For more than a decade I worked with a Search and Rescue organization in Arizona, and after growing tired of recovering bodies, rescuing climbers and finding lost hikers, I asked a local newspaper to start including survival tips on its outdoor page. The editors agreed, so long as I wrote it, and the request launched his career in outdoor writing and photography. Along the way I wrote three regional guidebooks, spent 10 years as editor in chief of Safari Times for Safari Club International, another 10 as editor in chief of several publications at the National Rifle Association—including Shooting Illustrated—penned thousands of articles and created nearly all of the photographs used in their layout. Somewhere along the way I collected a few awards, including Outdoor Communicator of the Year from the Arizona Wildlife Federation in 1993—at the time the youngest recipient ever—NRA Publications Employee of the Year, the Division’s Outstanding Editor award and others listed below.
Awards
• NRA Publications Outstanding Editor Award • NRA Publications Employee of the Year • Arizona Wildlife Federation’s Outdoor Communicator of the Year • Award of Appreciation from United States Veterans Affairs • Gold MarCom Creative Award • Award of Excellence, Communicator’s Awards (twice) • Excellence in Craft Award, Southeast Outdoor Press Association • First Place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America Camping/Backpacking Competition • Recognition Award from National Hunting and Fishing Day Steering Committee • Editor in Chief of the Magazine that won Media of the Year, Arizona Game and Fish Commission • Hunter’s Appreciation Award, Idaho Chapter of Safari Club International • Tucson Rod and Gun Club Freedom Award • Award of Appreciation, Anglers United