Stuka
Stuka Day 2024 is past. This page is a report of the day — there is no registration for it now, and the registration form and post-event survey from the original site have not been rebuilt.
“Stuka Day” May 18th, 2024 — Hosted by Afterglow Kennels at Wright-Patterson AFB
Thank you to the staff of The National Museum of the United States Air Force for allowing our group to get this after-hours group photo!
The Story of Stuka
Stuka was the “mascot” of the crew of the Famous WWII B-17 Bomber “Memphis Belle” and was purchased by Captain James Verinis, the Memphis Belle co-pilot, from a London pet shop. Capt. Verinis gave the name of “Stuka” to this frisky little Scottish Terrier girl puppy.
The Day
“Stuka Day” was a BIG success with 60+ people and 44 Scotties attending from Noon to 5:30 on May 18th, 2024 at The National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Some families came from over 500 miles away. More than half of the Scotties provided blood samples for the Scottish Terrier Club of America’s HTF DNA Bank. Volunteer vet techs Katy Meade, Lacey Johnson, and Krystan McLean drew the samples. Bagpiper Ryan Hartman played as attendees arrived, and a nine-foot-tall inflatable Scottie greeted them.
Brian Cocker — Opening Keynote
Brian Cocker, with his wife Janet, gave the opening keynote. He and their Scottie “Bentley” portrayed Stuka for the Memphis Belle restoration unveiling week in 2018, and they flew in the replica Memphis Belle built for the movie. The restoration team made a replica of Stuka’s “uniform” for Bentley; the museum owns it and lent it for Stuka Day — photos of their Scottie “Thistle” wearing it are in the gallery below.
Diane Kendig — Main Speaker
Diane Kendig, author and poet, winner of a National Endowment for the Humanities award, a Fulbright, and two Ohio Arts Council awards, was our main speaker. She came with her husband Paul Beauvais and their two Afterglow Scotties, Rennie and Rebus. Her father was a tail gunner on a B-17 in the 100th Bomb Group. She shared his stories, including crews being taken to Nazi concentration camps “so they could understand what they had been fighting for,” and that he sold photos taken from the rear of the plane to buy land and build their family home himself.
John Heffner of History and Relics LLC — Closing Keynote
John Heffner of History and Relics LLC gave the closing keynote, with details of the Memphis Belle’s War Bond Tour when she came to Ohio. His presentation is on YouTube: The Memphis Belle, Cleveland, Ohio, & The Romance That Ended On The War Bond Tour 1943.
Geiger — Scottie Health, Cancer, and Rescue
Geiger shared the Purdue Scottie Cancer study and the dangers of second-hand smoke, pesticides, and herbicides — here is a recipe for a natural herbicide. An attendee shared information about a canine-cancer urine-detection study at NC State College of Veterinary Medicine seeking Scottie participants: Dog Owners: You Can Help Advance NC State Research on Detecting Cancers.
Heidi from Bailing Out Benji spoke about puppy-mill awareness — puppy mills masquerading as rescues, and how to find a reputable breeder. Also covered: the OFA CHIC Program; Scottie rescue with Denyse Marshall and Cheryl Bates of Dayton Scottie Club Rescue; AKC activities for Scotties with Lee Ann Whaley and Tracy Krapf (STCA companion and performance sports); and Monty the Therapy Dog’s community work (Monty the Therapy Dog on Facebook).
The Verinis Family
The family of Capt. James Verinis provided unique family pictures from their collection for display — with thanks to the Verinis family for approving the republication of these photos here. Several people won copies of the now out-of-print children’s coloring book “Stuka! The Mascot of the Memphis Belle” by Capt. Verinis’ son, James Jr. Contact us for information to order a copy of your own. Thank you Verinis Family!
Cozy Coats for Pets
Louisa of Cozy Coats for Pets donated a kilt for one lucky Scottie, “Barney,” owned by Tim and Elizabeth Otte. Many Scotties modelled Louisa’s kilts, and all of her handouts were taken.
Donald L. Miller
Three lucky winners took home author-signed editions of Masters of The Air — the book by Donald L. Miller that is the basis for the Apple TV+ series of the same name.
Tom Gilliam Photography
Tom Gilliam, professional freelance photographer and Scottie lover, took many of the day’s pictures, including the group photo at the Memphis Belle exhibit. Photo credit: Tom Gilliam Photography.
Additional Resources
- Outtakes from William Wyler’s 1943 movie “The Memphis Belle” (YouTube): Memphis Belle (Outtakes) — Reel 1
- Apple TV+ series “Masters of the Air”: Masters of the Air on Apple TV+
- HBO/MAX “The Cold Blue”: The Cold Blue on HBO
- Where to purchase the book “Masters of the Air” by Donald Miller (Amazon): Masters of the Air on Amazon
- Smithsonian Channel short “How This War Bond Tour Raised U.S. Morale” (YouTube): How This War Bond Tour Raised U.S. Morale
- RECOMMENDED: “Memphis Belle: Her Final Mission” — hour-long documentary (YouTube): Memphis Belle: Her Final Mission
- RECOMMENDED: “The Truth About the Memphis Belle (No Hollywood)” (YouTube): The Truth About the Memphis Belle (No Hollywood)
- Scotties on the local Dayton news broadcast: Dayton 247 Now — Scottish Terriers
What Attendees Said
We had some wonderful feedback from the attendees:
“Loved, loved, loved the Bagpiper Ryan Hartman greeting us at the beginning. My Scottie, Fiona does not like bagpipes. She wanted to give Ryan a piece of her mind.”
“Socializing— a lot, parade, presentations (Smithsonian video about the Memphis Belle War Bond Tour was excellent—she also provided info about the B-17 movie), and touring areas of the museum was first rate. Display table with photos, book, etc was great.”
“Socializing, big scottie at entrance, group photo, parade, presentations, socializing after, touring the museum on Sunday”
“The presentations were Great and well presented! Group photo with the Memphis Belle! The Parade & the Bagpiper was all so Great! I could not decide! The whole Event was Great!”
“We enjoyed all the presentations given. The learning about cancer, bad and good breeders, and stages of puppies. I also enjoyed the history of the Memphis Belle. It was excellent.”
“Thank you so much for inviting our neighborhood pup ‘Ozzie’ to join in. It was wonderful to meet everyone and I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.”
“We were talking on the ride back home about how well organized the event was. Everything happened like clockwork. It was very evident to us a lot of thought and work went into the planning. We loved meeting all of our fellow Scottie owners.”
“Meeting other Scottie Family’s, our Scotties interacting with each other, all the info provided, learning about the Belle & meeting the Verinis family & receiving a copy of ‘Stuka’ the coloring book.”
“I loved having a Scottie themed day with other passionate Scottie owners. I walked away with valuable information regarding cancer risk with my rescue Archie, and how to be a better breeder for my puppies.”
“The presentations were very enjoyable. It was great to learn some WWII history that I didn’t know about or didn’t know many details. The variety of presentations was a mix of history and dog-oriented themes.”
“The Puppy Mill and Bad Breeder [presentations] were useful”
“Being around the Scotties. Everybody was smiling & was so nice. You could feel the love in the air. When I look back one day later in my life, this day will always be one that I will remember for how much fun I had. The Socialization with others was so beneficial in learning their life with their Scotties from how they acquired them to how they act to what they feed them… so much fun & relevant information that I can use with my puppy to ensure he will be my forever companion. The parade is something that was really enjoyable.”
“Presentation I thought were very interesting & informative. Well done by the presenters.”
“What a way to end a beautiful day & have it taken in front on the ‘Memphis Belle’ & for Lisa & Geiger to allow me to hold their precious puppy, not sure there could be a better ending.”
“As each winner picked up their prizes, you could see on their faces how happy they were. Not sure I remember the last time I won something or win something in the future will be hard to top my prize. So thankful to have received it.”
“Presentations were very good. Being a WWII history buff, this appealed to me. Enjoyed Bentleys portrayal especially the ride in the B-17. Watching so many movies depicting the B-17, I thought the presentation about her father made it so much more insightful & personal. They are the reason that I enjoy my freedom today.”
“I enjoyed the presentation of Bad v Good Breeder as it made us think as to where to get a Westie puppy later this year.”
“Can’t say enough about seeing the ‘Memphis Belle’ other than WOW! Overall, the presentations all added something to the event to make it more enjoyable if that was even possible. Every presentation seemed to fit perfectly with the days activities.”
“Everyone from the hosts to the owners were so gracious & nice. Saturday was a very good place to spend the day.”
“We were trying to think of the best way to sum up Stuka Day and what both of you did to bring it to life. The best word is ‘thoughtful’. Everything that we experienced – the bagpiper-led scottie parade, the presentations, the information that was shared and the group photo were all created for the sole benefit of the people, and the dogs, who were there. It was clear that you put careful thought, and execution, into everything. In the past week, we have put some of what we heard into action. We took Angus into his vet and requested a bladder scan. Angus has a healthy and smooth bladder. Also, the kids now get chopped fresh spinach mixed in with their food as well as treats of fresh and leafy carrots. Again, thank you so very much!!”
Thanks to all of our volunteers that made this day happen. We could not have done it without your help!
Some Videos From the Day
Videos are the copyright of the original owners. Mobile users: click here for the Stuka Day videos playlist on YouTube.
More videos from the day — Bagpiper Ryan Hartman, the “actor” portrayal of Stuka, the long and short versions of the Stuka Day parade, and more — are in the Stuka Day 2024 playlist on YouTube.
The Photo Gallery
Images are the copyright of the original owners. Photos by Tom Gilliam Photography and others, as credited above.
Event Documents (Archival)
2024 “Stuka” Day — Rules and Regulations for Participants (Pet Policy waiver): Afterglow Kennels LLC Pet Policy waiver 2024 (PDF). This was the waiver signed by participants at the event; it is kept here for reference now that the event is past.
