had season tickets for decades. Jasper was an incredibly caring and generous man; he donated to many causes and charities; he always bought raffle tickets for local fundraisers; and he gave to his church, St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church. He also loved to travel and spent much of his time exploring with Ruth and their cherished companions, Jasper’s brother, Jim and sister-in-law Norma.
    Jasper loved his family. He and Ruth had two beloved sons, John and Mark, and two grandchildren that they adored, Lindsay and Matt. He never missed a track meet, a basketball game, or any other event involving his family.
    Jasper never met a stranger and was a gifted conversationalist. At his core, he loved supporting his family, his friends, his neighbors, and those he met through his passion for raising sheep. He truly left an impression on everyone he met and will be remembered for his kind heart, his giving spirit, and his easygoing nature.
    From February 2024 Shropshire Voice

Dr. Frederick Groverman, DVM

Dr. Frederick Groverman, DVM
Petaluma, California
Nominated posthumously by Cody Hiemke

Fred Groverman had the longest continuously owned Shropshire Flock in the world and was also presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Shropshire Breeders Association and Flock Book Society. He was a past president of the American Shropshire Registry.
Fred was born in Petaluma and attended Petaluma schools, receiving his and DVM from UC Davis in 1958. Fred and Bill Kortum opened and operated Cotati Veterinary Hospital that same year. Always a shepherd, Fred has held office and been an activist and guiding light for many locally and nationally recognized health and agricultural organizations and services. He was passionate about 4-H and served 26 years on the board as well as chaired the building committee for the 4-H Center in Rohnert Park. He was committed to livestock care and vetted every animal shown at the Sonoma County Fair. Most recently, he worked as a veterinarian/consultant in charge for Molecular Matrix, Inc., in stem cell research.
Dr. Groverman had Shropshires on his home place for 87 years.
Cody Hiemke wrote for the Shropshire Voice in 2021:
I’ve been friends with Fred Groverman for 16 years, learning about his family’s legacy with Shropshires. Fred and I have traveled to Shropshire, England together…twice. Through the years, Grovermans have raised Shropshire sheep to form, function, and productivity. They haven’t leaned into fads, and were one of the integral families in the 1950s to correct a fad to a more functional sheep.
Fred served the ASRA as president from 1979 to 1981, following other long-time impactful breeders at president like Doug Chambers, Emil Hartzell, Sam Washburn, and followed by Glenn High. He’s the only one left of that iconic group of breeders. I’ve long said that the Groverman Shropshire sheep are the only truly pure Shropshires left in America. More people should see them so they can understand the extent to which the breed has strayed.

2023 Shropshire Hall of Fame

Max Bryant

Max Bryant
Frederictown, Ohio
Nominated by his family

    Max graduated from high school early at the ripe age of 15. He stayed at home and worked closely with his father on the family dairy farm but he always envisioned having a farm of his own with sheep. The same year, 1933, he purchased his first Shropshire Ewe from Edron Vail, also of Fredericktown. The registration paper was framed and hangs on the wall of the farm house where this endeavor began, still to this day. It is one of the oldest flocks in the country and his legacy continues on today. That is the moment Bryant Shrops was no longer a vision but became a reality.
    As a young shepherd starting out Max spent countless hours in the barn and visiting with other sheep breeders to gain knowledge. Over the years he gained valuable hands on knowledge of breed character, genetics, lambing tendencies and general health that would excel his flock to great heights. Bryant Shrops genetics can be seen throughout flocks across the country. In 1974 Randy Rife bought his first Shropshire Ram from Max.
    Max served on various boards at the county, state and national levels. He served on the Knox County Sheep Improvement Board and the Knox County Fair Board. Max wanted to help pave the way for younger breeders and give them an opportunity like he had. Max was always willing to lend a hand to support young breeders.
    He started and managed the breeding sheep department at the Knox County Fair up until he became very ill in 1992. Over the years he lent many sheep to kids who couldn’t have them so they could attend the fair. He was a member of the Ohio Shropshire Association and at times served on the board. In 1981, the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association awarded him a lifetime membership. He was also a member of the National Shropshire Association and served on the board at times. During the years he served on various boards to help improve the Shropshire sheep breed.
    Max exhibited sheep at the county, state and national levels. Bryant Shrops has exhibited a Shropshire sheep at the Ohio State Fair for 70 plus consecutive years. Max son, William, helped care for the sheep but it wasn’t until he had a son, William Jr., or Max’s first grandson, when things began to pick up. At the rip age of five William Jr. “Billy” was heading to the barn and show rings with Grandpa Max. There was never just one, it was always two. Max took Billy with his tender hands and shared his knowledge of raising Shropshire sheep. As Billy grew older Max increased the number of lambing ewes sometimes reaching 100 plus and they attended more and more shows.
    In 1985, Max wasn’t well enough to travel to the Illinois Spectacular alone so William loaded up the big oxygen tank in the bed of the Dodge and Billy, just 16 years old, drove him out to Illinois.
    Max’s dedication to the Shropshire breed has not gone unnoticed. In 1995, the Knox County Fair created the Supreme Champion Sheep Class in his honor. A framed picture of Max with his Shropshire sheep standing in the farm yard rotates amongst the winners. The Ohio State Fair honored him with a class, “The Max Bryant Memorial,” which is the exhibitor’s best two head. A framed picture of Max with his Shropshire sheep is awarded yearly.
    Max Bryant is still talked about amongst sheep breeders at the county, state and national levels. We shouldn’t forget his wife, Leona, her pink icing sugar cookies are still missed to this day at the Ohio State Fair Shropshire hospitality booth. Max’s legacy, Bryant Shrops, still continues today with the fifth generation taking to the show ring.
    From October 2023 Shropshire Voice

Lowell Douce

Lowell R. Douce
Washington Court House, Ohio
Nominated posthumously by Louise Douce

    Lowell’s father, R.E Douce, started his flock of registered Shropshire sheep in 1926, one of the oldest flocks in the country. Lowell assisted with this flock from childhood until his service in World War II. After the war, Lowell served as the County Extension Agent in Highland County, Ohio where he supported young shepherds in 4-H. In 1956, he started the foundation flock of Douce Farms from his father’s flock. Lowell continued to support and advance the quality, genetic predictability, and economic value of the Shropshire breed throughout his life. Having earned a Master’s Degree in animal genetics from Iowa State University in 1954, he was especially concerned with the genetic purity and evolution of the breed. He was a true master at selecting sires and dams to improve the breed and eliminate weaknesses.
    Lowell was also a supporter of young breeders. As an extension agent, he established a program of loaning a ewe to a young person who then kept half of the lambs over several years. He supported many young people in 4-H with this program. All three of his children, Louise, Pat and Dick, bred and exhibited Shropshire sheep through 4-H and exhibited at the County and State Fair. In fact, Douce Farms exhibited at the Ohio State Fair from 1958 until after his death in 2004. The entire family moved into a room above the sheep barn for the duration of the fair.
Lowell also exhibited regularly at the International Livestock show in Chicago and the Louisville Livestock Exhibition from the mid 1960s until illness in the early 2000s. Douce Farms sheep were purchased for many flocks around the country.
    Lowell was often asked to judge the sheep show at county fairs and junior shows. He also served as a mentor to young breeders, including Randy Rife among others. Through 2019, awards were presented in his name at the Ohio State Fair: junior fair, best Shropshire head – ewe and ram – and the Breeders Flock in the open class.
    Lowell was very active in Shropshire sheep activities at the local, state and national level. After moving to Fayette County in 1962, he was active in the Fayette County Sheep Association. He served various offices in the Ohio Shropshire Association and served on the national board.
    Finally, his name is still known in the breed 15+ years after his death. When his nephew, Phil Douce, who has moved the R E Douce and Sons flock to Columbia Mo., was looking for a ram and referred by the University of Missouri to a Shropshire breeder, his first question was, “are you related to Lowell Douce?”
    From May 2023 Shropshire Voice

Glenn High

Glenn and Joan High, Lexington, Ohio
Nominated by David High

    Glenn and Joan High attended every possible Shropshire event no matter the amount of travel throughout the United States. You could count on Glenn & Joan to travel form the east coast to the west coast in order to participate in the national shows and sales and the events that were offered at those gatherings. Glenn served on the National ASRA board for several terms and was President in the mid 1980s. During his term as President he helped organize the celebration of the Association’s century year in 1984 and helped to produce the Shropshire History Book that year.
    Glenn exhibited Shropshire sheep at The Ohio State Fair for 52 consecutive years and was inducted into the OSF Hall of Fame in 2003. All of Glenn’s and Joan’s children have been involved in the sheep industry after attending college and started their own families and careers. For many years Pam (deceased) cooked and promoted lamb at the Ohio Sale. Roger has a small flock of Dorset Sheep and serves as director of OSIA. David has a small flock of Shropshires. Daughter Wanda’s children participated with lamb projects at the county fair level.

2024 Shropshire Hall of Fame

Farrell Shultz

Farrell Shultz
Bunker Hill Farm, DeGraff, Ohio
Nominated by Ohio Shropshire Breeder’s Association

   The Ohio Shropshire Breeders Association provide the sole nomination to this year’s induction that took place during the dinner at the Ohio Showcase Sale on May 10 in Greenville, Ohio. Farrell Shultz’s son, Bill Shultz, and his wife, Susan, were present at the dinner to receive the Shropshire Hall of Fame plaque presented by Committee Chair Ashley Fuss. We applaud Farrell and his family for his contribution to the Shropshire breed and the sheep industry.
    From the Shropshire history book, “The First Hundred Years,” Farrell Shultz of Bunker Hill Farm, DeGraff, Ohio, ultimately established a reputation as one of the premier all-around purebred men in America. From the late 40s until his dispersal sale in 1962 nobody seriously challenged his superiority as a breeder, showman or Shropshire promoter, but Farrell ‘paid his dues’; starting at the bottom as a rank 4-H boy, he tried for 10 years before getting his first county fair blue ribbon. He came into the national circuit against skilled, long-established flockmasters like McKerrow, Iroquois, Rotter, Brown and Moore at a time when Shrops were still the biggest, most competitive classes. Gradually he gained a ‘toe-hold’ and then his ‘foot in the door’ and ultimately domination. At many shows in the late 1950s if it wasn’t Shultz, it wasn’t winning. He began biennial production sales in 1952 that soon were setting record prices.
    Farrell was a pioneer, a believer, and a promoter for the judicious use of production records as one tool in the selection process toward functional breed improvement. His record system was a model for the times and he worked closely with Professor Ralph Grimshaw and the Ohio State Improvement Program. Performance scores were listed in his sale catalogues.
    From 1950 through 1956 one of his ewes “Tracy 792” (by an imported sire) established a Shropshire production record that has never been equaled – in seven years she raised two sets of quadruplets, three sets of triplets, a pair of twins and a single; 20 lambs for a lifetime 286%.
    He routinely exposed his ewe lamb replacements to rams and thus, he felt, identified his most prolific strains. The genetically superior but ‘milked-down’ yearlings were unattractive to prospective buyers who visited the farm, allowing him to replenish the ewe flock from his most productive bloodlines.
    If a ram lamb had satisfactory performance scores, was well grown-out, correct in his makeup and considered a purebred stud prospect, Farrell christened him with a ‘Flockmaster’ trademark. He maintained 100 brood ewes and bred them to five stud rams so he could offer variations of type and lineage to his customers.
    He was topping many shows with his ‘American Type’ by the time the first McKerrow imports became available but he immediately began experimenting with some of these bloodlines. Not wholly satisfied, he went to England in December, 1951, he hand-picked two rams that had a lasting influence on the breed. Imported ‘Sir Winston’ sired the first modern International champion ram with English breeding and his picture was used as the proto-type Shropshire for 20 years. ‘Tern Cambridge’ had been Champion at the British Royal and weighed 314 pounds on arrival out of quarantine. When mated to Farrell’s battery of ewes he proved to be pre-potent for his performance, uniformity’ and breed type, and his progeny brought then-record prices and influenced nearly every progressive Shropshire flock in the United States.
    At the 1957 Ohio State Fair the top three Shrops in every class, with two exceptions, were sired by ‘Flockmasters’ and his 1958 sale catalogue listed as reference sires nine International champions that had been used at Bunker Hill in the last 10 years. In 1962, at the pinnacle of his success, Farrell was forced by physical problems to disperse his flock and quit farming, He moved to town and became an insurance executive.
    For 30 years his often-humorous, always provocative articles in sheep publications have delighted readers. Respected and popular nationwide, his portrait hung in the Ohio State University Agricultural Hall of Fame in the early 1950s. He has always stressed, and lived by, his code of integrity.
    His reputation as a breeder and skill as a showman contributed more than anything else to the ultimate integration and acceptance of the (old) ‘new-type English strain’ modern American Shropshire.
    From October 2024 Shropshire Voice