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With sadness I start this column with the announcement that
Don Ware passed away January 22nd. The RSA and the entire
gun collecting fraternity have lost a good friend and dedicated
and knowledgeable collector. Don
exemplified the old descriptive phrase
“a gentlemen and a scholar”. He was
a careful and meticulous researcher and
easily the most knowledgeable person
regarding Remington large frame
revolvers who ever studied them. His
expertise is unlikely to ever be rivaled.
His extensive knowledge of
Remington’s handguns and their
manufacturing processes was not
limited to the large frame revolvers,
however as he could speak with
authority on all E. Remington & Son’s
firearms as well as many later products.
I would say that Don forgot more than
most others will ever know, and he did
not forget much.
The best thing about Don Ware was his unwavering
willingness to share what he knew with anyone and everyone
who asked his assistance. I learned a tremendous amount from
Don and he was my mentor when I began collecting Remington
guns. I was far from alone in that. He
was known by, and his expertise
recognized and respected by, most
every collector and dealer with any
interest in Remington firearms. He did
not limit his assistance to RSA members,
but was open and honest to all. A
year ago, knowing that he could not win
his fight with cancer, Don donated his
extensive research and reference
material to the RSA Archives so that it
would be available to others in the
future. We are all fortunate that he was
able to get as much of his knowledge as
he did in his recently published book
“Remington Army and Navy Revolvers
1861 – 1888”. If you do not have a
copy, I highly recommend getting one.
See the review of Don’s book in this
issue.
Those of us who bought guns from Don know that he
was always completely ethical and fair. He would carefully
explain everything he knew about a piece and identified all of
its faults as well as positive points. He never pressured anyone
to make a purchase, but by his personal approach was an
excellent and effective salesman. He was no dummy and asked
a fair price for his pieces, but one which was fair to both buyer
and seller. I am proud to be able to
include “from the Don Ware collection”
to the provenance of the guns I
bought from him.
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I will miss Don a lot and gun shows
will forever be missing something with
his not being there. The Remington
collecting fraternity has lost a great
one. Rest in peace my friend.
On a different note, the 2010 RSA
Annual Membership Meeting was held
during the antique gun show in Las
Vegas on January 16th. Once again, as
he has for many years, Wally Beinfeld,
the show’s promoter, provided the
meeting room for RSA as well as a room
for the RSA Board of Directors Meeting
the night before. Election results were announced with David
Fagan and Bob Pryor being reelected to another 3 year term as
Directors. Robert Kneppler, our Treasurer, provided a positive
financial report and informed us that RSA’s membership
increased 10% during 2009. Roy
Marcot gave attendees a preview of a
great 2010 RSA seminar being planned
for September in Tucson, Arizona, and
everyone enjoyed the fund raising
raffle and silent auctions. We have a
general membership meeting at this gun
show each year. If you have not
attended one before, I recommend it.
Details of the 2010 RSA seminar to
be held in Tucson from September 22nd
throught the 25th are included elsewhere
in this Journal. It is shaping up
to be another excellent get-together. If
you have attended a seminar before,
you know how much fun they are. If
not, you should attend this one, and
you won’t be disappointed. Register
now. Let me know that you are planning
to come, so that we can make
plans for meals and transportation headcounts.
Best regards,
Rich Shepler
RSA President
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