My wife and I were watching "Its a wonderful life" last night and I started to reflect on how a person can have a large impact on another persons life and not even know it. Like Sam and Ron and others here on the Cafe.
When I was a kid about 7 years old a local police officer from the small town of Logan Ohio where I lived, came to our grade scool and we were allowed to get in the police car and look at it. He was very nice to us. I asked if I could touch his gun and he gave me a word of caution and said go ahead but only touch it. He rubbed me on the head and smiled. I was really impresed and that was one of the reasons I became a police officer myself, also working as a deputy sheriff and later, on a task force for the protection of Nuclear Power stations in the US and eventually as a detective. Many years later that same officer came to me and was retired and wanted to work a few days a week. I hired him, after telling him the story. Of course he did not remember.
Not to get too far off the track here, I was at a gun show in Canton Ohio back in the early 80s. I was a new knife maker. I was wondering around the show while my wife watched my table, when I saw a guy engraving with a hammer and chisel. I was really facinated. I remember asking how can you cut metal like that with metal. I was amazed. His work was beautiful, and it seemed magical to me. The engraver was happy to answer whatever questions I had. He was working on a knife for Mick Koval, who taught me to make my first hunting knife. I said I would like to learn how to do that. He said there wasn't much info written on it, I started to collect pictures of engraving from The American Rifleman magazine and other places wherever I could find it. It all eventually over the years led me to here. I do not know his name but he had a large influence on me in that few minutes. Now I am finally after all these years learning. I would like to know who he was but I doubt I ever will. Anyway, you engravers may not know it but when someone is watching you
it may be a life changing experience for them. Mack
When I was a kid about 7 years old a local police officer from the small town of Logan Ohio where I lived, came to our grade scool and we were allowed to get in the police car and look at it. He was very nice to us. I asked if I could touch his gun and he gave me a word of caution and said go ahead but only touch it. He rubbed me on the head and smiled. I was really impresed and that was one of the reasons I became a police officer myself, also working as a deputy sheriff and later, on a task force for the protection of Nuclear Power stations in the US and eventually as a detective. Many years later that same officer came to me and was retired and wanted to work a few days a week. I hired him, after telling him the story. Of course he did not remember.
Not to get too far off the track here, I was at a gun show in Canton Ohio back in the early 80s. I was a new knife maker. I was wondering around the show while my wife watched my table, when I saw a guy engraving with a hammer and chisel. I was really facinated. I remember asking how can you cut metal like that with metal. I was amazed. His work was beautiful, and it seemed magical to me. The engraver was happy to answer whatever questions I had. He was working on a knife for Mick Koval, who taught me to make my first hunting knife. I said I would like to learn how to do that. He said there wasn't much info written on it, I started to collect pictures of engraving from The American Rifleman magazine and other places wherever I could find it. It all eventually over the years led me to here. I do not know his name but he had a large influence on me in that few minutes. Now I am finally after all these years learning. I would like to know who he was but I doubt I ever will. Anyway, you engravers may not know it but when someone is watching you
it may be a life changing experience for them. Mack
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