doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com A Visit with M.V. Highsmith

I am working on a trade for one of the last Winchester High walls that Highsmith built, keep your fingers crossed.
Best,
Craig

Can't wait to hear. Thanks for the heads-up along with the other correspondence I received. He had Hospice for say 5 days and passed peacefully in the night.

Lifted Obit from the Commercial Appeal, where my father-in-law was an editor:

"McKinley Verne High Highsmith died December 7, 2013 at the age of 91. He was born in Flat Rock, IL, to Violet and Fred Highsmith on July 15, 1922 in the family home built by his grandfather. He was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his devoted wife of 51 years, Willena McGarrh Highsmith of Memphis and his sister, Darlene Stevens of Flat Rock, Ill. At an early age, he played with his deceased grandfathers tools at his grandmothers house, and at the age of 9 built (by himself) his first muzzleloader. His father had it checked for safety, and he was allowed to hunt with it. This was the beginning of his interest in gunsmithing. Immediately after Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1942, High joined the Navy with a determination to fight the Japanese who had just killed his uncle, the editor of the Manila newspaper. After his basic training, he was sent to the Naval Air Technical Training Station at Millington. When sent to the firing line on the gunnery range, he amazed the gunnery officer by hitting 100 consecutive targets. With that, High was delegated to teach shooting to new recruits. Upon seeing a pile of shotguns on the ground one day, he said, Why are those pilled over there? The gunnery officer replied that they were broken and were to be shipped to Oklahoma for repairs. High picked up one, took a screwdriver and repaired it on the spot. From that moment he was not only an instructor, but also a gunsmith. The first gun shop in Millington was built for him and thereby sealing his fate as a gunsmith. The Navy sent him to the Remington plant in New York for further training to improve his skills. When he was discharged, High stayed in Memphis and worked as the resident gunsmith for Tommy Bronson for one year. He then decided to open his own shop and leased space with Dowdle Sporting Goods for the next 56 years until he retired at the age of 86 due to Alzheimer. His fame as a gunsmith was known throughout the U.S. Customers from California, Texas, Washington, as well as the Mid-South, sought his expertise. He was a founding member of the Hughes Hunting Club, and was the oldest living member of the Memphis Gun Club. He also hunted at the Merigold Hunting Club, where he met Willena when she was 16, but they both went their separate ways until 17 years later when they reconnected. He wooed her, declared her the love of his life and they were married. Early in their marriage, he encouraged Willena to learn to shoot, and she became good enough to accompany him on many happy outings, shooting doves, ducks, quail, deer and turkeys. High was a great pigeon shooter as well as a clay target shooter and a muzzleloading rifle and shotgun shooter, collecting many honors in all categories. His personality was such that most of his customers became his friends. He was an avid reader with a photographic memory, a quick wit with his one-liners and a consummate study of history. His interests encompassed not just guns and shooting, but a deep knowledge of the history of the Mississippi River, the Civil War and he became known for his archeology knowledge when his collection of Indian pottery was put on display at the Pink Palace Museum. He did not suffer fools gladly and on more than one occasion when a customer brought him a gun for repair and began telling him how to do it, hed say, Are you going to fix this gun, or am I. Services will be held Wednesday, December 11 at noon in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church, Poplar and Parkway, with visitation from 11 a.m.-noon and a reception following the services."

Believe you me it was much better in person with emphasis and interesting phrases and descriptions.

If you are ever in Memphis and have time, stop by the Pink Palace and see Hi's pastime. My mother-in-law accompanied him on several digs/searches. When in his house, the collection would take you aback.

Kind Regards,

Raimey
rse

Within the George Bird Evans book "The Best of Nash Buckingham" (1st ed; 1973) there appears the annotated article T. Nash wrote for Gun Digest (circa 1960). On page 160 - Nash referred to Mr. Highsmith within the article's first paragraph as - "H. L. Highsmith".

While inside the confines of his early shop at Dowdle Sportingoods (circa 1980-82) on Union Extended in Memphis, I was photographing Mr. Highsmith - with Willena's expressed approval & authorization - before he was to work on my early 20ga Browning O/U.

As I quietly photographed him, he asked: "What's this for?" And I explained: "For an article about gunsmithing..." - and because Mr. Highsmith did things the old-school way with hand tools. For example, he placed recoil pads to pull-length with a fine-toothed hand saw, and extended forcing cones without the help of a lathe. And the only power-hand tool that I recall ever seeing in his shop was a very old 1/4" electric drill, which he used to smooth reamed tool marks from the chamber into the barrel.

His racked workload appeared endless, and his delivery times specifically established when your receipt tag was filled out, usually by Miss Willena. "High" would briefly take your verbal instruction, and then say, "She'll call you" - as he turned to walk away.

I first saw "High" & Miss Wllena shoot (doves) way back in the 1960s on a farm near Como, Miss. - and as I recall, he shot a black power double and she sported a more conventional small gauge side-by-side. And they were limited out before the refreshment wagon made its second round.

Much later and by invitation, I shot clay birds with him at the old Memphis Gun Club on Appling Road. He again shot a black-powder double (maybe a Purdey?), while I sported a much newer 20 ga. Ithaca (SKB) 280E, that he had fitted to me for upland birds. There was no real competition that day - he never missed.

So back to the T. Nash Buckingham reference to him within the Gun Digest article - "Are We Shooting 8-Gauge Guns?"

As I photographed "High" one day while he was at work, I ask him Why? that specific reference to him as a gunsmith of note and personal "friend" of T. Nash Buckingham's, had not been corrected early on. After all, T. Nash had never misidentified Berry Brooks or Wallace Claypool, or a host of other locals.

In his typical understated and unconcerned demeanor, never looking up at me, and with a chew in place, he quietly explained: "I don't no why the Old Man did that." And that's all he ever said to me about about it.

Within this thread he and his wife are correctly identified.

How can a .jpeg photo be inserted?

Icon doesn't seem to work.

Forward them on to me & I'll gladly post them.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

Send me ur email address

It's in his profile.

SRH

McKinley Vern Highsmith dispatching clays in 1983/1984. He was a top shot.

Cheers,

Raimey
rse

He was just a great shot! Saw him in a dove field sitting under a tree make one great shot after another. Long shots, and I do not think I ever saw him miss! Man of a few words, but could he shoot!
Craig

Thanks for those pics!

SRH