Post by: Terry Green on May 02, 2022, 06:53:28 PM
Then later I heard that he had someone read Tradgang to him. Double wow. I was blown away...
Anyhow, anyone still left around here that can share some thoughts, memories or stories of John from back in the day?
Post by: Mike Yancey on May 02, 2022, 07:12:48 PM
We also ran into each other at events all over the country after that before he passed. Great guy!
Post by: Jack Denbow on May 02, 2022, 07:26:55 PM
John said I would have to be his spotter, I said that would be fine, but he would have to be my spotter. We laughed till our sides hurt.
Unfortunately, John left us before we got to hunt together. I sure do miss him.
Jack
Post by: Roger Norris on May 02, 2022, 07:55:27 PM
Post by: Cory Mattson on May 02, 2022, 07:57:59 PM
John was 100% dedicated to traditional bow hunting and I know you hear this guys but he was unbelievable and NO EXCUSES!!
Johns passion for hunting blew my mind. I love hunting but I’m not sure I have what it takes to continue with the path life threw at him. He LOVED to hunt!!!
100% generous of spirit - ALWAYS
100% gentleman- ALWAYS
When I saw Terry mention John it hit me pretty hard. He had closer friends and I hope some post. He had a lifetime friend who was his eyes hunting. Lenny is a big part of the stories to come from others.
But get this. I went to the Eastern Traditional one year and I showed up to help man a booth. It was morning. It was crowded. There was much bustling and activity!!
John sits down next to me and I lean towards him to tell him who (I am) - who it was and he says “hey Cory how’s it going”
!!!???!!!??? Are you kidding me he heard my voice addressing someone else IN A CROWD and he knew exactly who I was!
Guys we talked but over the phone mostly and spread over months at a time.
I remain completely floored by Johns abilities.
Every time working with John or hanging out was a blessing.
Another time he gives me a picture of him with a deer. And taking game with a bow was not a stunt but a regular occurrence. Sure it was tough but I never heard John complain or make excuses - NEVER
So he gives me the picture. I keep it.
Couple years later the compound crossbow lobby tries to use Cripples as a way to slide into bow season. As it turned out the North Carolina Bowhunters Association decides to fight. Calls are made and I am formally asked to address the state senate.
I went.
I talked and tried to keep it brief.
As I wrapped up I told the senate none of them knew enough about bow hunting to be making decisions about bow hunting.
I told the senate they knew even less about people with handicaps or other life struggles.
Then I showed that picture of John with his deer - killed with a self bow.
Then I told them he was blind!
Talk about shutting it down!! They knew in that instant a bunch of goofballs had been romancing the handicap citizens like carpetbaggers trying to see what they could get.
The senate immediately “moved” to NOT allow the compound crossbow and “duly noted” that hunting opportunities for handicapped citizens needed more review.
John won the battle for NCBA that day
He won so resoundingly they were scared off for 15 years
One more
Back when I made more money I sent Christmas cookies to my hunting buddies and their families. A way to say thanks for the campfire once a year. Simple enough.
I ended up talking to his wife, can’t remember if I called them or they called me. She went on and on about how much John appreciated the gift. Nice visit and done right?
No couple a days I get a Hand Written Thank You note written by John!
The most legible almost scribble you’ve ever seen.
Emotional now thinking about it.
John was a man of Faith. I miss him and look forward to seeing him again.
He’ll know my voice
And I’ll know his
<><
<————————<<<<<<
Post by: hawkeye n pa on May 03, 2022, 07:19:25 AM
Very nice write up Cory.
RIP John.
Post by: Mighty Big Country on May 03, 2022, 12:07:10 PM
Jerry built John one of his prized Choctaw recurves. He told me he took more care in picking out the wood combination than any bow he ever built with his intricate Pierce Points. Somebody asked Jerry why he would do that when John was blind and couldn't see them. Jerry simply replied, "Are you sure?" John reciprocated by building Jerry a self bow. It was one of Jerry's prized possessions until the day he passed. Jerry's wife, Bettie, crocheted John's wife Barb one of her beautiful afghan's because she felt many people forgot about her support of John.
Hopefully, Tim Finley will weigh in as he has many experiences hunting with John and spending time with him at ETAR. Many don't realize how accomplished a bowhunter John was before losing his sight. He was just an unbelievable man! As Cory mentioned, John was a follower of Jesus Christ. I know he will recognize my voice.
Post by: Ryan Rothhaar on May 03, 2022, 01:13:19 PM
He and Dad used to hang around quite a bit. I remember John when he had vision in one eye and wore a patch on the other. He had a very rare degenerative eye disease, and lost his vision over a period of years, knowing it was inoperable. Imagine that. I always wondered how I would handle that. Or if I would even be able to. Imagine a depressing situation....
John hunted and killed many animals both before and after losing his sight. He was an excellent field archer before losing sight, and Dad always said that his fantastic shooting form is what made it possible to hunt while blind. The aimer would line him up, but John could execute the shot.
John was always a good sport, Jim Emerson used to tease him by rotating his plate during meals...he knew what was where, but rotating 90 degrees threw off the meat vs the veggies etc. He wouldn't let on, and just continue eating. We had an old video from bear camp where John killed a bear and he was feeling it....someone guiding him..."You know what these are??" "Yep, he's a boar!"...stuff like that.
John always kind of treated me as a son and I still have letters he wrote to me as I was growing up, after he was blind.
A great guy, wonderful ambassador for archery and bowhunting, and a huge loss to the traditional community.
R
Post by: Gun on May 03, 2022, 02:02:47 PM
Barry Wensel will chime in with some good stories I'm sure.
Post by: Russell Southerland on May 03, 2022, 05:06:08 PM
Post by: Tim Finley on May 03, 2022, 06:40:22 PM
Lenny Rock was Johns best friend he had many stories and pulled lots of tricks on him we all took advantage of Johns sense of humor he loved it . John seemed to be accident prone before and after blindness with a few broken bones and a car accident. He fell while getting in a tree stand while hunting with Lenny and tore part of his ear lose Lenny sewed it back on in camp. I broke his nose while bear hunting We had a very aggressive sow come into the bait, I had a run in with her before she had three cubs . She was being nasty so I decided to get down and get John out of there before dark we got out to the walking trail and headed for the four wheeler with her right behind us all the way, she was huffing like crazy, John was scarred to death, as I looked over my left shoulder at her with John on my right arm I walked him right into a birch tree right between the eyes I apologized and he said no problem its happened before and it will happen again.
John never slept much I think it had to do with being blind sometimes he only slept a couple of hours a night. In bear camp we had outhouses behind the cabin so john had to have someone take him back when he had to go they finally ran a rope to the outhouse so he could find it himself . Well they got the idea to put a vey long rope and wind it out through the woods the first time he used it they could hear way back in the bush ALRIGHT YOU GUYS .
Lenny is still alive but all the rest of that group is gone they were a fun group I miss them all. I think Johns name will go on for a long time .
John was highly intelligent it seemed as if he heard something once or read about it he remembered it forever . What really amazed me was all the people that would come to our booth and many he hadn't heard from in 15 or 20 years and he would instantly know who they were by the sound of their voice and remember everything about them .
Im glad you put him in the hall of fame he would be honored .....Tim
Post by: Jerry Gille on May 03, 2022, 11:00:39 PM
Post by: Barry Wensel on May 03, 2022, 11:21:39 PM
I'm getting ahead of myself. SCI ended up sending John to Australia with his bow on an all-expense paid bowhunt of a lifetime. You'll have to realize it's been over 25 years so the times/dates/ and results may not be perfectly correct. But if I recall correctly, not only did our blind bowhunter excel, he came home with a couple world record bow kills.
Another possession I have in my file is a 60 minute cassette tape John made for me after his Australian hunt. It's dated March 1998. I've obviously listened to it but it's been 25 years ago. It was pretty much a blow-by-blow recap of his whole Australian bowhunt. The cassette appears in perfect condition as I stored it in a hard-plastic case. But I am reluctant to play it for fear of it falling apart. Similar to my old Roger Rothhaar cassettes from the early '70s, I need to take them in somewhere to have them professionally copied digitally. I'm glad this thread was started. Some of the young bowhunter of today have no idea what guys like John Rook did for our sport. Stay tuned. BW
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 01:42:19 AM
Thanks, :campfire:
Post by: PrimitivePete on May 04, 2022, 07:20:32 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:39:26 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:40:50 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:41:56 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:43:19 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:44:57 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:46:22 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:53:52 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 09:56:23 AM
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Post by: Barry Wensel on May 04, 2022, 11:35:51 AM
Although I am not a member of SCI (and neither was John) someone told me about their Special Hunter Awards Program and I found their contact person happened to be from Montana, where I lived at the time. They sent me an application and suggested I write a cover-letter to apply for John. The following is a copy of the letter I wrote. I apologize it is long but I feel it introduced John Rook as a most deserving candidate for this award. It also shows our younger bowhunters today the determination, integrity and core values displayed by pioneering individuals of our sport like John Rook.
Post by: JR Chambers on May 04, 2022, 11:41:37 AM
Post by: Barry Wensel on May 04, 2022, 12:41:25 PM
This letter is to acknowledge I would like to nominate Mr. John D. Rook for the Safari Club International's Special Hunters Award.
Mr. Rook is one of the most amazing individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. What I'm about to relay to you is almost unbelievable but it is truth factual.
John Rook is a totally blind bowhunter. As a young man, John was an extremely avid traditional bowhunter and archer. From 1960 through 1963 he was in fact the Ohio State Barebow Champion. In June, 1967 he began having eye problems. On July 4, 1969 surgery was necessary to remove his left eye. This did not slow John's bowhunting much because he still had 20/20 vision in his right eye (right eye dominant? :laughing:)
He had just returned home from bear hunting trips in Maine and Ontario in June of 1979, when he developed problems with his right eye. By the end of June '79 he became legally blind. Bt September 1981 he was totally blind and thought his world had come to an end not being able to hunt again.
In March 1982a good friend, Lenny Rock, convinced John to go along on a hunting trip to keep them company. Unknown to John, Lenny had asked John's wife, Barbara, to gather his bowhunting equipment together to take along with them. Attempting an experiment, with Lenny standing behind John, guiding his shoulders and aiming down his arm, John released and harvested his first game animal with his bow since becoming totally blind.
A new hunting world opened up to him because of his friend's idea. Dr. Jim Emerson developed a dependable and precise sighting system, which has since been up-graded and works wonderfully. The system enables the person behind John to align the bow and tell him when to shoot. They put their chin on his elbow and align the target. When everything is perfect a quiet signal is given and John releases the arrow. Good friend/ photographer Jerry Wansack and Lenny Rock can keep arrows in a tight grouping out to about 20 yards. Lenny and Jerry, among others, are John's hunting eyes. John has stated without them willing to give of their time, that can never be replaced, he would not be able to do what he has accomplished. He could never repay them for their time, energy and friendships. His only means of payment is to thank them from the bottom of his heart for their friendship and concern.
Since becoming totally blind, John has harvested approximately thirty (30) big game animals with his bow including nine whitetails; five bear; pronghorn antelope, mule deer, mountain lion and many others. His dream is to someday go to Africa.
Unselfishly, John gives back to the sport of hunting. He gives demonstrations to handicapped children, teaching them "what they CAN do.. not what they can't do." He also teaches bowhunter education and is chairman of the Conservation Committee for the Professional Bowhunters Society, a national organization. He is also a Regular member of PBS and the Pope and Young Club. It is also noteworthy that John builds his own bows and hunting equipment. John hopes that by trying and accomplishing things that he gives encouragement for others.
According to John, the kill is not the most important thing in hunting. Fair chase rules always apply and prevail. He says, " I get my independence from the dependency of other people." The only way he can hunt is by being dependent on wonderful people like Jerry Wansack, Lenny Rock and many others. It is the unselfishness of these people and the rest of his family, friends and acquaintances that mean so much to him and is so beautiful.
As Rick Henninger wrote about him, "John was an exceptionally great archer. His bowhunting skills were acknowledged by most who took part in the archery events. In darkness, John's skills could have been shelved. John still is an avid bowhunter with the same exceptional skills, only minus one sense, making him not only exceptional.. but phenomenal."
The real story is quite simple... John Rook, who obeys all hunting laws and regulations, who wishes to preserve and promote hunting, who is a kind, gentle person and who has been totally blind for more than a decade, is an ethical, conscientious, honest and diligent hunter who wants to preserve and promote the sport for future generations. I can not think of a better candidate for SCI's Special Hunter Award. Thank you.
Respectfully submitted,
Barry Wensel
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 01:02:21 PM
Post by: Barry Wensel on May 04, 2022, 01:24:04 PM
John asked me to go along as his sighter. Believe me, I would have loved to go, but I humbly declined because I wanted one of John's previous "team" of experienced sighters to step in because this was so important. Lenny Rock ended up going with John to Australia. They hunted with world famous Australian Professional Hunter Mick McCormick. John ended up taking home two Red Stags; a Sambar and a Rusa Deer. If I remember correctly, at least one and maybe two of the animals were world archery records at the time. John did traditional bowhunting proud :clapper:
With that being said, I wanted to touch on comments on John's sense of humor and how all his "friends" messed with him all in good fun. He loved it! Others mentioned his ability to recognize voices even after many years. I tried to trick him myself. Don't forget brother Gene and I are identical twins. I walked up to John at a banquet and told him I was Gene and he nailed me. Lots of people with perfect vision get us mixed up.. but not John.
We were relentless. I remember friends holding the door open to the LADIES ROOM when John said he had to pee.... he walked right in. I also remember Jim Emerson telling a story about John needing relief from a #2. Jim walked John down the road where John dropped his drawers thinking he couldn't be seen from the highway. John said the traffic sounded awfully close. Jim said it was, but there was a hill between John and the highway. :thumbsup: Jim thought that one was REALLY funny.
I also recall walking down a hallway at a PBS Banquet with John and brother Gene. We came upon a beautiful young lady in a red formal evening gown to which my brother approached, pointed to John with his dark glasses and white cane and said, " Miss... would you possibly be interested in a blind date?" I'll let it go from here. :bigsmyl: BW
Post by: Ryan Rothhaar on May 04, 2022, 01:31:08 PM
The irony is that the real heroes thought of themselves as normal guys....John would have been super embarrassed about this type of recognition.
R
Post by: Terry Green on May 04, 2022, 01:48:30 PM
Good stuff, Barry! Too bad so many of the new generation know about facegram and instabook self-promoting "heroes", and have no idea of the giants that have walked before. Stuff like this keeps these legends alive.
R
Yep.... and even grown men from generation(s) before.
Post by: rastaman on May 04, 2022, 02:08:53 PM
Post by: Bowwild on May 04, 2022, 02:27:04 PM
Post by: Jim Jackson on May 04, 2022, 03:38:13 PM
Post by: Bamboozle on May 04, 2022, 07:07:34 PM
We need more post like this of real heros not self proclaimed ones.
Post by: JR Chambers on May 04, 2022, 08:58:35 PM
Post by: woodchucker on May 04, 2022, 09:53:57 PM
Post by: Wudstix on May 04, 2022, 10:13:56 PM
:campfire: :coffee: :archer2:
Post by: Jerry Gille on May 04, 2022, 10:53:22 PM
Post by: Terry Green on May 05, 2022, 02:19:28 AM
T
Post by: huckbuck on May 05, 2022, 06:35:51 AM
Post by: Chuck Jones on May 05, 2022, 08:43:56 AM
John went on to make many bows and even used them to hunt and take several animals. What a unique human being! He made all my problems seem insignificant.
Post by: trad_bowhunter1965 on May 05, 2022, 09:27:11 AM
Post by: NailCreek on May 05, 2022, 12:40:52 PM
This is one of the best threads that I have ever read.
Post by: stevem on May 05, 2022, 06:16:56 PM
Post by: Tim Finley on May 05, 2022, 10:01:10 PM
John was very generous he always wanted to pay his way and more he didnt have much but disability he lost his pension when the company that he worked for went out of business .I was at his house on the way to ETAR when he went into his little room and brought out a bow and gave me a beautiful 1956 Kodiak in my favorite draw weight 52#. I dont know where he got it or how much it cost he wouldnt tell me but it must have been plenty that was in the time old Bears were bringing a premium. He also made me a selfbow with help from his friend Kent. Kent wasnt an archer but gunsmith he spent many days in Kents shop and with help John started making selfbows.
John decided to put fiberglass on a bow that the weight came in to light ,after he ground it out he called me how can you stand this the fiberglass itches all over me I cant hardly stand it how do you do it everyday. I stated thinking John never took a shower only baths , John did you take a bath to get it off he said yes did you take a hot bath, hot as I could he said ,you just opened all you pores and really let it in you need to take a cool shower all he said was ugg.
John never drank a beer ever but he sure liked his whiskey. we were gone to ETAR And John got his nose pretty deep in a bottle of Irish whiskey When we came back to his place as we were pulling into the driveway he leans over and whispers real load ...now dont tell Barbera I had anything to drink I dont want her to know, Ok John of course he counted see me smiling . As soon as we walked into the house Barb says how was your week end I said great but John sure drank alot of whiskey this time ! He just dropped his head and started shaking it back and forth real slow .
We all miss him he was alot of fun.
Post by: David Mitchell on May 06, 2022, 10:41:12 AM
Post by: Jim Jackson on May 06, 2022, 11:11:12 AM
Post by: Terry Green on May 06, 2022, 11:24:39 AM
Post by: varmint101 on May 27, 2022, 07:53:51 PM