 Charles Heitzman of Louisville, KY received his first pigeons when only 10. His first club flying was done in 1912 and he was 2nd in the race. A prominent businessman in the bakery industry in Louisville, Heitzman was able to start importing pigeons very early in his career. In 1919, Heitzman imported a pair of birds from Mr. J. W. Toft of Liverpool, England for $150, a rather sizable sum at that time. Heitzman continued to import pigeons. In 1922, he imported a several Logans with which he also had great success.
Most Americans know Heitzman for his Sions and Stassarts.
He imported the Sions in 1931 and he began with 17 birds
bred by Paul Sion himself. In 1934, he brought in his first
Stassarts, and by 1945 had 11 birds bred by Mons. G. Stassart,
including several of his champions. Heitzman's birds were
successful for others as well, and he was one of the first
fanciers to publish strain books. His books The Heitzman
Sions and The Stassart Strain, besides his Youngbird Methods
and Lofts for Racing Pigeons were classics in the sport.
Heitzman was especially proud of his library collection. He built a separate library and trophy room which was 30 feet long and 14 feet wide and was touted to have one of the most complete racing pigeon literature collections in America. The Heitzman library was offered to the University of Louisville but that library was only interested in the bound works. The remainder of the collection was donated to the AHPI in 1988.
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