Sentence:  The founder of the Junior Showmanship Competition the late Leonard Brumby , Sr. ( for whom the trophy is named after at Westminster ) <WSD>was</WSD> an outstanding Handler and believed a Junior should have an opportunity to exhibit in a dog show starting with the Junior Showmanship Division . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)