Memories...

[cargaritaville]

Scrolling through an older thread about a NAA .380 vs Seecamp .380, I came across some familiar names. The Irish Guard...I bought my 1st R9S from him. He was a joy to talk to as he had a wealth of gun knowledge in that head of his. His death was a gradual one, which he never let anyone in on. Then there was RJ Hedley...he could make fantastic leather pieces and was a real nice guy. And then there was Richard S....another smart classy dude who when he wrote on the Forum, everyone took notice and listened. His wife passed & he obviously has moved onto a new phase of his life. I think we all wish him well. Ah...memories.

[DDGator]

All great guys.  Brings back memories.  I hope Richard S is well.

[ECR]

All great guys.  Brings back memories.  I hope Richard S is well.

Great men all. Karl and I met Tom (Irish Guard) at the SHOT Shows through the years. Great guy! Sad to see him leave us. I met Bob (RJ Hedley), his wife, and his son years ago when the SHOT Show was in Florida. I was invited to their home in Winter Haven I believe it was. Nice folks. Sad when we heard about Bob's passing. Then I was on a motorcycle tour with our local BMW club to Western North Carolina and on the way back, Richard had invited me to visit and stay with him at Critter Creek. I met his wife there and they put me up for the night. Yes, there was a nice-sized stream behind their home flowing nicely! Richard did find another sweet lady and they did marry, I believe. Time to reach out to Richard and see how they are doing. I felt it best to leave them alone for a while. I felt awkward phoning and bothering them.

ecr

[backupr9]

I knew Richard pretty well….my wife and I had lunch with him one day when he showed up dressed to the nines….a true gentleman of the old style.  I think my wife fell love with him!  He has a collection of beautiful pistols in which he takes great pride.  We gradually drifted apart after my move and his remarriage. 

[ECR]

Good Evening Gentlemen. I'm not sure if we have any Ladies still on board here, but if we do, may I also say:  Good Evening Ladies.

I have wonderful news! I phoned Richard last evening and he answered and we spoke for a little while and caught up a bit.

He is feeling okay, although I felt I woke him up from a nap. (lol). After he cleared his throat, he sounded as sharp as ever! Anyway, he is doing well and he and his honey are doing fine. He knows her from his school days, that's wonderful and rare.  He asked me to send his regards and Best Wishes to everyone here on the forum. He has other interests at this time, so the forum did take a backseat. When he tried to get back on, he couldn't do it and even reached out to Duane and the two of them couldn't get his old sign-on name or password to work with his computer. They gave up on it for the moment at this point.

On a brighter note of interest, however, Richard has written a book about his life and adventures when he was working in our armed forces "Back in The Day".  His book is currently with the publisher doing their editing thing back and forth. It has a story about a particular incident decades ago in Africa. Details will follow when we get closer to it being in the stores. It should be released this coming May of 2023. He said he would send me a copy, which he will autograph for me, and I'll let everyone here know when it gets released and in the bookstores for sale. 

So, that is the skinny on our beloved Richard Spradlin. Oh, by the way, yes. . . . . He still has his no prefix Rohrbaugh R9 pistol serial number 134 and he does still carry it when he goes out locally. Amazing! 

Well, I wish you all a great weekend. It is going to be a good one here on Long Island!

Best to you All,

Regards,

Eric C. Rohrbaugh

[cargaritaville]

Nice follow up. Can you call The Irish Guard too?

[wildmanwill]

That's great to hear.  I think of Richard often and missing seeing him around on the forum.

[tracker]

Glad to hear that Richard is alive and well. I spoke with him several times about his adventures in Africa. He was employed by our government but not the armed forces so I will let your imagination wander before his book is published. He was fortunate to survive that incident.

[ECR]

Nice follow-up. Can you call The Irish Guard too?

You must have forgotten that Tom passed away in March of 2013. You mentioned it in a thread years ago.

I'm sure it may have just slipped your mind. Unfortunately, we all do that from time to time.

Tom Watson was a good man also. Near the end of his life, he still came to the S.H.O.T. Shows and always stopped by our booth. The last time he was there, he was on a powered scooter because it was difficult for him to walk the show because it was so big.
Usually, those shows had around 600,000 square feet of display space. As I mentioned, they are HUGE Shows.

[cargaritaville]

I was only kidding. Since you called Richard, I thought you might have some connections to call The Irish Guard too ( I know he died!). Just my strange sense of humor.

[tracker]

Tom Watson was a real treasure. He was a friend of this forum and touched everyone who knew him in a very positive fashion. I visited him in his home on two occasions and thoroughly enjoyed his company. He had R9 s/n 747 and intended to keep it but graciously allowed me to buy it because I had flown the 747.

[ECR]

Tom Watson was a real treasure. He was a friend of this forum and touched everyone who knew him in a very positive fashion. I visited him in his home on two occasions and thoroughly enjoyed his company. He had R9 s/n 747 and intended to keep it but graciously allowed me to buy it because I had flown the 747.

Beautiful story Tracker. . . . Glad you were able to acquire R9 747

ecr