Gresham, Grits 1922-2008 (Claude Hamilton Gresham, Jr.)

OBITUARY NOTICE—

See index for CA sketch: Born June 21, 1922, in Spartanburg County, SC; died February 18, 2008. Outdoor enthusiast, resort owner, conservationist, broadcaster, television producer, author, and editor. Gresham spent most of his career and his life outdoors, often with a firearm or fishing rod in his hand. In the 1950s, while working as a wildlife refuge manager and information officer, an owner of a hunting and fishing resort in Louisiana, and an editor of a conservation magazine, he also wrote hundreds of articles for outdoor journals and "men's magazines" like Argosy, Outdoor Life, and Sports Illustrated. He was the outdoor editor of the Shreveport Times from 1955 to 1973. In 1966 Gresham made his debut on national television as the producer and field host of the American Sportsman series, which was broadcast by the American Broadcasting Companies until 1979. He later became the shooting editor of the magazine Sports Afield and the host of a syndicated television program with a similar title. Gresham's rugged visage was a frequent feature of beer advertisements as well. Gresham spent a significant amount of time teaching people about hunting, fishing, and using firearms, but he also recognized that preserving natural habitats and their residents was essential for maintaining healthy animal populations. His career began in wildlife management and conservation, and for the rest of his life he was occupied with wetland protection efforts in his home state of Louisiana. He was named outstanding Louisiana conservationist of the year in 1959. Gresham was the author of books on outdoor topics, including The Complete Book of Bass Fishing (1966), The Sportsman and His Family Outdoors (1969), The Complete Wildfowler (1973), Grits on Guns (1987), and (with his son Tom, who followed in his father's footsteps) Weatherby: The Man, the Gun, the Legend (1992).

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Times (London, England), February 23, 2008, p. 80.