The NRA Team Loses A Special Man

by
posted on May 1, 2014
gsagi2015_fs.jpg

The talented staff at NRA Headquarters in Fairfax, Va., went back to work this week short a person. On April 26 in Indianapolis, Ind., a 36-year-old member of the NRA team died after retiring to his room during the NRA Annual Meetings. He is survived by his wife and two young children.

The family needs privacy during this tough time, so I’m omitting his name. However, the professional and courteous manner in which he worked-like nearly all the staff in that building on Waples Mill-is the kind of story members should know.

He isn’t one of those familiar names to Second Amendment activists. In my estimation, being famous wasn’t on his radar screen. He was all about family and when on the job his focus was squarely on his work, always getting it done efficiently and without fanfare. Team players are hard to find, and fulfilling any mission is impossible without them.

Computers were his thing, and he was good. I don’t get along with software, hardware or bytes, so the first time we met he probably wondered if my vocabulary was limited to four-letter words. He responded by beaming that trademarked smile and 10 minutes later declared, “It’s fixed!” as he ran out the door toward another cursing editor. He always wore that smile, and it was contagious. Somehow, knowing he was going to wheel into your office in the next few minutes made staring at a blank screen OK, even if your magazine’s deadline was looming.

Software updates were when this young man had enough time to share photos of his family. He was so proud of his wife and children, and eager to hear about mine. The world’s a dimmer place without him around.

The NRA has an uncanny ability to attract the best and the brightest, talented people willing to mesh into an integral team doing amazing things. Take pride in the fact that the entire building is full of similar stories, decades of service, dedication and a positive attitude-although right now their endings are a lot happier.

Latest

Model 1841 Mississippi rifle closeup right-side view sidelock hammer brass trigger guard wood stock AMERICAN RIFLEMAN text bottom right
Model 1841 Mississippi rifle closeup right-side view sidelock hammer brass trigger guard wood stock AMERICAN RIFLEMAN text bottom right

I Have This Old Gun: Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle

Of all the U.S. military arms of the mid-19th century, one of the most interesting, effective and well-built was the Model 1841 rifle, often called simply the "Mississippi rifle."

New For 2025: Springfield Armory 2020 Heatseeker

A new Model 2020 rifle from Springfield Armory, the Heatseeker, will come wrapped in an aluminum Coyote Brown-colored chassis from Sharps Brothers featuring M-Lok modularity and more.

I Have This Old Gun: Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull-Dog

Many eagle-eyed NRA members viewing the 1993 Western “Tombstone” no doubt recognized the Forehand & Wadsworth British Bull-Dog so deftly welded by actress Joanna Pacula, portraying Big Nose Kate, during a contemptuous card game between Doc Holliday and Ed Bailey.

Medal Of Honor Marine Receives Henry Repeating Arms Tribute

Henry Repeating Arms presented a Spirit of the Corps 250th Anniversary Tribute Edition rifle to Maj. Gen. Livingston for going above and beyond the call of duty on May 2, 1968, during the Battle of Dai Do in Vietnam.

Preview: Duramag 1911 DS Magazines

Duramag’s 1911 DS Magazines are compatible with numerous 9 mm Luger-chambered 2011-style handguns on the market.

Colt Monitor: The FBI’s “Fighting Rifle”

In the years between the World Wars, a rare variation of the Browning Automatic Rifle proved its reputation as an effective, devastating automatic rifle for combat between the country’s lawmen and its outlaws.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.