- By Marie C. Almon
- Around Town
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What prompts an 80 year old man to embark on a long, hot, clear-across-the-country journey to look at one particular gun among 6,500 others?
According to the former owner of that particular gun, retired film maker Grey T. Larison of Auburn Road in North Lansing, "That gun was a very special one, made just for me by Ithaca Gun in 1964. I donated it to the Cody Firearms Museum in the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, because they didn't have much in the way of Ithaca Guns when we last visited in 1994. I figured mine would be the best example of an Ithaca Gun they'd ever get and I wanted the best to be with the best!"
It took awhile to get all the details finalized, but the gun was finally shipped out west in the summer of 1997.
Larison admits "I had kissed it goodbye a long time ago, but I wanted to see for myself that it had found a good home. Most of all, I wanted to make sure that it was being displayed and used the way they promised it would be!"
After spending most of a hot July day at the Cody Firearms Museum, Larison is now content. He saw that his gun was in a sealed, temperature controlled case in a special exhibit. He talked with David Kennedy, the gun curator, for a couple of hours. He and David were also interviewed by the Cody newspaper for a feature article and posed for photographs.
Yes, he was a contented and happy man the evening of July 29th.
So, he went back to his motel and wrote several very important postcards: July 29, 2005, Cody, WY, Dear Son, My gun looks great here! Just where I wanted it to be! The Cody newspaper is doing a feature article on my long trip to visit it. Gun curator is a sharp young man who has revitalized the gun section at the Center. You need to visit it too! Dear Old Dad."
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