Good morning to you all! This finds me writing this in the early morning hours. On March 22nd, I was fighting a grass fire around 4:00pm, when Ann Quinn called me with the gut-punching news that our MPBA President, Kevin Beauchamp, had died. One of the first things that came to my mind was, “How are we going to do this?” But then the thought came that with God, all things are possible. Early the next morning, the phone started ringing with people sharing their condolences and offering their help if needed. Governor Kehoe’s office and quite a few senators and representatives also called. Til that evening, we had around 68 calls. A special thanks to the MPBA Board and Judy Slaughter, Mindy Patterson, Tony Duggar, and JP Dunn for stepping up and filling in where help was needed. That was greatly appreciated! Also, a special thanks to Kevin’s brother, Brian, and his wife, Terry, for their valuable help in supplying us with information and documents that we needed. You can keep them in your prayers, as within the last 18 months, they lost their Dad, Mom, and brother, which was very devastating to them. Kevin was the MPBA president for over 10 years and was a very active advocate in Jefferson City and in the pet industry. He will be greatly missed by many. We had a terrific MPBA Seminar this year with more vendors and lots of people. Thank you to everyone who helped us make it successful! As we begin to plan for this year’s events that MPBA will participate in, we will need lots of volunteers to work the booths. Feel free to contact us to volunteer. We had lots of positive feedback over Kevin’s death and the MPBA Seminar, but also a few negative comments. We would appreciate if the negativity would STOP!! If you have a problem, please bring me the solution. Feel free to call. For every cloud in life, God gives a rainbow. Rodney Blosser, MPBA President the Prez Sez
It is only April, and already this year has held some wonderful highs and some deep lows. The greatest loss we have experienced this year is that
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of our president, Kevin Beauchamp, who passed away on March 22, 2026. He was a tremendous leader in our community and within the pet industry, and his loss will be felt far and wide. He was our friend as well as a mentor to many and will be very sadly missed. He was dedicated to the MPBA and all it stood for and worked diligently to support the pet industry and expand the outreach of MPBA, attending many events, helping everyone he could, and encouraging kids in agricultural pursuits. Kevin worked tirelessly each year to organize and coordinate the MPBA Education Conference, and I know I am speaking on his behalf, as well as for myself, to thank all of the MPBA members and our vendors who came and worked and participated to make our 2026 MPBA Educational Conference another great success this year. Our cover features our FFA Speaking Contest Winner, Jordan Tucker, receiving her award. The first place award was sponsored by AKC and presented by Stacy Mason, AKC Senior Field Representative. Jordan delivered an amazing, well-written speech. We were proud to assist her in beginning her journey into the pet industry! Hannah Gordon, MPBA Publicity Director
Missouri Pet Breeders Association | Page 2
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