Bill Ruggie who passed on Nov 26, 2016 was a great
friend indeed.
When I was first attempting to assemble a collection of
rifles to photograph for my book, Bill was the first collector to step up and offer his
entire collection of Fred Riley guns!!!! That was a big shot for me considering it was very difficult
to convince most of the gun crowd to send theirs.
Bill was a player from the beginning of the revival. He had
great taste and amassed a wonderful collection of guns, knives, bags and accouterments.
His enthusiasm carried over into all his show displays, and
also his term as a CLA President. Our group is a mixed and varied bunch. The makers themselves
cannot be fully appreciated or validated without the other side of the coin. And there
you had Bill Ruggie.
RIP PAL.
Fred Riley Pistols from "Contemporary Makers" by Robert Weil.
Copy and photos supplied by Robert Weil.
A fine tribute to a great guy. I only knew Bill for a few years but he was a friend and a great supporter if the Contemporary Longrifle movement.
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