Ben Pearson (November 16, 1898 – March 2, 1971) was an archer,

bowyer A bowyer is a master-craftsman who makes bows. Though this was once a widespread profession, the importance of bowyers and of bows was diminished by the introduction of gunpowder weaponry. However, the trade has survived and many bowyers conti ...

, and

fletcher Fletcher may refer to: People * Fletcher (occupation), a person who fletches arrows, the origin of the surname * Fletcher (singer) (born 1994), American actress and singer-songwriter * Fletcher (surname) * Fletcher (given name) Places United ...

from

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...

. He is most notable for starting the first company in the United States to mass-produce archery sets and equipment. In 1972, he was among the first inducted into the

Archery Hall of Fame The Archery Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Springfield, Missouri on the upper floor of Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World. History It was formed in 1971 as a committee of the American Archery Council. Inductees 1972 * Fred Bear * Howard Hill ...

Legacy

Pine Bluff Bowhunters hosts a tournament each May in memory of Ben Pearson. This tournament is the oldest and largest 3D tournament in the state of Arkansas. It attracts shooters from several nearby states. Mrs. Pearson attends each year.

History

Ben Pearson made his first bow based on articles for Boy Scouts by Dan Beard. In 1926 Pearson entered the state championships using his own equipment; finishing next to last. Learning from the experience, he made new equipment and in 1927 he became the Arkansas State Champion. Pearson continued in competitive archery, and by 1938 he placed seventh in the NAA National Tournament, just behind future employee

Pat Chambers Patrick Brian Chambers (born December 13, 1970) is an American college basketball coach and is the current head coach at Florida Gulf Coast University. He is formerly the head men's basketball coach at Penn State and Boston University. Biography ...

, and 24 places above

Fred Bear Fred Bear (March 5, 1902 – April 27, 1988) was an American bow hunter and manufacturer. Although he did not start bow hunting until he was 29 and did not master the skill for many years, he is widely regarded as a pioneer in the bow hunting c ...

. Prior to 1938 Pearson marketed his arrows through a series of eleven pamphlets, resulting in the first full Ben Pearson Inc. catalog being listed as "No. 12". That first catalog also only listed arrows, with bows added in the 1939 catalog. By the early 1950s Ben Pearson Inc. was best known for its relatively inexpensive archery sets. To make more people aware of the higher end custom bows and arrows Pearson was still crafting to special order; the 1958 Catalog introduced higher-end bows with names rather than just model numbers. In 1963, Ben Pearson Inc. was selling 3,000 bows and 3–4,000 arrows per day. In 1967 the company was acquired by Leisure Group, which dropped the highest-end bows from production. In 1972, Leisure Group sold Ben Pearson Archery to the

Brunswick Corporation Brunswick Corporation, formerly known as the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company, is an American corporation that has been developing, manufacturing and marketing a wide variety of products since 1845. Today, Brunswick has more than 13,000 employ ...

. By the company's 50th anniversary (1988) it had 350 employees and $100 million in payroll. That year, the company presented Governor

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

with the six millionth bow, and 200 millionth arrow manufactured.

References

External links

Official website
* Ben Pearso

at ArcheryArchive.com *

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Sportspeople from Pine Bluff, Arkansas 1898 births 1971 deaths American male archers Bowyers 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1890s-stub