Liz Isham Cory started collecting in 1962, when she spotted a palomino Family Arab Mare during a family shopping trip downtown, and her brother bought it for her. Little did anyone know that the purchase would start a lifelong path to collecting, showing and friendships. In the late 1960’s, Liz found the small, but growing community of model horse collectors, and she quickly bonded with the late Marney Walerius, which led to participation in Marney’s back yard model horse shows. In the mid-1970’s, Marney was ready to take her shows (the Model Horse Congress) to a larger venue, and Liz was part of the planning committees to put Congress in a suburban Chicago hotel. At the same time, Liz also headed a model horse club (Illini Model Horse Club), and provided photography services to photo showers. In 1976, Liz was hired by the Breyer Molding Company to be Editor of Just About Horses, the Breyer collector magazine. She also showed her live horse, Tammy, in local 4-H shows, specializing in timed trail and barrel racing events.After a hobby hiatus in the mid-1980s for marriage and the early days of her broadcasting and journalism career, Liz returned to the hobby in 1992, making promotional videos for Breyer and BreyerFest. Since then, she has come full-circle, joining the Board of the Great Lakes Congress model horse club, which has its roots in Marney’s Model Horse Congress. Today, Liz is the Registered Agent and Treasurer of the 501c3 registered charity, which holds six shows in suburban Chicago each year. The organization seeks to teach people of all ages about horses and horsemanship, using model horses. Great Lakes Congress (www.greatlakescongress.com) welcomes participants of all ages, replicating the family fun atmosphere of those early model horse shows in the 1960s. GLC’s shows have been nominated for NAMHSA “Show of the Year” awards.Liz continues her association with Breyer by teaching workshops on showing and photography at BreyerFest each year. The Breyer special run on the Proud Arabian Stallion, called“Isham” (pronounced EYE-shum) is named after an ancestor in her family who was a friend of Buffalo Bill’s. The Peter Stone special run on the Ideal Stock Horse, known as “Caroline’s Summer Star,” was named for her mother, Caroline Isham, who died just as the run was being produced. Sandy Cord, a very good friend and college classmate, changed the name of the run to honor Liz’s mother, who was a strong supporter of the model horse community.Liz’s two brothers, who started her on this crazy hobby, now have models of their own, with “Isham” and “Caroline’s Summer Star” gracing their homes. Who knew that a summertime shopping trip would lead to so many memories?
