|
1910 -
2009
Class of 2005
Bowhunter, Competitor, Contributor to the Sport
While Dr. Grayson, "Bert" was still a young man, his
family moved from
Iowa to
Riverside,
California
where he was exposed to his lifelong love of the sport of
archery through his Boy Scout Master, Dr. Paul Simonds.
His archery interest began when he won a lemonwood bow from
his scout troop by selling the most tickets to the Art Young
bowhunters film, "Alaskan Adventures". Later his work with
the Boy Scouts included a donation of the Charles E. Grayson
Memorial Land Tract for archery and camping to the Tall Corn
Council near
Boone,
Iowa. His book,
"Traditional Archery From Six Continents: The Charles E.
Grayson Collection," was published in 2007.
Dr. Grayson,
A special friend
- by Diane
Miller
I
first met Dr. Grayson in 2006 in
Springfield,
Missouri, at
the Archery Hall of Fame’s 23th induction ceremony. It was
my first experience being involved as Executive Director for
the Hall; Bert was being inducted that year. He was so
humble and appreciative, and delighted to be able to join
those that came before him. He was accompanied by his
entourage and he appeared in a black tuxedo, very debonair
for a man of 95. One of the things I remember most during
his speech was when he spoke about his many hunting trips.
He then mentioned one of his last hunts, he said, " I saw
one of the biggest trophies I had ever seen. It was then
that I decided to pick up my camera instead of my bow." As
he told the story a tear came to his eye. It was then that I
knew "Bert" was going to become one of my favorite people.
Over the next couple of years we talked on the phone quite
often and I learned a lot about his past experiences in
medicine, life in general and archery
.
The last time I saw Dr. Grayson was in October of 2008. He
had some archery memorabilia he wanted the museum to have so
I flew out to
Portland to see what he had in mind. I
rented a car and drove over to his place in Clatskanie. He
said he wanted to show me the sights around
Oregon and he
did a great job being a tour guide.
As we drove down the coast he spoke about different stories
and experiences he had throughout his lifetime. Along the
way we stopped to visit a fish hatchery where he showed me
the large salmon that were raised in that part of the
country, Next stop was an ice cream and cheese factory, (he
insisted we have an ice cream cone), then we stopped by a
tuna factory. Here we purchased a case of white albacore
tuna, (he mentioned it was the best), and I have to admit he
was right. As we approached one of the many beaches along
the coast he suggested we drive down on the beach and look
for clams. He showed me how to stomp the sand so the clams
would come out of the ground. I was so amazed at his
youthfulness at the age of 98. I felt old trying to keep up.
He continued to amaze me. He then wanted to show me the
ranch & land he once owned, and we later stopped at a very
nice restaurant to eat while watching people walk up and
down the beach.
After a very full day we went to his house where he began to
show me his prized collection or archery artifacts and his
many files that he had accumulated over the years. He was
very proficient on the computer and we looked at some of the
many stories he had written. One thing he was very proud of
and wanted the Hall of Fame to have when it was completed
was the book of his life from a little boy to the present. I
was thrilled to think that for years to come people that
visit our museum will have the chance to share this also.
Driving back to the motel I realized what a special trip
this had been and how privileged I was to have been invited
to spend a couple of days with such an extraordinary man. In
the morning we went to his favorite restaurant for breakfast
and he introduced me to all this friends. Once again I was
in awe of how his presence affected those around him. As I
left to head off to the airport, he said he was so lucky to
have so many wonderful friends. He thanked me for taking the
time to come and visit. I am so glad I did, I was the
lucky one.
Click poem to enlarge
Notes of Interest
-
Graduated
Stanford
Medical
School
in 1936. During World War II he served briefly in the
military as a physician. After the war, he was an
instructor at
Stanford
Medical
School, later
going into private practice in
Sacramento,
Calif.
-
Archery historian and collector of
ancient and modern archery equipment and artifacts.
Donor of the extensive Grayson Collection to the
University of Missouri Museum of Anthropology
-
Flight shooting competitor - Won
many national competitions and held many National
Archery Association flight records
-
Bowyer - Developed the forward
handle used by flight shooters today - Developed the
"keyhole" sight window in flight bows of his design
-
Active in the American Boy Scout
movement throughout his life
-
Active in the National Archery
Association as flight shooter and fundraiser
-
Bowhunter
-
Over 70 years of service to the
sport
|