http://articles.mcall.com/2000-02-13/sports/3294724_1_big-game-bow-archery-hall
Bob Swinehart Is 50th Inductee In Archery Hall Of Fame The Late Emmaus
Hunter Was The First Archer To Take Africa's Big 5.
`I am convinced that Bob Swinehart is the best
big game hunter I have had the pleasure of being with, on the trail and in the
bush.`
archery legend Howard Hill
archery legend Howard Hill
The late Bob Swinehart was inducted into the Archery Hall of Fame (AHF) at
ceremonies held during the Archery Manufacturers Organization Trade Show in
Indianapolis Jan. 29.
The posthumous induction of the Pottstown-born archer, who later made his home in Emmaus, brought back memories of the late 1960s when Swinehart, fresh from his conquest of Africa's `Big Five" with a longbow, hosted my seventh grade ecology classes in his home.
I recall his pleasant demeanor and modest ways with the youngsters as he showed them the African wildlife dioramas, photographs and collectibles scattered about his Emmaus residence. Only when asked did he speak of his archery pursuits, drawing his bow and arrows from a closet to show the wide-eyed youngsters.
Although Swinehart, president of an East Penn construction company, hunted deer and other North American game, his most astounding feat was taking a Cape buffalo, lion, rhinoceros, leopard and elephant, all with a traditional hunting gear. As the first man to take the Big Five with stickbow and arrow (the crude compound bow was still in its infancy at that time), Swinehart became the subject of numerous magazine articles and public appearances. He also appeared in Ripley's Believe it or Not.
Swinehart's dream of hunting in Africa began in his childhood years and in 1971 became the theme of `Sagittarius," the Emmaus archer's 240-page, profusely-illustrated autobiography on bowhunting big game -- from Pennsylvania whitetails and Colorado cougars to African kudu and, of course, its dangerous game.
Swinehart considered his meeting with legendary archer Howard Hill as `the turning point in my career,` according a story in the March 3, 1971 Morning Call. He brought Hill to the Emmaus Centennial Celebration in 1959, where he performed his bow-and-arrow precision in the high school football stadium, including hitting dimes tossed in the air.
But Swinehart, too, was later to become a respected archer who could also hit coins and shoot the bow with his feet. Hill was among the first to recognize his talent.
In the introduction to Sagittarius, Hill wrote: `He not only is an extremely good shot with the bow, but in addition has a great deal of patience, is a fine tracker and possesses great courage.`
But Hill was critical, perhaps light-heartedly, of Swinehart's over-consumption of Coke and pretzels. He carted 100 pounds of Bachman pretzels on his first Africa expedition and was said to eat at least a pound of them a day.
Swinehart's belated election into the archer's `hall` came 28 years after the first nominees -- Hill, Fred Bear and Ben Pearson -- were inducted. Other notables in the hall include Saxton Pope, Art Young, Earl Hoyt, Jr., Chuck Saunders, Jim Dougherty and Tom Jennings, among others. Rev. Stacey Groscup, who has made frequent appearances at sports and archery shows in the Lehigh Valley, was inducted prior to the official ceremonies making Swinehart the 50th member on the prestigious list.
The posthumous induction of the Pottstown-born archer, who later made his home in Emmaus, brought back memories of the late 1960s when Swinehart, fresh from his conquest of Africa's `Big Five" with a longbow, hosted my seventh grade ecology classes in his home.
I recall his pleasant demeanor and modest ways with the youngsters as he showed them the African wildlife dioramas, photographs and collectibles scattered about his Emmaus residence. Only when asked did he speak of his archery pursuits, drawing his bow and arrows from a closet to show the wide-eyed youngsters.
Although Swinehart, president of an East Penn construction company, hunted deer and other North American game, his most astounding feat was taking a Cape buffalo, lion, rhinoceros, leopard and elephant, all with a traditional hunting gear. As the first man to take the Big Five with stickbow and arrow (the crude compound bow was still in its infancy at that time), Swinehart became the subject of numerous magazine articles and public appearances. He also appeared in Ripley's Believe it or Not.
Swinehart's dream of hunting in Africa began in his childhood years and in 1971 became the theme of `Sagittarius," the Emmaus archer's 240-page, profusely-illustrated autobiography on bowhunting big game -- from Pennsylvania whitetails and Colorado cougars to African kudu and, of course, its dangerous game.
Swinehart considered his meeting with legendary archer Howard Hill as `the turning point in my career,` according a story in the March 3, 1971 Morning Call. He brought Hill to the Emmaus Centennial Celebration in 1959, where he performed his bow-and-arrow precision in the high school football stadium, including hitting dimes tossed in the air.
But Swinehart, too, was later to become a respected archer who could also hit coins and shoot the bow with his feet. Hill was among the first to recognize his talent.
In the introduction to Sagittarius, Hill wrote: `He not only is an extremely good shot with the bow, but in addition has a great deal of patience, is a fine tracker and possesses great courage.`
But Hill was critical, perhaps light-heartedly, of Swinehart's over-consumption of Coke and pretzels. He carted 100 pounds of Bachman pretzels on his first Africa expedition and was said to eat at least a pound of them a day.
Swinehart's belated election into the archer's `hall` came 28 years after the first nominees -- Hill, Fred Bear and Ben Pearson -- were inducted. Other notables in the hall include Saxton Pope, Art Young, Earl Hoyt, Jr., Chuck Saunders, Jim Dougherty and Tom Jennings, among others. Rev. Stacey Groscup, who has made frequent appearances at sports and archery shows in the Lehigh Valley, was inducted prior to the official ceremonies making Swinehart the 50th member on the prestigious list.
Swinehart's daughter, Lisa Weida of Emmaus, accepted the award at the
ceremonies attended by 1,300 guests and 19 Swinehart family members, including
five of his six children.
`I didn't even know about (the Hall of Fame ) until a few years ago,` said Weida. `After that, poeple kept telling me `Your dad should be in there."
`I remember Daddy shooting in the backyard a lot, not because he had to practice but just because he so loved shooting the bow," Weida told induction attendees. `My father left us all with a love of wildlife, adventure and the outdoors."
AHF President Dave Staples of Easton said Swinehart's induction `was long overdue.`
`I remember best his ability to focus, his intensity and his sheer passion for archery," Staples recalls.
One of his contributions lives on in Emmaus at the Unami Fish & Game Association where Swinehart designed the region's first field archery course in the early 1950s. He served as club president in 1954. The hillside range, although redesigned, continues to host 3-D target shoots by the Traditional Bowhunters of Unami.
Coming full circle, it was Roy `Whitey` Lerch of Coopersburg, a longtime deputy wildlife conservation officer and a regular at the Unami longbow course, who nominated Swinehart for consideration for the AHF.
Swinehart's life was filled with adventure and challenge but it was the taking of Africa's Big Five that earned him a niche in bowhunting history and legend. The quest took him on eight safaris, including travels in Kenya, Angola, South Africa and Mozambique. While holding a healthy respect for the Cape buffalo, he considered the elephant as being the most dangerous of his quarry because of its strength and speed.
`I didn't even know about (the Hall of Fame ) until a few years ago,` said Weida. `After that, poeple kept telling me `Your dad should be in there."
`I remember Daddy shooting in the backyard a lot, not because he had to practice but just because he so loved shooting the bow," Weida told induction attendees. `My father left us all with a love of wildlife, adventure and the outdoors."
AHF President Dave Staples of Easton said Swinehart's induction `was long overdue.`
`I remember best his ability to focus, his intensity and his sheer passion for archery," Staples recalls.
One of his contributions lives on in Emmaus at the Unami Fish & Game Association where Swinehart designed the region's first field archery course in the early 1950s. He served as club president in 1954. The hillside range, although redesigned, continues to host 3-D target shoots by the Traditional Bowhunters of Unami.
Coming full circle, it was Roy `Whitey` Lerch of Coopersburg, a longtime deputy wildlife conservation officer and a regular at the Unami longbow course, who nominated Swinehart for consideration for the AHF.
Swinehart's life was filled with adventure and challenge but it was the taking of Africa's Big Five that earned him a niche in bowhunting history and legend. The quest took him on eight safaris, including travels in Kenya, Angola, South Africa and Mozambique. While holding a healthy respect for the Cape buffalo, he considered the elephant as being the most dangerous of his quarry because of its strength and speed.
`You can't consciously feel fear while hunting big game animals," Swinehart,
at age 42, told a reporter in 1971 upon the publication of Sagittarius. `If you
do, you will do the wrong thing and you'll be a dead man."
Hill, who lived with the Swinehart family in Emmaus for a time, agreed. He said of Swinehart, following his taking of the five animals: `I was confident that he would accomplish the task, providing he did not get himself killed first. My only criticism of him was that he took too many risks. Somehow he survived Africa after a score of near burials."
Sneaking to within yards of leopards and lions, outracing buffalo before they cut him of from his vehicle and sending arrows sufficiently true to down a rhino and elephant all underscore the dangers inherent in Swinehart's quest, which he completed in 1966 in Angola.
Although a mere 170 pounds and standing 5-feet, 10-inches, the Emmaus archer was capable of pulling 100 pounds on his 5-foot wood bow. His strength, said Hill, `was prodigious."
`Sagittarius took archery out of the cornfield and made it global,` Staples said of Swinehart's influence. `Bob was at the front end of modern bowhunting which is bigger than ever today and we all continue to learn from him.`
Swinehart died in Pottstown in May 1982 at age 54.
The AHF is located in a modest setting in Angola, Ind. and will be the focus of a fund-raising and building program beginning this year, Staples said.
Hill, who lived with the Swinehart family in Emmaus for a time, agreed. He said of Swinehart, following his taking of the five animals: `I was confident that he would accomplish the task, providing he did not get himself killed first. My only criticism of him was that he took too many risks. Somehow he survived Africa after a score of near burials."
Sneaking to within yards of leopards and lions, outracing buffalo before they cut him of from his vehicle and sending arrows sufficiently true to down a rhino and elephant all underscore the dangers inherent in Swinehart's quest, which he completed in 1966 in Angola.
Although a mere 170 pounds and standing 5-feet, 10-inches, the Emmaus archer was capable of pulling 100 pounds on his 5-foot wood bow. His strength, said Hill, `was prodigious."
`Sagittarius took archery out of the cornfield and made it global,` Staples said of Swinehart's influence. `Bob was at the front end of modern bowhunting which is bigger than ever today and we all continue to learn from him.`
Swinehart died in Pottstown in May 1982 at age 54.
The AHF is located in a modest setting in Angola, Ind. and will be the focus of a fund-raising and building program beginning this year, Staples said.
I once had the pleasure of going to Bob's house with his son Kurt, then a 7th grade classmate of mine at Emmaus Jr High. There was a large room in the basement with a number of Bob's trophies, including a footstool fashioned from an actual elephant's foot. (The most memorable prize in the room to me.) There was a long table with pictures spread all over it for Bob's upcoming book, then titled "In Africa with Bob Swinehart". Kurt boasted in class of his dad being the first to shoot the big five with a bow. Bob took his young son on a trip to Africa, where Kurt bagged an impala with a bow. He showed us a slide show in school. The back yard had an archery target for practice. I'll never forget the privilege of getting a first-hand look at some of Bob's accomplishments and the pictorial tour he had fashioned. Mark Saunders - Watertown, MA
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