2006 Writer of the Year
Ron Spomer is awarded the Jack Slack Writer of the Year Award
During a special presentation at the SHOT Show on February 9th, Leupold had a nice luncheon and, among other things, they announced the Jack Slack Writer of the Year Award. The award went to Ron Spomer. I had the pleasure of attending this special presentation and congratulate Ron personally for this great accomplishment. Ron teams up with Scott Grange in our very own Hunting Illustrated in our Dueling Duo Column. Congratulations Ron!
Here is the official press release from Leupold:
Beaverton, Ore. - Leupold has named Ron Spomer as the recipient of its 2006 Jack Slack Writer of the Year Award. Spomer received the award February 9 at the annual Leupold Writers Luncheon in conjunction with the 2006 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Ron Spomer’s skills in capturing just the right words and photographic images have earned him an audience that includes a wide range of hunters, naturalists and just about anyone who enjoys good reading,” said Mike Slake, Leupold’s marketing communications manager. “His love and respect for the outdoors…for hunting…and for conservation shines through in a body of work which includes six books as well as articles in more than 100 magazines. He is well qualified to join the list of distinguished writers who have received the Jack Slack Award.”
Spomer’s early focus on an outdoor writing career stems from a boyhood spent hunting, fishing and trapping in South Dakota. To that end he attended the University of South Dakota, where he received a degree in English, plus a teaching certificate which he says, “was a backup in case I couldn’t make it as a writer.”
After early success (he says, “my first five articles sold, but the next five didn’t”), he taught high school, worked as an information specialist for the Sough Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks, and as a photographer for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks before returning to a full-time career as a freelance writer.
Since then Spomer has traveled six continents, hunting, photographing and writing about upland birds and waterfowl as well as small and big game for publications as diverse as Rifle, Sporting Classics to Audubon and Birder’s World. Books which he has written include: “The Rut: The Spectacular Fall Ritual of North American Horned and Antlered Animals, Predator Hunting: Proven Strategies That Work From East to West, The Hunter’s Book of the Whitetail, The Big Game Hunters Guide to Montana, and The Big Game Hunters Guide to Idaho.
Established by Leupold to honor and encourage the efforts of the best outdoor and firearms writers, the Jack Slack Award is in its ninth year. Previous winners include: Craig Boddington (2005), R. L. “Larry” Wilson (2004), John Barsness (2003), David Petzal (2002), Tom Gresham (2001), John Wooters (2000), Terry Wieland (1999) and Jim Carmichel (1998).
Leupold & Stevens, Inc., the only prominent American-owned and operated optics company, employs more than 600 people in its state-of-the-art Beaverton, Ore., facility where rugged, dependable, high performance Golden Ring sports optics are designed, machined and assembled. Founded in 1907, Leupold is fifth-generation, family-owned company with products sold worldwide to hunters, wildlife obervers, competitive shooters, law enforcement officers and special operatioins military personnel. The product line includes rifle, handgun and spotting scopes; binoculars; mounting systems; and optical tools and accessories.
Add comment February 22nd, 2006
