Gadragonfly
Full Fledged Farker
Leon McLemore died today. He and his wife Joy have judged KCBS contests in the Southeast for many years. In fact at one time or another they have probably trained most of the judges in the SE. He certainly made me more aware of judging practices that either needed more attention or were not as important. He took judging very seriously and when the table was finished judging he would engage everyone in discussion of why they judged as they did and sometimes questioned their decisions. One of his pet peeves was seeing judges who failed to judge with their nose. He would tell them that the oath says "my eyes, my nose, my palate and my hands" and remind them that they needed to smell the product as well as eat it.
He was a true Southern Gentleman. He loved his wife, his children and his dog. He enjoyed playing golf and gardening as well as judging BBQ. He was active in his church and the local college football team. He raised a lot of money for the church and for football equipment for the college - all through charitable cooks. I know he and Joy would go out either before judging or after (or the Friday before) and say hello to the teams. He is going to be truly missed.
Please keep Joy and their children in your thoughts and prayers. At last year's Dillard contest Leon and I had a conversation about marriage and I believe he told me they had been married 60 years, but I could be off by 10 years or so. I just can't imagine the pain that Joy must be feeling right now. They were truly a team.
Rest in peace, Leon
He was a true Southern Gentleman. He loved his wife, his children and his dog. He enjoyed playing golf and gardening as well as judging BBQ. He was active in his church and the local college football team. He raised a lot of money for the church and for football equipment for the college - all through charitable cooks. I know he and Joy would go out either before judging or after (or the Friday before) and say hello to the teams. He is going to be truly missed.
Please keep Joy and their children in your thoughts and prayers. At last year's Dillard contest Leon and I had a conversation about marriage and I believe he told me they had been married 60 years, but I could be off by 10 years or so. I just can't imagine the pain that Joy must be feeling right now. They were truly a team.
Rest in peace, Leon
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