Mild mannered man.............

[Bob Wright]

I wrote of Bobby Keen in another post, and would like to tell you more of this man. As I posted before, Bobby was the range officer at the old Shelby County Rifle and Pistol range. His wife Barbara ran the trap range. Bobby was very quiet and mild mannered, a true old South gentleman.

The first I learned of his exploits was the time he offered to sell me a nickel plated, 4 " barreled S&W model 29. He added, "It was once held to the head of James Earl Ray." He had been in on the arrest of Ray.

The license number on his vehicles was "FBI-___". When I asked him about that, he said that was his badge number with the FBI.

Once I was alone in his office at the range and saw some framed documents. One particularly caught my eye. It had a colorful coat of arms at the head and very elaborate writing. Looking closer, it was a commendation for his value in instructing police officers in firearms and in investigation, citing invaluable knowledge that he shared with the department.

The signature was that of an inspector, with Scotland Yard.


Bob Wright

 

[exavid]

You never know. There was an old gentleman who sold hunting licenses in Kotzebue, AK back in the early '60s. Turns out he was a WWI British soldier who saw too much and left Britain and Europe after the war. He had several commendations but never returned home. A nice old fellow, he was permanently affect by what he saw in that war. I never did find out how he ended up in an Eskimo village halfway around the world.