Only one nominated candidate is selected annually from those candidates submitted by their peers and presented to the Bronze Koi Award Committee.  As the popularity of the koi hobby matures and with more clubs forming in the northwest, the task of the committee having to select only one recipient becomes more difficult. However tough the task, the committee has endured another year and presented us with the twentieth Bronze Koi Award winner. The Bronze Koi Award was presented to Jerry Tyler. That’s Sir Jerry Tyler!  Congratulations Jerry from all of your fellow koi keepers and hobbyist out here in the Northwest Territory! 

Here is a brief introduction to Jerry Tyler.  Jerry and his very supportive wife, JoAnn (Jo) have been koi hobbyists for more than ten years and presently consider the Puget Sound Koi Club as their primary club even though they are currently members of other Northwest clubs.  Jerry’s involvement and love of the koi hobby is evident with the responsibilities that he has undertaken over the years.  Last year he chaired the PNKCA Convention held in Victoria, B.C., “Koi without Borders” and at the same time was the President of the Puget Sound Club and also the PNKCA Vice Chairman.  In reviewing Jerry’s accomplishments, he has served the Puget Sound Koi Club as their past president for 2 years, has been Koi Show Chairman 2 years, was Koi Show Co-Chairman 1 year, and has served as PNKCA Representative for the club 4 years.  Jerry is presently serving his second year of a two-year term as Chairman of PNKCA and prior to this also served a two-year term as Vice Chairman.

In addition to these positions of responsibilities, Jerry has been awarded the coveted PNKCA “Ed Fujimoto Award” two times and also presented the “Koi Person of the Year Award” of the Associated Koi Clubs of America twice. Approximately two years ago when the first Associated Koi Clubs of America sponsored the Koi Health Advisors (KHA) program and were awarded their certificates and pins;  Jerry was among the Northwest graduates. Jerry has assisted many koi club members and non-members in the Puget Sound area with koi health and pond related problems as a KHA.  During last year’s PNKCA Convention at Victoria, BC, Jerry was knighted by her majesty and bestowed the honorable title of Sir Jerry Tyler.

Jerry and Jo have had the same pond many years. The pond just keeps getting better and better and as Jerry said “it’s never going to be done.”  Jerry and Jo’s faces are familiar to many koi and pond club members throughout the Northwest as they show their koi at the different koi shows. Their koi skills have been acknowledged with awards of Reserve Champion, Mature Champion, Baby Champion and the most recent award Best Baby, presented at the Oregon Koi & Water Garden Society Koi Show on June 19^th.  Jerry also has become an avid koi show and convention pin collector and recently became a member of the International Koi Pin Club.  I am sure if I had the time to dig around through club newsletters and other sources, I probably could write a short novel on this Bronze Koi Award recipient.