Executive Board and Founding Members

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John is a Navy Veteran (1958 - 1967) and served two tours in Vietnam on the USS Intrepid.  He worked at the Bear Archery when he returned home from the war for the first year.  He later worked at MATES with the Army National Guard for almost 20 years.  

 Before retiring was he was an insurance agent for the Knights of Columbus.  John has had an interest in Fred Bear for many decades and loves to share his fishing stories from his times with Mr. Bear.  John calls his FBD work a labor of love and does everything he can to promote and honor the legacy of Fred Bear.

Tom was born in Detroit, MI and grew up in Farmington, MI.  He was fortunate to have grown up in a hunting family that had him shooting a bow at a very early age. It was during that time that he developed a love for shooting the bow and arrow. His dad often took him along on his hunts to St. Helen, MI and within a few years, he knew he would be an archer and a bow hunter for life.  

In April 1964, at the Griswald Sporting Goods in Livonia, MI he saw the mounted tiger that Mr. Bear had taken in India just the year before. Tom and his dad bought their first Bear Bows that day.  His father bought a 1962 Kodiak Special off the rack and ordered Tom a 1964 Grizzly that was  factory camo painted and 40#. Tom saw a stack of Bear Archery Catalogs and picked one up.  He now had the address for Fred Bear and Bear Archery!  Tom started writing Mr. Bear, asking for some of his hunting pictures.  This letter writing continued back and forth for over 3 years.  Mr. Bear was very patient and gracious, answering his questions and sending him pictures, which got Tom even fired up more!  In reality, Tom never totally quit writing Mr. Bear letters, and the last one he wrote was just 3 months prior to his passing. 

In June of 1977 at Starlite Archery in east Detroit, Tom finally met Fred Bear!  The Fred Bear Sports Club was holding a 50th Anniversary Celebration, hosted by Starlite Archery and Tom attended.  It was a red-letter day finally meeting his hero, face to face and shaking hands!

Over the next 10 years Tom was able to attend many archery functions where Fred Bear was the headliner.  At each event, he usually gave an hour talk, sharing his exploits and involvement in archery.  Even after all these years, Tom still feels like he owes this legend, Fred Bear, who has led him to his involvement with Fred Bear Day Inc.

Treasurer - Sharron Jenkins - Sharron was introduced to the Archery/Bow Hunting Community when she married Tom, her high school sweetheart right out of high school. It was then that she found out bows and arrows still existed, and people hunted with those primitive weapons. In the early years of her marriage Tom did all of the hunting while she stayed at home with their two daughters, Karen and Robin. After their daughters grew up she was able to hunt, and has taken 3 Whitetail deer in Grayling with her Bear Takedown Magnesium Recurve Bow with Bear Razorheads.

Sharron worked for 26 years as a NC Machinist, and Corporate Secretary at Alco Turning Inc. and Tram 7 Precision Inc., a small business in Redford Township, just west of the Detroit area. She also held the position of Treasurer in the Michigan Bow Hunters Association for 3 1/2 years. She and Tom retired to the Grayling/Roscommon area in 2000.  

Tom and a few other men came up with the Fred Bear Day idea in 2018 when they were at Bear's Bowman event. Fred Bear in addition to being the founder of Bear Archery is also a great hero for our children to model themselves after.  Conservationist, Hunter, Educator, and a friend to all bow hunter's across this great nation of ours.  We have much to be thankful for in our great country, hunting  and the right to keep and bear arms, is at the top of the list...along with people such as Fred Bear whose innovations and knowledge needs to be handed down to our next generations.