doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Tulsa Gun Show last weekend

I thought the show was more active than in the recent past. There were a lot of nice doubles at several of the large dealers tables and a few at scattered individual tables. I sold
a couple of moderate priced doubles and to please my wife I bought NO gun. I did , however buy a nice Redhead case for my 16 ga M 21.
And to add to my trip we visited and had dinner with Joe Wood and his wife Sandi.
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I agree that the Saturday crowd was up from past years, but I had the impression of more "junk" tables as well. Also, the exhibitors were sticking around after set-up on Friday instead of just covering and leaving.

Well, I bought a 12" hotdog which at fairground prices darned near broke me and that was all. Friday, after I finished helping a dealer set up, I walked around and saw a number of nice doubles but nothing I just couldn't live without. Saturday's crowd was stifling. It was difficult to move down the aisles so I just stuck around George Caswell's tables and watched the world pass by. I had the feeling potential buyers of high quality were holding back.

Interesting guy, that John R. Lauritzen.

It seems that John Lauritzen was thought to be the first Visa card initiator.

My long time shooting buddy and I used to go to every show....now the long lines.....crowded aisles....stupid prices....are less than appealing. We shot a 200 bird SC tourney instead.

As these shows have shifted over the years from primarily collector venues with individuals displaying primarily to buy and sell amongst themselves to a venue dominted by dealers simply out to make as much money as possible they have become increasingly less desirable. I will still attend* but have been buying less and less. IMO: If it hadn't been for a lot of buying of black weapons by those concerned about the current state of the Country gun shows would have largly become ghost shows.
Jim
*It's become largly a social thing for me.

Memorial bio from Princeton University alumni publication.

PAW Home > Memorials > John R. Lauritzen
John R. Lauritzen '40
Published in Mar. 13, 2002, issue
John died at his Omaha, Neb., home on July 21, 2000, from health problems stemming from a stroke in 1996.

John was a native of Minneapolis, preparing for Princeton at the Blake School. At Princeton, he earned numerals on the hockey team, was a member of Cottage Club, and roomed with Ted Nevins and Ralph Wyer.

Early in life John showed an aptitude for sports, competing in the hockey Junior Olympics. He was a lifelong golfer, hunter, and fisherman; in his later Omaha years, he "saw red" as a loyal U. of Nebraska fan. Princeton shared his loyalties, benefiting from his service as PAA-PC treasurer and president.

In Omaha at the age of 29, he was reported to be the youngest bank president in the US, growing the First Natl. of Omaha from $100 million to over $11 billion in assets. He started the First Charge Card in 1953 (later to become Visa). Other bankers described John "as a pioneer in the credit-card business, one of the founding fathers, a key supporter of economic development."

John is survived by his wife of 61 years, Libby, son Bruce '65, daughter Anne Pape, and five grandchildren. The class extends its belated condolences to his family.

The Class of 1940

Stallones;You're close to being right.John Lauritzen's Bank,the First National Bank of Omaha initiated one of the nation's first Bank Charge Card.It was called First Charge and whileI can't say for sure that it was the first to do so,I do know that The First National was among the first five Banks in the country to do so.I wasn't there at the very very first but I did work as in that part of the Bank as part of the Bank tour whenI first went to work there in 1960,The operation had been in business for some time before that.
Best to All
Distel