Recently, the Florida State Rifle Association
published a 48-page book titled Distinguished Shooters of Florida. It is a
detailed, up-to-date list of
Florida
residents who earned Distinguished Badges in the various shooting sports
disciplines, including the prestigious Distinguished Rifleman, Distinguished
Pistol Shot and Distinguished International Shooter Badges.
This publication is the product of fifteen years of work and research
done by the author, Jim Perkins. A
total of 113 photographs and biographies of Distinguished shooters are included.
The individual listings have brief biographical data, Distinguished badge
numbers and dates when they were earned. This
paperback book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history of
competitive shooting in
Florida
. It will also be of interest to
shooters and shooting history buffs from other states who would like to create
something similar for their home states.
Mr. Perkins’ research is thorough and goes back to
the beginnings of the Distinguished program.
The first Distinguished shooter listed in the book dates back to 1929 (75
years ago). There are a total of 180
shooters listed in the following disciplines: 77 Pistol, 76 Rifle, 8
International Rifle, 5 International Pistol, 4 International Shotgun, 2 Action
Pistol, 16 Smallbore Prone, 14 Smallbore Position and 19 Police
Revolver/Automatic. The book lists
one Olympic gold medalist, 15 Distinguished females (three of whom are double
Distinguished), one individual who is Distinguished in 5 disciplines, and the
photo and bio of a
Florida
junior who was awarded his Distinguished Rifleman badge at the age of 14½,
which is purported to be the youngest in the nation.
 |
| A page from Florida’s Distinguished Shooters shows Heulet Benner, Olympic Gold Medalist, Distinguished Pistol Shot and Distinguished International Pistol Shot and one of the most successful of American competitive marksmen.
|
The book presents data by categories for civilian and
five military branches, and includes a President’s One-Hundred Rifle and
Pistol count. For those interested
in statistics, an entire page is devoted to a summary report that provides an
easy-to-read breakdown of eight shooting disciplines. Another
page in the book lists 13 civilians and 16 military shooters under the
interesting category of “Who Distinguished First.”
There are a total of 18 Distinguished rifle, pistol
and International line art badges published in the book that can be scanned for
use in other publications.
Resources such as this are invaluable to developing a
history of the shooting sport. The CMP keeps a comprehensive list of all
USA
shooters who earned Distinguished Marksman, Rifleman, Pistol Shot and
International Shooters Badges as well as holders of the newer Junior
Distinguished Badge for three-position air rifle shooting. The CMP
Distinguished lists are found at http://www.odcmp.com/Competitions.htm#U.S.%20Distinguished%20International%20Shooter%20Badge.
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Florida’s Distinguished Shooters contact Jim Perkins by mail at 8975 Wildwood Lane North, Seminole, FL 33776-2628, by phone at (727) 392-8843 or by email at Tamaroa@aol.com. Copies cost $10 per copy. This price includes shipping. |
