                                                               2021  Bob Gilligan

Bob Gilligan of Wood County was an “Old School” Volunteer Hunter Education Instructor. He had a way of always adjusting his teaching methods to fit his audience of students. He was very calm with his delivery of the topics and used short stories relative to the lesson to get the point across. Bob taught for over twenty years in five counties, racking up over 1200 hours of instruction. He always encouraged new volunteers to do more and showed them how to be more effective instructors. He taught classes at the Easter Muzzle-loading Long Rifle Association in Doddridge County, where hundreds of 17th Century re-enactors had their true era lodges set up covering hundreds of acres. He told one new instructor that was covering the muzzle-loading section of instruction that he would, “Be Preaching to the Choir.” He went wherever he was needed in District VI either as a lead instructor or to help out when called upon by his RTO. He taught in five counties and able to cover every aspect of the manual and more. Bob had other involvements with other organizations but he mostly loved teaching Hunter Safety; and added Hunter Education to other programs. He was a retired facilitator for District VI. Bob was one of the first instructors that Vernon Nosse met when he transferred to District VI as an RTO. He was one of the most active instructors in the district, teaching up to six classes a year. He was just as active during his tenure from the beginning to the end.• Cub Scout Camp for many years• Boy Scout Camp on Rt. 47• Worked several NWTF/JAKES events• Worked Church Camps• Helped at the Muzzle-loading Camps in Ritchie County, for a week one time• Helped teach NRA rifle classes at Parkersburg High School.
• Enlisted United States Army Corp. serving as 1st Lieutenant Flight Instructor during WWII, after graduating Grafton, WV High School • After the war enrolled in WVU’s Statler College of Engineering. BS degree in Mechanical Engineering, graduating in 1951 • Worked work force at Borg Warner Chemicals, serving several roles from scouting several Plant sites world-wide, to the WV Chamber of Commerce, then lobbying for the Polymer Industry in Washington, DC • Upon retirement in 1984, returned to his roots, teaching Hunter Education • Served also as an NRA Concealed Carry Instructor for West Virginians