Bernard "Barney" Conrad Hartman (2 November 1916 – 30 October 2016) was a world champion

skeet shooter Skeet shooting is a recreational and competitive activity where participants use shotguns to attempt to break clay targets which two fixed stations mechanically fling into the air at high speed and at a variety of angles. Skeet is one of the ...

, National Skeet Shooting Association Hall of Fame Inductee,

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, ...

r, and recipient of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

. Hartman is the author of ''Hartman on Skeet'', a 1967 instructional book published by McLellan and Stewart referred to as "the definitive book on skeet."

Life and career

Bernard "Barney" Conrad Hartman was born in Swan River,

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

on 2 November 1916. Growing up on farms, he learned to hunt to help feed his family during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In 1938, only one year before Canada entered World War II, Hartman joined the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

as an aero-engine mechanic. Without a university degree, his desire to fly

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

could not be realized until two years later when Canada lifted education restrictions for pilots, to help with the war effort. Hartman scored so highly on his flight tests that he was made an instructor for the

RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...

for the war's duration in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. Hartman stayed in the

until mandatory retirement 25 years later, flying

Search and Rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

flights out of Goose Bay,

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

. Hartman began skeet shooting while stationed in Goose Bay,

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

, winning his first competition in 1949. Between 1957 and 1962, Hartman captured seven consecutive amateur Canadian Skeet Shooting Championships and placed first or second in a number of categories in the NSSA World Skeet Shooting Championships. Hartman won the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan Am Games and again at the 1963 Pan Am Games. In 1963 Harman captured both the Canadian and World Championships. Hartman was named captain of the all-American National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) ten times in the sixteen years that he was a member. He has held or tied almost 30 world titles in 12, 20, 28, .410 gauge and all-around categories. Hartman's consistent performance in the world of skeet shooting earned him the nickname The Shooting Machine and Mechanical Man. In 1963, he was known to have smashed 2002 consecutive birds.Labow, Jeffrey. "Years in Goose Bay put shooter on target." ''The Globe and Mail''. 23 August 1980. Page S4. Hartman was inducted into eight sports halls of fame including: the American Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame; Canadian Armed Forces Sports Hall of Fame; Canadian Sports Hall of Fame; Ottawa Sport Hall of Fame;

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

Cleary, Martin. "Hartman now a hall of Famer, times eight." ''The Ottawa Citizen''. 11 May 2013. and the Recreation Association's (R.A. Centre) Hall of Fame Sports Award. In 1960, Hartman was featured in the O'Keefe Great Achievements in Sports series. He died in 2016, just 2 days shy of his 100th birthday.

References

External links

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame Induction 2013 - Barney Hartman

Barney Hartman - O'keefe Skeet Shooting Promo (1960)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartman, Bernard 1916 births 2016 deaths Skeet shooters Canadian male sport shooters Members of the Order of Canada Sportspeople from Manitoba Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame inductees Pan American Games medalists in shooting Pan American Games bronze medalists for Canada Shooters at the 1959 Pan American Games Shooters at the 1963 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games