In late 1994 Harold visited Fred Smeltzer looking for a granddaughter of "969". They were about the best for his area he had seen. What he found  and liked was a beautiful, small, super conformation blue hen banded IF 94 GSS 353 BB. This hen was out of a son of "969" named "Boy Scout", which Fred said was a fine producer for him. The dam of 353, 90 GSS 1695, was a daughter of "Assured Gold" when mated to a daughter of "Continental Class". Very well bred to say the least, "Assured Gold" was said to be the best son of "Champion 969", and he was mated to one of the best daughters of "Continental Class", called CH4. Harold had no idea exactly what he would mate this hen to, but he did have in mind to one day breed her to AU 93 SMD 387, a cock he had seen and was interested in purchasing. This should prove to be an exceptional pair with the conformation he demanded, and the blood to produce winners.

    IN 1995 Harold finally came across the really nice breeder he had seen, banded AU 93 SMD 387 BB. His sire was a son of "Champion 969" and his dam was a daughter of "969", both bred by his friend, Mike Ganus, who lived very close by. This cock had already produced several good racers for other lofts, but was for sale, and Harold wanted him. Tom Hummer was the present owner, and was willing to let Harold have him as long as he was able to get a few young himself, because he knew the quality of Harold's loft. Harold bred several birds by pulling eggs early, and it paid off in dividends, this cock was a producer! Harold had purchased the cock he needed, 387 had the conformaion Harold insisted on and was young enough to breed for many years.

    As it happened, in 1995 Harold did put these 2 birds together, just for one round. A super cock bird was hatched in that round and Harold put him on  his young bird race team, to fill it up early, and just to see what he could do. The results are still talked about today! That young cock bird won his first race in not only the club, but beat the whole combine! The next week Harold entered him again just hoping the bird didn't burn himself out the first week. Not a chance, this young cock went on to win the next 3 races in a row, and also took the combine every time. What a young bird racer! The best Harold had ever flown, beating 900 to 1,200 other young birds each race. Unfortuanately the following race was a smash and he lost the formidable racer, as somtimes happens with a really hot speed bird.

    A fluke many might say, but Harold was confident in his "dream mating," and put them back together the next season. All the cock birds were sold right out of the nest, but Harold kept 3 daughters to test this mating one more time. The 3 daughters were sent to the races, and all three were combine winners! All 3 were sold to some very excited fanciers who wanted to breed with these super race hens. Over the next 7 years Harold has never raced another direct youngster out of the mating. He has 6 direct children in his stock loft, and I have 4, and many were sold to fanciers all over the country, so many Harold has lost count. No one has ever complained about these children of the couple Harold has since named "Pair One", and many, many reports have come back how they were super breeders. We have noticed the hens are somewhat more consistent breeders of good racers than the cock birds. Harold has one daughter, "1775," that has produced as many as 6 combine winners in one season.

    Ron Diescher bought one of the 3 hens that Harold flew in 1996. This hen proved to be a super breeder for him. Ron won race after race with 3 children of that hen in the first season he had her. Ron won average speed and Champion loft, but said he could have won all that with just these 3 birds! They were named 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Ace of his club and combine.
The door has since been closed; Harold will not sell anymnore children directly from his fabulous "Pair One"". Harold says, "they are the best of the "969" breeders in the country," and he is saddened to say they will not be around any longer, age is finally catching up with them, and the hen has stopped laying. All their children are powder blue colored, and they all have a very distinguishing mark, a one-feather tail. The "Pair One" children have done very will in the show ring also, showing the super conformation of their now famous parents. I have shown one cock that was named Champion Young Cock, and Champion Young Cock in the Eyesign division, in the same show, Houston Jan. 2001.

    Many grandchildren of Pair One have been dominate in many combines across the US. B. Habitz of New Iberia, Louisiana had never won a combine. He purchased a grandson of Pair One in our club auction that Harold had donated to. Since then, Mr.Habitz has won several combine races, and ALL, yes, I mean ALL of them were from that same grandson of Pair One!
The Pair One hen, 353, is now in Louisiana as since she has stopped laying eggs, and we thought the mild winters and early spring might just get her to lay one more time. The hen is in wonderful condition, but Mother Nature just stepped in and stopper her from laying. The full record of her children and grandchildren may never be known, as pigeon fanciers have a bad habit of not keeping up with all the contacts who happen to have owned and bred from them. We're not too worried about that, we know they have the goods, and their children and grandchildren will produce top birds for us for many more years

The Pair One cock, 387 is still in Michigan at Harolds loft, and is still filling eggs. We know the youngsters will never match up to all his previous children with 353, but there should be a few good ones to hang on to.