Helen Gamon's Legacy
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HelenHelen Gamon'sGamon's LegacyLegacy Remembering Helen in Chartreux History By Orca Starbuck In the summer of 1970, Helen and enormous gold eyes that looked into our John Gamon made a trip to Europe to hearts and said, ‘Love me. I love you.’” visit old friends. While in France, Helen John then asked if there was a male mentioned to John her interest in the available. Louis Bastide went inside the Chartreux breed. She had read about cattery, and came out with a ten day old the Chartreux in Fernand Mery’s book, male with eyes just about to open. The The Life, History and Magic of the Cat, Gamons arranged a price, and since the which she had given to John as a Christ- male was too young to leave his mother, mas present in December 1969. arranged for both kittens to be shipped At that time, there were only a hand- ful of breeders of Chartreux in all of to California when the male was old France, and Helen and John began their enough. Although Tornade has no de- search unaware of just how rare the scendants today, the little male, Taquin Chartreux breed was at the time. They de St Pierre, was to become the father of searched for three weeks without suc- the breed in North America and would cess. When they had almost given up exert a tremendous influence on our their search, John was browsing at a breed and bloodlines. newsstand and happened to find a small Helen Gamon with Taquin. After returning to the US, Helen was advertisement for Chartreux kittens in very surprised to learn that there were The following afternoon, they drove the back of a magazine. They immedi- no Chartreux registered at that time in ately called the breeder to find out if she to the Bastides’ farm in Ambert, a village the US or Canada. Breeding and show- had a kitten available, and were thrilled in central France. Helen wrote later, ing Chartreux was going to be a bigger at her reply: “Yes, one female, aged four “Tornade de St Pierre, at four months of project than she had expected! Helen months”! Through great luck, the Ga- age, was the most beautiful kitten we wrote to the Bastides and to her friend mons had found Suzanne and Louis Bas- had ever seen, and at first sight we fell tide, owners of the best Chartreux in in love with the Chartreux. She was a Robert Faivret for help finding other France of 1967, Michou de Fernine. handful of silver bluegray lush fur with kittens in France and Belgium. Gamonal Oliver, born 1978. Bred by Helen & John Gamon. Tornade de St Pierre (left), Taquin de St Pierre (right) First Chartreux cats imported to North America, 1970. The Chartreux 313 Helen arranged to buy a second Helen began to look for a suitable male male, Tristan de Chantelauze, from a for Gen’s breeding program. highly regarded breeder in France, and When Madame Ravel finally wrote a second female, Thilda de St Marcoult, back with information about the stan- sired by the best Chartreux in Belgium dard in 1971, Helen was shocked by that year. her reply. FIFE no longer had a sep- Helen also set to work on getting arate breed standard for the Chartreux, the breed officially recognized in the Madame Ravel informed Helen, be- US and Canada, and began to exhibit cause judges and officials from FIFE her Chartreux at shows beginning in and GCCF had met three years before October 1970. She needed an official and agreed to combine the Chartreux Chartreux standard for the judges to and British Blue. Both were now to be use in the new breed classes, so she registered with the same code and wrote to Madame Marguerite Ravel, judged under the standard of the Brit- Thilda de St Marcoult as a kitten, with Helen and John’s Secretary General of the Paris Cat Club ish Shorthair. daughter, Jon-Marie Gamon. and President of FIFE. It took several Now it became clear to Helen why months to receive a reply. she was having so much difficulty find- In the meantime, Helen used a ing breeders who had authentic Char- breed description that had been pub- treux bloodlines. Many of the breeders lished in a 1967 French article. The that she contacted had lines that were judges were favorably impressed with close to 50% or greater British Short- Helen’s cats, noting how they were hair by pedigree, even though the cats both attractive and quite distinct from were registered as Chartreux. Some of the British Shorthair. the breeders were also using Persian The first litter of Chartreux was or Russian Blue as outcrosses. Helen born in 1971 to Taquin and Thilda. had been extremely fortunate in stum- Helen actively encouraged interest bling on the Bastides in the summer of Vandale de St Pierre as a young adult, “praying.” from potential new breeders and ex- 1970, as these were some of the most hibitors in the United States and Ca- authentic and pure Chartreux to be nada. The first breeder to buy one of found in France. Helen’s kittens was Gen Scudder There were still some breeders in (Arista cattery), who took a female France and Belgium who felt that the kitten from Helen’s first litter, and Chartreux should be maintained as a Gamonal kittens born in 1975. Thilda de St Marcoult with litter of 6 kittens sired by Taquin, 1971. Taquin de St Pierre, pictured at 2 ½ years old. Vandale de St Pierre, born 1972 First Chartreux litter born in the US. 314 The Cat Fanciers’ Association 2021 Yearbook distinct breed without indiscriminate thrived in the harsh climate on the island, crossbreeding, and did not want to accept the sisters began to breed these cats. The FIFE’s ruling. In fact, at the very same time first results of their breeding program did that Helen was introducing the Chartreux well at some of the early French shows in to North America, Jean Simonnet (Vaumi- the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1935, chon cattery) and a few other breeders Suzanne Léger published an article in the were forming a group to save the breed in French magazine La Vie à la Campagne, France. Helen learned about their efforts describing how she and her sister had re- because she was a member of the Paris Cat stored this historic, native French breed. Club, and received their newsletter, La Vie Her article included many photographs, as Feline. well as a detailed breed standard, describ- Simonnet had published a passionate ing the Chartreux as both powerful and elegant in type. letter to Madame Ravel in a 1971 issue of IC Jimmbo, born 1960. La Vie Feline, arguing that the Chartreux Another group of breeders, members Sire of Michou de Fernine. had been a distinct breed for centuries, of Madame Ravel’s own Paris Cat Club, and giving detailed references back to the started breeding Chartreux in the mid eighteenth century. In this letter, Simon- 1930s. Although they may have been in- net also summarized the known history of spired by the success of the Léger sisters, selective breeding, mentioning the Léger these breeders had a different vision for sisters of Belle Île. the breed. For the first generation, they The modern history of the Chartreux used a Persian crossed to a native blue cat, began in the mid 1920s, when two sisters, in order to give their line of Chartreux Suzanne and Christine Léger (Guerveur more impressive eye color, body mass, and cattery) moved to Belle Île, an island off heavy coat. They wrote their own breed the coast of France. They had just gradu- standard, emphasizing the more massive ated first and second in their class from body type of the cats from these hybrid the National School of Horticulture at Ver- lines, and this was the standard that pre- IC Michou de Fernine, born 1963. sailles, and planned to make their living in vailed when FIFE was formed in 1949. Sire of Taquin, Thilda, and Vandale. farming and raising animals. Upon their Over the years, the Paris Cat Club arrival, the sisters were fascinated to find breeders gradually bred out much of the a large colony of blue cats living near the Persian influence. In later generations, hospital of Le Palais, the main town on the they used additional foundation Chartreux island. Having studied the history of the from the countryside, while still making natural sciences, they immediately recog- occasional outcrosses to other breeds, in- nized these blue cats as the Chartreux cluding the Persian. In 1960, a very im- mentioned in the 18th century works of portant cat, Jimmbo, was born from a Buffon. female from the Cat Club lines bred to a Impressed by the beauty, fine tempera- male out of two foundation Chartreux; ment, and robust health of these cats that Jimmbo was to become an International Taquin de St Pierre as a young adult, about 1 year old. Chartreux bred by the Léger sisters on Belle Île in the early 1930s. These cats show the breed type of the original Chartreux native to France, before a Persian outcross was used in 1936. From La Vie a la Campagne (French magazine), 1935. The Chartreux 315 Champion, and was regarded as the In 1973, Simonnet helped Gen Scud- ideal Chartreux of his era. His son, Mi- der to import a kitten directly from Belle chou de Fernine, was owned by the Bas- Île, Ixion de Guerveur, to be a stud male tides, and was the sire of Helen’s first for Gen’s breeding program.