Photo of Joe in New York City taken by AJ Arapovic, CEO/Publisher, The AraMedia Group.
REST IN PEACE, JOSEPH NEIL MCGINNIS III MARCH 25, 1953 - FEBRUARY 25, 2020
E very ship must have a captain. We are so grateful you were ours. We are heartbroken to report the passing of our beloved Ex- ecutive Editor Emeritus, Joseph Neil McGinnis lll. For decades, Joe stood at the helm of Top Notch Toys —steering our ship and setting our course. Joe start- ing publishing dog show magazines with his partner, the late Duane Doll, after years of successfully breeding and showing their beloved Pekingese. Their goal was simple—to celebrate the beauty of purebred dogs, educate on the individual breeds, and shine a spotlight on the hard fought victories in the dog show fancy. As accomplished Pekingese breeders in their own right, giving the delightful breeds in the Toy Group a platform to shine, made Top Notch Toys an excep- tionally important endeavor for them. Top Notch Toys , along with the Pe- kingese Magazine The Orient Express , helped pave the way for many exciting
publications, including ShowSight , our award winning all-breed magazine. The AraMedia Publishing Group is a passionate company, but at our heart we are a family of people who have worked together for years. We love one another a great deal, and we are all at a loss for words today, as we say goodbye to our mentor, captain, and dear friend. Never one to be idle, Joe had become an AKC Judge for his beloved Pe- kingese Breed, and was also an ac- complished writer, philanthropist, music producer, songwriter, singer, Tony Award Winning Broadway producer and devoted family mem- ber. With Duane he also was a Blue Ribbon winning breeder of milking shorthorn cattle. The body of work Joe leaves behind is nothing short of extraordinary. We feel that the best way to honor his stag- gering legacy is to keep moving for- ward his mission of championing the dog show world he loved.
Joe is survived by: his brother Charles McGinnis (Patty); sisters Elizabeth Strodman (Tom), Mary McGinnis, and Barbara ‘Totsy’ Moake (Rick); partner Zell von Pohlman. multiple nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand nephews. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph, Sr., and Harriet Mae (Birmingham) McGin- nis, and husband, Duane Doll. Our hearts go out to all of them at this difficult time—and to Joe’s vast ex- tended family of friends throughout the dog show world, entertainment in- dustry and beyond. We knowmany of you reading this will want to help us pay tribute to Joe and his astounding legacy. Next month, our April Issue will be a celebration of his life. We invite all of you to take part. Please contact Editor & Adver- tising Director Bonnie Guggenheim for details at (512) 971-3280. Sincerely, The AraMedia Publishing Group Family
T op N otch T oys , M arch 2020 • 15
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