My waterfowling interest (or obsession) was undoubtedly my destiny long before I was ever a figment in either of my parents’ minds.
My maternal grandfather (right) and great-grandfather (left), circa 1950’s...
Grandfather (right) and great-grandfather (center) - 1967
Gramps, sometime in the early 60’s maybe?
Cool little fact... my grandfather only had one eye. He took a pellet gun to school as a young kid and accidentally shot his eye out. He then shot right-handed, with only having a left eye, and according to local legend he was one of the best shots in this zip code. He was also asked to play catcher for a Chicago White Sox minor league team, however was dismissed when it was discovered he only had one eye.
Much to his detriment, my grandfather was also an alcoholic and he loved to fight. So he was well-known around all the local watering holes. At one time, one bar held a contest titled “Who can tell the biggest lie?” After a bar room full of drunks told their amusing stories, they all looked to my grandfather and said, “Hey Artie... tell us a story!” His response, “I ain’t never told a fuckin lie a day in my life!”
He won the contest.