ALR Library: A Toast to George Shumway

[Hurricane ( of Virginia)]

As a tribute to George, another pioneer in the study of the Kentucky Longrifle, I am hoping that those who know him personally will add here "tales untold"  to contribute to the information not known to be published elsewhere for future scholars and collectors to honor this mans contributions.
Thank you
Hurricane

[Curt J]

As most of you know, George Shumway was the publisher of my books, GUNMAKERS OF ILLINOIS, 1683-1900, Vol. I & II I doubt whether there has ever been a more serious student of the American longrifle than Dr. Shumway. I have to say that he was hard to get to know at first. I was "just a kid" when we first met, and it took him awhile to come to the conclusion that I was serious and committed to the research of early gunmakers. Once he came to that conclusion, we became good friends. He was of great assistance to me in both writing the books and in learning to photograph guns. It saddens me to know that this extremely intelligent and learned man is today but a shadow of his former self.

[mr. no gold]

George Shumway was affiliated with Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego when I first encountered him. This was in the late 1950s. He was a collector of Kentucky Rifles way back then. A local antique gun shop had a great early Lancaster Rifle (looking back it was probably a J. Graeff piece) and George saw it first and so it went home with him instead of me. He told me many years later that it was destroyed in a house fire in which he lost, or nearly lost, many fine rifles and tons of research material.
He was a quiet, unassuming man who never said more than he needed to. So, it was with some excitement that I bought his first book and have tried since to get them all. It may be appropriate to say that his approach to his books typifies his approach to life; or did.
George lived in a beautiful beachfront home in La Jolla and had the odd distinction to have the skeletons of ancient Indians, still in their burial place, displayed under glass. Needless to say that is not the case today.
I am glad that he went East because he entered into the research and publishing field on the Kentucky Rifle and without him we would be a long way behind where we are.
Best-Dick