A Boat Load of Legends

The 2013 edition of the Annual Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame induction banquet was called to order by founder Garry Mason. The fitting site of the event August 24 in Nashville, TN was the lavish General Jackson Riverboat moored on the Cumberland River. Out of the hall’s port windows lay the river, symbolic of everything fishing. On the starboard side were wooded areas that could have reminded attendees of everything hunting. Combined, the scenery was everything outdoors.

Mason had sent out the word eight new “Legends” were to be inducted into the only Outdoor Hall of Fame in existence. The 2013 gathering of outdoorsmen, manufacturers, pros and past Legend inductees showed-up for the 12th annual recognition of select individuals from all areas of the outdoor world. In addition to these recognitions and other special individual awards, a very special guest speaker had peaked the attendee’s interest. This year’s guest speaker and recipient of The Guardian Eagle Award was Mr. Will Jimeno. Mr. Jimeno was a Port Authority Police Officer who survived the 911 attacks and later received the Port Authority’s Medal of Honor. He also is an avid bow-hunter and inspirational speaker. Many recalled the major motion picture that was produced about his and his police sergeant’s ordeal buried under the rubble between the two collapsed towers.

Jimeno’s remarks however, did not dwell on the details of his actual experience. Jimeno’s mother told him upon their arrival in America they would learn English as their language and this (the American flag) is the flag they would fly. He served in the U.S. Navy and after his discharge he began his pursuit of a career as a police officer in New York City. That career took him six years to become a reality.

On 911 he and four more of his fellow officers entered one of the Twin Towers buildings after both buildings had been hit by the airliners and set ablaze. He and his Sergeant were buried under tons of steel, concrete and debris. Jimeno was pulled from the rubble 16 hours after he had been buried. His Sergeant was saved the next morning after spending 22 hours wondering if he would ever see the light of day again.

While the new American hero was in rehab for his injuries sustained in the tower collapse he received a call from Toxey Haas with Mossy Oak. This call began a relationship between Jimeno and Mossy Oak still active today. Jimeno says his mission now is to enlighten young people about the outdoors and share his love of the outdoors.
In addition to appreciating the outdoors, Will Jimeno also has great affection for America. “This is the greatest country in the world,” Jimeno stated. “Every American should fly this flag on the front of their house 24/7. I do.”

After Jimeno’s moving comments and a presentation to Jimeno with The Guardian Eagle Award Mason introduced the individual awards.

The American Outdoor Organization of the Year Award was presented to the National Rifle Association. Mossy Oak’s Fox Haas received the American Outdoor Sportsman of the Year Award. The Tennessee Outdoorsman of the Year went to Dale Kelley. Mike Stockdale picked-up the Davy Crockett Trailblazer Award.

The 2013 “Legends of the Outdoors” National Hall of Fame Inductees included a wide cross-section of the outdoor industry from business, media, fishing, hunting, wildlife painting and sculpting.

Dianna Clark – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
As a women competitor I had been fishing for years before I had discovered there was a special place for women bass anglers. It’s a place where I feel comfortable for the first time and have a sense of belonging. I wanted to share this with every young lady and woman I met. I wanted them to know the pleasures of the great outdoors, the sight of a beautiful sunrise on the water, of the wildlife I see, and the excitement of seeing the majestic bald eagles flying above your head. Fishing that just takes your breath away with great beauty. I just want to share everything I’ve learned and get more young ladies and women to fish. Competitive fishing is a good thing but we must remember how we got where we are, where we came from, and the special people in our lives that helped us get here.
Clark also feels that a professional angler should never turn their back on a child seeking an autograph. She has said that regardless of how tired a fisherman is or how bad of a day they may have had, always smile, kneel down to their level and give a child the attention they are looking for from you. She thinks how professionals respond to kids will encourage them or damage their desire to participate in the sport of fishing.

Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
“Cuz” has been in the hunting and outdoor industry for over 30 years. He worked in retail sporting goods and took over his dad’s outdoor column in the Natchez Democrat in 1978. Cuz sold his first full length outdoor magazine article to Mississippi Game and Fish publications in 1981 and shot and produced the first hunting video for Primos Game Calls “The Truth About Spring Turkey Hunting” in 1984.
After producing several more hunting video titles for Primos, Cuz joined the Mossy Oak team in 1987, first in sales then in marketing and public relations. Strickland worked with Toxey Haas to found Mossy Oak’s media/production department building a large series of retail video titles, and then launching the company’s first broadcast television offering with Mossy Oak’s “Hunting the County” on TNN in 1995. While at Mossy Oak he has overseen the production of over 40 DVD titles and nearly 1600 episodes of nationally broadcast television that has aired on TNN, ESPN, ESPN2, Outdoor Channel and Pursuit Network. Today as Senior Vice President, he oversees media efforts that have expanded to include both traditional and online video.

Don Wirth – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
Don Wirth of Nashville, TN is one of the most prolific and best-known writers on the freshwater fishing scene. His articles and photos appear regularly in Bassmaster, Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, North American Fisherman, Bass Times and other outdoor publications. He has authored several books on freshwater fishing and has won numerous awards for his writing and photography in his 43 years as an outdoor journalist.
Don was born in Bay City, MI and grew up in Chicago. He earned degrees in journalism from the University of Iowa and the University of Missouri. Wirth began his professional career as an advertising agency copywriter and video producer. He sold his first freelance article to Bassmaster Magazine in 1970 and has written for every issue of that publication since that date. Quite a record.
Don’s journalistic efforts have had a profound impact on the sport of bass fishing. He was among the first outdoor writers to spread the gospel of “Catch & Release” to bass anglers nationwide. His regular Bassmaster features, “A Day On The Lake,” “The Weekend Angler” and “Bass Fishing Basics,” are enjoyed by anglers everywhere. He also authored the popular “Harry ‘n Charlie” humor series, which delighted Bassmaster Magazine readers for over 40 years.

Ray Eye – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
Ray Eye is the most famous turkey hunter in the world. With more than forty-five years of turkey-hunting experience, he has a huge following across the United States. With his own website, turkey hunting blog (on OutdoorLife.com), his own television and radio shows, plus Chasing Spring DVD’s, Eye’s name is synonymous with turkey hunting.
Called “America’s Premier Turkey Hunter” by The Wall Street Journal, and named “Great Outdoor legend” by Outdoor Life Magazine, Eye has communicated his expertise on turkey hunting and the outdoors for more than three decades.
The Hillsboro, MO native is a Conservation Communicator of the Year and named the 2012 NWTF Communicator of the Year on February 11 at the 36th annual NWTF National Convention and Sport Show.
Eye has hosted national television shows, written for national outdoor publications, has his own outdoor radio show in St. Louis, MO and conducts seminars across the nation. Eye also writes “Chasing Spring,” a popular blog on OutdoorLife.com.
He has written three books, his latest titled “Ray Eye’s Turkey Hunter’s Bible: The Tips, Tactics and Secrets of a Professional Turkey Hunter.”

Dick Idol – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
Over the last several decades, Dick Idol’s uncharted career path took him down a road unparalleled in the outdoor world. Thirty years ago he was the co-founder of North American Whitetail Magazine, which is still the industry leader. He has regularly appeared in Cabela’s mail order catalog as an endorser and model. He has been a guest speaker at most outdoor shows in America. There are numerous lines of outdoor products on the market bearing his name including books, video, apparel and functional outdoor products to name a few. Idol has become an icon in the world of whitetail deer and there are few that follow the sport that do not relate to the name.
Dick spent many years amassing one of the most spectacular collections of famous whitetail deer antlers in the world, including the famous “Hole in the Horn” buck, both archery typical and non-typical world records, many state records and generally the largest and most well known whitetails killed in North America. Dick toured the United States with his collection often accompanying the National Rifle Association at many venues. The collection now resides at the Bass Pro Shop’s American National Fish and Wildlife Museum in Springfield, MO. Dick has also sculpted a 3x life-size whitetail deer bronze monument for the Cabela’s Owatonna, MN headquarters and a 4x life-size bronze whitetail deer bronze monument for Bass Pro Shop’s headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, as well as many other of the largest bronze monuments ever done in North America
Nearly twenty years ago, Dick parlayed his notoriety in the outdoor world into the Dick Idol Lifestyle Brand. During this period, he used his artistic and design skills, as well as his name recognition, to become an icon in the home furnishing industry. Today, the Dick Idol Lifestyle Brand is the number one and most widely recognized outdoor lifestyle brand in North America.

Charles Dunkin – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
Charles Dunkin began his career in the outdoor industry in 1956 as a Sporting Goods Buyer and Merchandise Manager for Moore-Handley in Birmingham. Four years later he joined Joe Lewis and Associates as a Manufacturer’s Representative covering several southern states. His influence and success in the agency grew in those early years and eventually resulted in the 1970 formation of Dunkin Lewis, Inc.
Currently, Charles actively oversees the operation of the agency as Chairman and CEO, employing 43 people and representing approximately 40 manufacturers across four distinct industry categories: Hunting, Fishing, Marine and Outdoor/Paddle Sports. His consistent leadership over the past 53 years has expanded the agency from the original Southeastern territory of 10 states to five additional territories and a total of 36 states across the U.S. Several of the manufacturers the agency represents have been business partners for over three decades, attesting to his ability to direct successful companies over the course of many changing channels of trade as well as consumer and economic markets. His expansive experience in new product development and successful sales programs, has provided the manufacturers the agency represents invaluable insight, all while continuing to focus on the importance of the relationships his team builds between vendor and customer.

Sam Heaton – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
I never would have believed I could make a living in the outdoors. A high light of my career was when I was inducted in the Fresh Water Hall of Fame in 1992. Now, The Legends of the Outdoors, I’m thrilled all over again. Being recognized by my piers is the biggest compliment I can have.
After graduating from high school, Mike Huie, who is still the best duck hunter I ever hunted with, and I had already established ourselves as commercial fishermen in the community. We ran gill nets and fish boxes in the winter and trout lines in the summer. Then I joined the Army and volunteered to fight for our country in Vietnam. I served with the 75th Ranger battalion as a team leader and senior field advisor. When I returned to Alabama I made up my mind to do something enjoyable for a living and for me that was hunting and fishing. I got involved with Johnson Outdoors, Inc. through Crappiethon then went to work for Spiderwire. All the while I was doing hunting and fishing seminars and in-store promotions for Dunkin Lewis. Charlie Dunkin and Duane Collins were instrumental in bring my name to the front of the outdoors industry. During this time Mr. Dunkin introduced me to Buck Simons who owned B&M poles. Now I have my own signature series of crappie pole including a 12, 10 and 9 foot poles, just like my grandmother had, but with a high tech spin. I still have a great relationship with B&M poles and Jack Wells. We are business partners and friends. It all started with a hand shake and that’s still the way it is.

Tom Morgan Crain – 2013 Legend of the Outdoors
Tom is a self taught artist and began his professional career full time in 1979. He immediately gained recognition with “Best of Show” in Oklahoma City. His entries at the National Wildlife Show in Kansas City in 1981, 1982, 1984, also won “Best of Show”. Tom’s success continued with winning the 1981 Missouri Duck Stamp, 1983 Delaware Trout Stamp, 1984 Indiana Trout Stamp, and 1986 Missouri Duck Stamp. In 2010 T. Morgan began to enter state competitions again and was awarded the 2011 Missouri Duck Stamp and 2012 Ohio Duck Stamp.
For many years Tom showed his work at Silver Dollar City, in Branson, Missouri, at the National Festival of Craftsman, winning awards in 1988, 1994 and 1996. In the fall of 2010, he was honored to return for Silver Dollar City’s 50th Anniversary for an “Artist Reunion”.
Tom has also been the illustrator for the Wild Turkey Federation, Missouri Show-Me Chapter and Ducks Unlimited Hunter’s Log. In 1992, he was chosen Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year for Missouri
Over the years, Cabela’s has commissioned Tom to paint numerous catalog covers which can be viewed and enjoyed on the Legend’s website.
In addition to all the awards and special guest, Garry Mason had one more feature up his sleeve for the audience, several performances by Nashville recording artist Kevin Weldon who performed a number of songs including “I’m Proud To Be An American”. Weldon has produced a number of hunting and fishing parody songs which are featured on Garry Mason’s Legends of the Outdoors website.

If you would like to rub shoulders with some real legends in the outdoor world plan to attend the 2014 event. You will no doubt meet someone famous there.