Skeet and Trap article by Jeff Kuss

[Old and Reliable]

I am not a clays shooter, but I enjoyed the first class article by Jeff Kuss in the recent Parker Pages. I had read that Wm. H. Foster hunted with Parker 20and 28 bore doubles and developed "Shooting Around The Clock" to better his wiongshooting on grouse and woodcock. I didn't realize until I saw his foto that he was a "Southpaw" shooter-

I live in Michigan, in the 1950's we had Ned Lilley of Stanton as a Class A Trapshooter, and Ed Sedlecky of Baldwin as a Class A Skeet shooter. I believe Mrs. Sidney Small, as pictured on page 46, was from Saginaw, same city of Wm. Mershon and his recoil pads.

I have a large shooting patch, very similar to the MSP shaped shield-- All Gauge Lady Champion-- then in larger blue letters Michigan Skeet Championships 1960. It was inside a Red Head gun case I bought, along with a 3 pc. wooden rod with brass couplings and a 12 gauge Tomlinson bore cleaner.

Any U of M fans who also shoot skeet might appreciate this, as it has a white background, two shades of Blue, and the Upper and Lower Pens. of Michigan are in Gold. I assume all gauge meant that the Lady who won this competed in all the gauges used in skeet.

If anyone knows who that Lady Champion might have been (I graduated from HS that year) it might be interesting to know.

Again to Jeff, kudos for an extremely well put together article and the fotos.

[Bill Murphy]

OK, I'll try to find out who this person was. All Gauge, (could it have actually said All Bore?) is probably the 12 gauge championship for that shoot.

[Bill Murphy]

OK, the winner of the Women's All Gauge (excuse my confusion about terminology, All Bore was an earlier term) Championship at the Michigan State Skeet Championships held August 20-21, 1960 was D. Jeane Shields of Grand Rapids, who shot a 98X100, defeating Florence Schmidt of Royal Oak who broke 95 of 100 birds. She shot a 328X350, enough to exceed the All Around score of the B Class All Around winner. She must have been classed as an A Class All Around shooter. Oddly, her 98 in the All Gauge was only a bird below the scores of Howard Confer and Ken Sedlecky, both world class shooters. Ms. Shields' husband, Marion Shields, won the Small Bore Championship with 100X100. This class could be shot with a 28 gauge or a .410 bore gun with 3/4 ounce of shot as it is shot today.

[Old and Reliable]

1960- Thanks for the research Mr. Murphy. I am guessing she and her husband may have belonged to either the Kent County Conservation League Gun Club on Honey Creek Rd. near Ada- or possibly the Madison Square Club on old 7 Mile rd- both in Kent Co. and not too far from Grattan Twp-Parnell area-- I found the patch in the old gun case, have no idea how it got there, but if you care to do this, assuming your belong to the NSSA (and I don't) if there are any of the Shields family relatives still in MI. and they might like to have this patch that Jeanne was awarded, I will be glad to send it to them as a keepsake- if that avenue doesn't work, and the NSSA has a collection of older skeet memorabilia, I'll donate it to them.

Great article by Jeff, all those fotos from the 1930's- men wearing shirts and ties, ladies shooting in dresses and formal shoes- a real look into the past history of the shooting sports.

[Bill Murphy]

They shot at least until 1972. I'll check later years when I get my material together. You might look them up in Grand Rapids.

[Old and Reliable]

I was at the Kent County Conservation League Gun Club last Tuesday 8th. Sept. and that was indeed the home club of Mrs. Marion Shields- her husband Marion was a top-ranked skeet shooter, her name is Jeanine, there were many fotos of her in the clubhouse. She was on the 1959 State Ladies Skeet team as Captain-I left the information about her 1960 Champions patch with the club manager.

Since then I found the following award pin in a box of older licenses and backtags-The pin is about the size of a half-dollar coin, bronze I should guess, with the lettering in a red ring all caps- GREAT WESTERN CHAMPION- inside the red ring and the letters an Indian chief on horseback is depicted, holding a spear in his right hand and a long train of feathers from his headband extensing downward past his moccasins-the stamped markings on the back read as follows-

GREAT WESTERN N.S.S.A. REGIONAL SKEET CHAMPIONSHIPS 1956 Lincoln Park Gun Club CHICAGO, ILL. This pin in is in Mint condition, the hinged pin and locking clip are 100% intact. Any way of knowing who might have won this award in 1956?? Thanks-- F.M.

[Bill Murphy]

I don't have that information in my collection.