Bayou Bill
Word has reached this corner that one of our boyhood heroes, “Bayou Bill” Scifres has made the long final journey to the happy hunting ground.
Bill had been in failing health for the last year but it was our pleasure to have known him during the last few years. He was true one-of-a-kind and what I would consider one of the last “Big City” Newspaper outdoor columnists.
Bayou inspired me, for better or worse, to pursue outdoor journalism and my copy of his first book, Indiana Outdoors, is among the most threadbare in my library. I didn’t consider it as entertainment but rather as a textbook. I often wondered about getting Bill’s blessing to write an updated version since it is now wildly out of date.
Of course, I waited too long.
Here is Bill’s obit from Indystar.com:
Bill Scifres, whose outdoors column “Lines and Shots” appeared in The Indianapolis Star for 45 years, died Monday. He was 84.
Scifres, who joined The Star in 1953 as a police reporter before becoming outdoor editor, wrote his final column for The Star in 1999; his column later appeared in several other Indiana newspapers. He also wrote for outdoor magazines and published two books, “Indiana Outdoors” and “Bayou Bill’s Best Stories.”
He received numerous awards, including Sagamore of the Wabash, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hanover, Conservationist of the Year from the Indiana Wildlife Federation and the Conservation Communications Award from the National Wildlife Federation. He was elected to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
His funeral will be at noon Saturday at Shirley Brothers Fishers-Castleton Chapel, 9900 Allisonville Road. Visitation is Friday from 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to the Indiana Wildlife Federation.
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“Bayou” Bill Scifres dead at 84
Posted by Brent on 10/14/09 • Categorized as WildBlog
Bayou Bill
Word has reached this corner that one of our boyhood heroes, “Bayou Bill” Scifres has made the long final journey to the happy hunting ground.
Bill had been in failing health for the last year but it was our pleasure to have known him during the last few years. He was true one-of-a-kind and what I would consider one of the last “Big City” Newspaper outdoor columnists.
Bayou inspired me, for better or worse, to pursue outdoor journalism and my copy of his first book, Indiana Outdoors, is among the most threadbare in my library. I didn’t consider it as entertainment but rather as a textbook. I often wondered about getting Bill’s blessing to write an updated version since it is now wildly out of date.
Of course, I waited too long.
Here is Bill’s obit from Indystar.com:
Bill Scifres, whose outdoors column “Lines and Shots” appeared in The Indianapolis Star for 45 years, died Monday. He was 84.
Scifres, who joined The Star in 1953 as a police reporter before becoming outdoor editor, wrote his final column for The Star in 1999; his column later appeared in several other Indiana newspapers. He also wrote for outdoor magazines and published two books, “Indiana Outdoors” and “Bayou Bill’s Best Stories.”
He received numerous awards, including Sagamore of the Wabash, a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hanover, Conservationist of the Year from the Indiana Wildlife Federation and the Conservation Communications Award from the National Wildlife Federation. He was elected to the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame.
His funeral will be at noon Saturday at Shirley Brothers Fishers-Castleton Chapel, 9900 Allisonville Road. Visitation is Friday from 4-7 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to the Indiana Wildlife Federation.
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