Dr Robert Beeman

[Garvin]

ccdjg added this on 23/11/21:

An obituary has now appeared in the latest edition of the German magazine Visier. I have translated it, and it reads as follows:

Dr., Robert Beeman (1932-2021)

Known respectfully in the gun world as “Dr. Airgun ", Dr. Robert Beeman was one of the most important specialist authors on airguns.

Born in California on March 23, 1932, he began his career as a professor of marine biology. In the early 1970s he founded " Beeman Precision Airguns " and marketed high-quality German air rifles and air pistols in the USA. With the "Airgun Digest" publication he created a multi-volume reference work that later became part of the "Blue Book of Airguns" series.

Robert and his wife, Toshiko, sold their company in 1993 and have since travelled the world acquiring new air rifles and pistols and expanding their knowledge. Beeman's airgun collection contains over 7000 items - by far the largest in the world.

When VISIER visited him at his ranch in California in 2012 '(see issue 1/2013), conversations revolved around the legendary Girardoni air rifle, with which the pioneers Lewis and Clark explored the western United States from 1803 to 1806. By chance it turned out to be an Austrian military airgun, which had previously lain undetected in the Beeman collection. Today this gun is guarded and transported as a priceless national treasure. Beeman planned a nearly 400 page illustrated book about Lewis & Clark and their Girardoni airgun.

The manuscript involved collaboration with collectors from all over the world, but has not been published, as the ailing author could only do the paperwork for a while. The collection has now been transferred to an unknown collector.

Robert Beeman died on August 25, 2021.

[TonyL]

RIP Dr Beeman. A pivotal figure in the modern airgun era, introducing the idea of the high quality "adult airgun" to users in the USA and he helped bring us many greats like the HW80, 77 and 45.

Gone but never forgotten.