Robert M. "Bob" Brister

ROBERT M. "BOB" BRISTER, passed away Tuesday morning, the 14th of June 2005, at his home in Houston. Born the 25th of January 1928, Bob graduated from high school in Kerens, Texas in 1945 and joined the U. S. Army where he served from 1946 to 1947. Following his military service, he attended the University of Texas for two years as a journalism major. He worked as a reporter for the Athens Daily Review and, at age 21, became the newspaper's Managing Editor. Bob also held positions at the Tyler Courier Telegraph and the Marshall News Messenger. In 1954, Bob became the Outdoors Editor of The Houston Chronicle. He also served as the Shooting Editor of Field & Stream from 1971 until 1985. After forty years at The Houston Chronicle, Bob retired in 1998. Bob's accomplishments in life were many. Throughout his career, he was honored for his writing and photography by the United Press, the Associated Press, and the Texas Outdoor Writers Association. Some of his awards include a Pulitzer nomination in 1961 for his coverage of Hurricane Carla, as well as a Graphic Arts Hall of Fame award. Also in 1961, Bob was awarded the Thomas Fleming Award, the nation's highest award for coverage of recreational boating, and was the winner of the Argosy Magazine Award for small boat design. In 1971, Bob was awarded First Place by the Headliners Club for his coverage of Hurricane Celia. He received the "Excellence in Craft Award" by the Outdoor Writers Association of America in 1995. Bob not only wrote about boats, he participated in outdoor marathon races in 1959 and 1960. In 1968, he raced in the Texas Channel Derby in the fishing boat class and won his class and first place overall. He was presented the two trophies by the late actor, John Wayne. Bob was respected by his peers and readers for not only writing about his subjects; but also excelling in them. An avid fisherman, boater, hunter, gun enthusiast, and competitive marksman, Bob achieved a status that may never be equaled in his many fields of expertise. His efforts in the conservation field were many. In 1988, Bob was awarded the highly prestigious Conservation Achievement Award by the National Wildlife Federation. He was also recognized and given an award by the Wetland Habitat Alliance in 1995. In 1993, Bob was honored by the Texas State House of Representatives with a House Resolution for his "remarkable contribution as Outdoor Editor for The Houston Chronicle, conservation efforts, and marksmanship." In the late 1970's, he was greatly involved with the formation of the Gulf Coast Conservation Association (now the Coastal Conservation Association) to help put an end to illegal netting activities in the Gulf of Mexico. In 1981, Bob was inducted into the Houston Sportman's Club Conservation Hall of Fame. Some will recall his hosting a television show in the late 1960's. The Channel 13 show, "Outdoors with Brister," allowed Bob to venture into filming and producing movies. He produced two award-winning big game fishing films for the Pinas Bay Resort in Panama. Bob enjoyed hunting and fishing since his childhood in the East Texas Trinity River bottoms. He then expanded his horizons from hunting and fishing all over the U.S. to Africa, South America, Europe, and Alaska. His avid enjoyment of competitive target shooting ultimately lead him to England in 1980 where he learned the traditional English game of "sporting clays." Upon returning to Houston, he was hooked on the sport and crusaded to get the gun industry and range owners interested. His efforts contributed to the now very popular sport in the U.S. and the creation of the National Sporting Clays Association (NCSA) which governs the sport. Bob was often called the "father of sporting clays" in the U.S. Locally, he was fondly referred to as a "living legend" amongst the sporting clays shooters. In 1998, the local Houston and regional Texas shooters organized the first Bob Brister Open Sporting Clay Shoot, an event still held annually. In 1999, he was inducted into the National Sporting Clays Hall of Fame for his efforts to bring the sport to the U.S. from England, his participating in the sport since the 1980's when he won the state and national championships, and his being on the NSCA All American Team (a member from 1994 until 2003). In 2004, Bob was inducted into the Texas Sporting Clays Hall of Fame for his formative and competitive contributions to the sport. Bob authored three books, "The Golden Crescent" (a collection of short stories together with paintings by the nationally known painter John Cowan), "Moss, Mallards & Mules" and the definitive work on shotgunning, "Shotgunning, The Art & Science." Preceded in death by his parents, Bob is survived by his wife and partner of 42 years, Sandra "Sandy" Payne Brister; and brother, Ben Brister of McKinney, Texas. The family desires to acknowledge and extend their gratitude to Dr. Robert Wolff and Ta-Hsu Chou for their kindness and devotion in treating Bob at M. D. Anderson; as well as all of the caring people of Houston Hospice. Friends are invited to gather with the family and celebrate Bob's life at five o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday, the 18th of June, at the Westside Sporting Grounds in Katy, Texas. For directions, kindly telephone 281.371.3352 or obtain a map from www.westsidesportinggrounds.com. In lieu of usual remembrances, the family has suggested that memorials in Bob's name be directed to Pancreatic Cancer Research, c/o M. D. Anderson Hospital, P.O. Box 4486, Houston, TX, 77210-4486; or to the Houston Hospice Care System, 1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030.