This particular Sinclair raises his glass of whisky in salute of Mr Campbell.
May his family take comfort and cherish the memory of him. He will be there for them as long as they heed the memories.
I enjoyed reading his input on various threads- it was evident that he was one who "got it" and was happy to share his hard-gained knowledge.
"If I ever needed to hunt in a tuxedo, then this would be the rifle I'd take." - okie john
"Not being able to govern events, I govern myself." - Michel De Montaigne
Steve was very specific about language. Pretty sure he was one of the OG grammar nazis and would indeed enjoyed pointing this out. Because no filter...Originally Posted by Drang
The question is, did he take his Scottish heritage seriously enough to have told you that things are Scottish, people are Scots, and that scotch is what they drink.
I think he'd have been amused by the correction, however. Thank you for giving me something to add to the thread besides "Dammit, not another one!"
Last edited by LSP552; 05-29-2017 at 08:31 AM.
I had the pleasure of chatting with Steve informally via PM. From few conversations we shared, it was clear he was a man of great dignity. I will miss him.
Last edited by Nephrology; 05-29-2017 at 09:38 AM.
I hope he would not take it amiss if this sassenach does the same. It's a god single malt, I assure you.
Recovering Gun Store Commando. My Blog: The Clue Meter
“It doesn’t matter what the problem is, the solution is always for us to give the government more money and power, while we eat less meat.”
Glenn Reynolds
Fair winds and following seas brother, RIP.
We may lose and we may win, but we will never be here again.......
I was just sitting here wondering how Steve was doing, having no idea this thread existed. Steve wanted to come out here in March to attend "the old geezer's class" at Gunsite, as he put it. I wrote him and said he and his wife could stay with us to save money, we'd give him a key to the house and they could come and go as they pleased. They could either eat with us, or we would give them a list of good restaurants in the Prescott/Prescott Valley/Chino Valley area. I also told him that when he was finished with the class, we'd like him to stay a few more days so we could take them up to the Grand Canyon. He readily accepted the offer, but in a subsequent message he told me he was having strokes and wasn't sure he would be able to make it. I never heard from him again and due to his health, was a bit reluctant to ask him about it. The time for the class came and went with no word from him, and I knew from his previous posts over the years that this was out of character for him. After a perfectly awful day today I sat down and decided to contact LSP552 for an update, when I cam across this thread, and the perfectly awful day just got worse. We were certainly looking forward to his visit, and now we will never have the chance to visit and travel together.
He was one of a few here who I always looked forward to reading his posts, and I truly miss him.
"We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed -- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
Where O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
! Corinthians15:51-57
RichY,
That fact that he has such friends, people that were willing to give him a key to their home (where most people keep their most valued material possessions) speaks volumes about his character.
I genuinely hope his bride gets to read this thread.
Still think about this guy quite frequently. Ran across one of his older post, thought Id share it.
Neither ever "weighed me down". Again, its an acquired taste. But, like all acquired tastes, you have to give it an honest chance.
I got hired six months out of the army. I was working part time at a gun store owned by four local troopers, all of whom prodded me to apply. I really didn't WANT to be a cop, and figured they'd never hire me anyway, because almost every trooper I'd ever seen was at least six feet tall. But that's another story… my point here is, I was around a lot of cops just prior to coming on the job, and most all of them were of the brass balls variety. Saps and back-up guns (usually some variant of J frame) were part of the uniform, as was at least two reloads for the service revolver. So I was inculcated from a very early age, so to speak, to carry a BUG. And in those days, ankle holsters were the method of choice.
When I received notification, to my great surprise, of an Academy report date, my bosses made me sweet brother-in-law deals on a nickle 4" M-19 and a lightly used M-37 flat latch. Troopers had to provide their own pistols in those days; these guys didn't know the HQ plan to make my class the first one that was issued a duty sidearm. I still have the M-37, now wearing Black T and in a safe place. They told me that I would be provided with a full complement of leather gear (Don Hume Sam Browne belt- minus the saber strap-, Hume Jordan River holster, cuff case and dump pouch for extra ammo) for the "magnum", but that I would have to buy my own ankle holster. I don't recall what brand it was, but it was all leather, with dual buckled straps, and did the job.
Of course, I didn't get to wear it until after graduation, so I had no clue what was entailed. But I showed up at the troop that first day of duty with it strapped my left ankle, and wore it or the various other ones I eventually tried every day I put on the uniform, until I switched to a vest holster when we got issued those. I learned quickly to be careful how I sat, to keep it hidden… IOW, to keep my pants cuff from riding up and exposing it. The extra weight on my ankle never bothered me per se; but it did take some getting used. By the time I discovered Mr. Null and his fabulous wares, I actually felt semi-naked without it. Truth, because I walked out of my home more than once having forgotten to strap it on, realized it before I got to the unit, went back and got it.
The knife/extra burrets accessory holder on the right ankle came along in the late 80s. Interesting story as to why, but that's not germane here so I won't add to this rambling post any more than I have to. Again, after a brief "adjustment period", no issues or concerns… or bother. I continued to wear it and the ankle J frame (by this time, an M-642) until the day I retired; even in plain clothes. It is certainly a viable method to carry a BUG.
Here's something to think about, however. Sometime in the 80s, it became fashionable for wanna-be po-lice and other "gunwriters" to pen lofty articles on how cops carried their stuff… those "Dressed For Peace: Armed For Trouble" articles of mental masturbation laid bare our 'secrets', if you will. I remember, like it was yesterday, standing by a magazine rack at a K&B drug store late one night on dog shift. Daughter #3 was fresh out of the valley, wife had forgotten to fill a scrip and buy some Pedialyte, so there I was, waiting on a lethargic slug disguised as a pharmacist.
About five feet away stood a real roach; greasy, stringy hair, grubby jeans, and dirty hightop felony flyers that were all the rage then amongst the "hip" college crowd… well, as hip as one can be in Monroe, Louisiana. Said roach was perusing a Guns and Gear for Armchair Commandos, or some such rag; it had a garish cover. Suddenly, I noticed he was looking intently at my feet. WTF???
Then, HE suddenly realized that he had my full and complete attention. He put the magazine down on the rack, still open to what he had been reading, and beat feet out the door. I followed him, and watched him get into his beat-up Toyota Tercel roach-mobile and drive off... hurriedly. I went back to see what he had been reading, and there was a full three page article, with photos, by a certain felony wanna-be cop, on ankle holsters and how to use them. "Thanks a lot, shitbird", I thought to myself. "Nothing like putting our business on the street."
Sorry for the novella, but there's a point to it; while ankle carry is indeed viable, I'd have a Plan C… if you get my drift.
.
I'll wager you a PF dollar™ 😎
The lunatics are running the asylum
Thought of him the other day. The way he approached his death was nothing but admirable and courageous. What a life lived and honorable way to cross the river into the next chapter.
I think about Steve more than I thought I would - usually when I'm shooting, or when I hear some outlandish claim about some shooting incident on the news.
I know there are people on this forum that knew Steve better than I did. But I was fortunate to know him as a friend. I spent a fair amount of time with him in those final months (less than I would have liked, but still quite a bit). We would still meet for lunch, but less frequently than we did "pre-cancer," because he had good days and bad days.
Once he reached the stage of not being able to drive, I would pick him up to get lunch, or to go to the local (Baker) pistol range. Eventually he reached the point where these activities were no longer viable. So I would call ahead and just hang out with him on his patio for a couple of hours, talking about whatever things he wanted to discuss.
He was incredibly smart, amazingly articulate, and had a sense of humor that was acerbic, unfiltered and never failed to make me laugh. If Steve wanted to express an opinion, you received an unvarnished, sometimes blunt, version of his point of view.
I have never met a person, other than my dad, whom I respected more than Steve. As I have said before, I don't know why Steve picked me for a friend, but I'm a better person for having known him. And the world is a lesser place without his presence.
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