Smith & Wesson Historian Roy Jinks Celebrates 50th NRA Meeting
SPRINGFIELD, Mass – -(AmmoLand.com)- Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 157-year old firearms maker, announced today that renowned company historian, Roy G. Jinks, attended his 50th National Rifle Association (NRA) convention last weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. In celebration of his dedication to the NRA and the preservation of firearms history, Smith & Wesson President and CEO, Michael F. Golden, along with NRA Executive Vice President, Wayne LaPierre, presented Jinks with an engraved Smith & Wesson Model 29 during the 2009 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits. The revolver depicts the NRA logo on the sideplate along with the words “50 Years of Dedicated Service” along the barrel.
“Since becoming the company historian in 1970, Roy has played a crucial role in preserving the history of Smith & Wesson, from the first meeting of Horace Smith and D.B. Wesson to its current operation,” said Golden. “Roy has spent countless hours reviewing archived files, documenting memorabilia and answering thousands of letters from people all over the world. His knowledge of Smith & Wesson and of the firearms industry has been a source of amazement and inspiration to firearms owners and collectors everywhere. Likewise, his passion for history and for the continuation of the shooting sports is one of the key fundamentals that both the NRA and Smith & Wesson fully support.”
Born in Rochester, New York, Jinks’ love of firearms began at an early age. But it wasn’t until Jinks began a relationship with avid and experienced firearms collector Tony Fidd, that his prowess in firearms collecting was fully achieved. As his collection of firearms, many of them Smith & Wesson, grew, so did his interest in the company. He made his first visit to the factory in 1957 and from 1965 to 1969, Jinks began answering Smith & Wesson’s mail whenever a historical question was raised and served as a historical consultant. In 1971, when the old Smith & Wesson factory was slated to be demolished, Jinks obtained access to the building and had one week to salvage whatever was desired. Among the many treasures he saved were the original chestnut paneling and artifacts in D.B. Wesson’s office, which Jinks later installed in his own home, and a library of volumes containing every firearms patent issued in the United States from June 29, 1832, to May 17, 1921.
Today, Jinks, is an endowed member of the NRA and responds to thousands of emails, phone calls and letters inquiring about a host of historic firearms. His letters from Smith & Wesson, which accurately detail the history of a specific firearm manufactured by the company, are sought after keepsakes by firearms owners. An accomplished author with books entitled “The History of Smith & Wesson” and “Images of America – Smith & Wesson,” Jinks also serves as the Chairman of the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association, an organization he helped to form in 1964.
“For me, the NRA show has always been about the people,” said Jinks. “I was only 23 when I attended my first show and since that time I have had the opportunity to interact and become friends with some of the biggest and most influential names in the industry. To be able to talk with the attendees at each show and to help them better understand the rich history of Smith & Wesson, is just one of the many things that keeps me coming back each year.”
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security, protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles, interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America’s longest running firearms training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to www.tcarms.com.