blueridge
Well-known member
I may have missed the link to Randy’s story, but here it is for those who would like to read it.
A Trip Down Memory Lane
- Thread starter Wildabeest
- Start date
blueridge
Well-known member
Agreed. Don’t know if B’s BBQ in Greenville is still around, but worth the trip if it is. Good memories.
Wildabeest
Well-known member
B's is still there. Just get there early because they usually run out and shut down by 12:30.
blueridge
Well-known member
I went to ECU in the late 90’s. Great memories at B’s, both the food and the friends. Glad you’ve been there.
Wildabeest
Well-known member
If you’re ever in the Raleigh/Cary area, I’d highly recommend Danny’s BBQ. We also have The Pit and Clyde Coopers there, but IMHO Danny’s is better. It’s not traditional eastern NC style (fine chopped with vinegar based sauce), but rather heavy smoke, course chopped shoulder with no sauce added. Various styles of sauce on the table.
7mm08mo
Well-known member
Thanks for sharing.
Howie
Well-known member
In 65 my first gun was an IverJohnson Champion. My grandfather's uncles gun from the 20s. 12 ga. and still my only shotgun. I carry it for grouse, never chased deer with it, but maybe in the future.
tarheel
Well-known member
Mine was a Champion in .410 but got it in '54.
tarheel
Well-known member
My Mom and son, as well as various nieces and nephews graduated from ECU.
Wildabeest
Well-known member
Mine is a Champion as well. Looking forward to shooting it! May have to add a little grouse hunting to my deer and elk hunts in MT this year.
Wildabeest
Well-known member
As an epilogue to this story, it seems that the proper way to end this thread is with a bit of a tribute to my dad. I hope this doesn’t come across as bragging on him, but he was always one to serve without ever seeking the limelight. I guess that’s why he was the Secretary of pretty much every organization he served - all the work, none of the glory.
Dad was always an avid hunter and outdoorsman, but it wasn’t until he harvested that whitetail in 1972 that these things became much more than a recreation for him. The broken left G-4 on on that deer left it just short of B&C books, but it did qualify for entry into the Buckeye Big Bucks Club - a localized B&C type organization in OH. Once in, his penchant to serve had him as an officer within a few years - where he served as club Secretary for more than 20 years. I remember as kids, we would all chip in to help with the mailings for the annual banquet. No computers back then, so my dad would hand address hundreds of envelopes, and my siblings and I would stuff, seal and stamp them. It was like an assembly line for weeks on end! He served as Secretary until the club became so large that computers were needed to manage it. Dad was not much for computers.
My dad also used his membership in BBB to become a certified scorer - first just for BBB, but later he was also certified to score for B&C and P&Y for all species. How thrilling that was to be a little kid with big dreams about a bigger world that I did not have access to, but yet see all of these “exotic” speicies coming through our house to be scored. Elk, bighorn sheep, bison and bear skulls might not seem “exotic” to folks on this forum, but they sure were to a young kid who’d never ventured more than 100 miles away from the Appalachia country of southeastern Ohio!
I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but when I look back now there is so much I learned from my dad - especially in the context of our joint passion for hunting and the outdoors. Yes, he taught me to hunt, but there were so many other things learned. Through hunting I developed a keen sense of situation awareness - something that has benefitted me greatly in the business world. I learned both independence and teamwork. And I learned a respect and duty towards wildlife and wild places. He taught me how to be responsible and take care of the things we had, which wasn’t much (guns were cleaned and put away after every use!). He also talked to me about the conflicts brought on by coal mining and how it was both good and bad. I learned that most issues are not as black and white as we want them to be - something that has stayed with me far beyond his life.
And he taught me the importance of service and giving back. Below are some things pulled out of boxes while I was unpacking things after I got home. I didn’t pack the boxes up, so I had no idea what all was in them. To sum it up, Dad was a man of service to the things he cared about.
In 2003, after a recently failed marriage and declining health, Dad took his own life. As I said in the opening of the this thread, “it’s complicated”. Randy did a far better job than I ever could of articulating the emotions of family “inconvenience”. From a very early age, I learned that the best way to deal with stuff was just to bury it somewhere so you don’t have to deal with it. I’ve since learned that may not be the most healthy way. It’s complicated.
Thanks for tagging along on this journey.
Dad was always an avid hunter and outdoorsman, but it wasn’t until he harvested that whitetail in 1972 that these things became much more than a recreation for him. The broken left G-4 on on that deer left it just short of B&C books, but it did qualify for entry into the Buckeye Big Bucks Club - a localized B&C type organization in OH. Once in, his penchant to serve had him as an officer within a few years - where he served as club Secretary for more than 20 years. I remember as kids, we would all chip in to help with the mailings for the annual banquet. No computers back then, so my dad would hand address hundreds of envelopes, and my siblings and I would stuff, seal and stamp them. It was like an assembly line for weeks on end! He served as Secretary until the club became so large that computers were needed to manage it. Dad was not much for computers.
My dad also used his membership in BBB to become a certified scorer - first just for BBB, but later he was also certified to score for B&C and P&Y for all species. How thrilling that was to be a little kid with big dreams about a bigger world that I did not have access to, but yet see all of these “exotic” speicies coming through our house to be scored. Elk, bighorn sheep, bison and bear skulls might not seem “exotic” to folks on this forum, but they sure were to a young kid who’d never ventured more than 100 miles away from the Appalachia country of southeastern Ohio!
I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but when I look back now there is so much I learned from my dad - especially in the context of our joint passion for hunting and the outdoors. Yes, he taught me to hunt, but there were so many other things learned. Through hunting I developed a keen sense of situation awareness - something that has benefitted me greatly in the business world. I learned both independence and teamwork. And I learned a respect and duty towards wildlife and wild places. He taught me how to be responsible and take care of the things we had, which wasn’t much (guns were cleaned and put away after every use!). He also talked to me about the conflicts brought on by coal mining and how it was both good and bad. I learned that most issues are not as black and white as we want them to be - something that has stayed with me far beyond his life.
And he taught me the importance of service and giving back. Below are some things pulled out of boxes while I was unpacking things after I got home. I didn’t pack the boxes up, so I had no idea what all was in them. To sum it up, Dad was a man of service to the things he cared about.
In 2003, after a recently failed marriage and declining health, Dad took his own life. As I said in the opening of the this thread, “it’s complicated”. Randy did a far better job than I ever could of articulating the emotions of family “inconvenience”. From a very early age, I learned that the best way to deal with stuff was just to bury it somewhere so you don’t have to deal with it. I’ve since learned that may not be the most healthy way. It’s complicated.
Thanks for tagging along on this journey.
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I missed this thread from the start back late September and just now had an opportunity to ride along.
Valued respect for your journey. Thanks for sharing.
ashersdad
Well-known member
What a touching tribute to your Dad and your youth. Glad you have the good memories and momentos. That always helps me through the difficult times. Thanks for sharing.
Very true words. Thank you for sharing.
RobertD
Well-known member
I'm really sorry to hear that about your dad. Sounds like a great guy. Following this thread with both curiosity & reverence
rtraverdavis
Well-known member
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- Oct 20, 2016
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This was a neat thread, Wildabeast. Thank you for sharing all of that. Relationships with fathers are indeed complicated, and I’m grateful I’m where I’m at with my dad now while he’s still around. There were some years that were not so good...
