Dick Lattimer 1936-2011 |
Lattimer was inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame in 1999 and also served as its president for two years.
Born in South Bend, Indiana December 6, 1935, Lattimer was a proud Hoosier and 1957 graduate of Indiana University. He was working for a South Bend advertising agency handling multiple accounts as a photographer and copywriter when went to work for Bear Archery in 1966 at its Grayling, Michigan location. The company moved to Gainesville, Florida in 1979, where he remained in charge of marketing and advertising until 1989, just months after the death of Mr. Bear.
In addition to the multiple annual catalogs and ads Lattimer produced and directed during his tenure at Bear Archery, perhaps his best-known and most effective advertising campaign centered around the "Become a Two-Season Hunter" theme. The sport of bowhunting was gaining both credibility among hunters and an unprecedented growth in the mid-1970s, as state agencies enacted liberal archery deer seasons and hunters discovered they could expand their time afield by taking up bowhunting.
After leaving Bear Archery, Lattimer was hired in 1990 to serve as the first paid staff member of the Archery Manufacturers Organization (later becoming the Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization and later yet the Archery Trade Association) where he served as president until 2000.
While heading AMO, one of Lattimer's prime accomplishments was the creation of the "Save Our Heritage" program, which, through contributions from member archery equipment manufacturers built a significant "War Chest" of funding to be used to promote archery and bowhunting as well as to defend all hunting methods against the threat of voter initiatives launched by anti-hunting and animal rights groups seeking to end specific hunting seasons or methods.
A prolific writer, historian and incorrigible note-taker whose Gainesville garage overflowed with boxfuls of memos, photographs, catalogs and other items from his years working for the iconic Fred Bear, Lattimer transformed his passion for archery and respect for his longtime friend and employer into two successful books, I Remember Papa Bear (2005) and Hunt With Fred Bear (2006). His fascination with outer space, respect for country's astronaut program and the U.S. space program resulted in two books, All We Did Was Fly To The Moon (1985) and Space Station Friendship (1988).
Lattimer published The Jesus Digest: What you never knew about the everyday life of Jesus in 2005 and also wrote poetry under the pseudonym of Joshua Carpenter, his interpretation of the real name of the itinerant preacher from Nazareth.
In the 1970s Lattimer served as Television Chairman of the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and Co-Chairman of its full Communications Committee in Washington, D.C. He was also a member of the Hunting and Conservation Committee of the National Rifle Association, on their Bowhunting Sub-committee, and on the NRA Public Affairs Committee. He also served on the Board of Directors of the United Conservation Alliance.
Mr. Lattimer is survived by his wife, Alice, and three children, Michael Lattimer (Lora) of Gainesville, FL, Elizabeth Golnick (Chuck) of Grayling, MI, and Kevin Scott Lattimer (Afie) of Potomac, MD, five grand children, and two great grand children.
A memorial service for Dick Lattimer was held Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011 at the Cedar Key (FL) United Methodist Church.
--J.R. Absher
Well-known industry insider, writer and all around good-guy, Absher is founder of The Outdoor Pressroom (http://www.outdoorpressroom.com/outdoorpressroom/). He is also The Outdoor Wire Digital Network's go-to expert on all things archery and muzzleloader related.