By Chris Erwin
About a week ago Jack Hanks contacted me. This was a name from my past! In the 80s when I worked for National Mine Service Company, I met Jack Hanks. He was part of the routing department of the machine shop. Back then I was working as first class machinist making mining equipment for deep mine operations. As jobs went through the machine shop they needed to be routed and moved from one machine to another. These people were part of the material-handling department, and Jack physically moved the parts from one machine to another.
I considered those the good old days. I worked there for 15 years. We had started the Upholstery & Auto Trim shop in 1997, but NMSC was my real job. When I got hired there one of the first things I was part of was starting their bass club.
I along with four other guys, Jim Cunningham, Bernie Moore, Larry Kitchen, Bill Brainard and Tom Coffee decided to start a bass club we intended to call Ashland Area Bassmasters. In the middle of us putting this thing together, I got a call from Jay Qualls, the personnel director who also was a high school friend. He wanted us to consider changing the name to the National Mine Service Bassmasters, and if we considered it, the company would help us with support.
It sounded good to us and for the next 16 years the National Mine Bassmasters was blessed to have one of the best fishing clubs in the Tri-State, and I was blessed to be its only president.
It was nice to get to talk to Jack again. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since our time at NMSC, and I was happy to hear he was doing so well.
Jack, who is now working for WLGC’s Kool Hits 105.7, invited me to appear with him on Let’s Talk Sports with Jim Forrest. The station has a new segment as part of the show, called “The Tackle Box Outdoor Report!” The show is taped Friday and airs on Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m.
The Tackle Box a tackle shop in South Point, Ohio sponsors the new “Tackle Box Outdoor Report.” While I was the first outdoor writer and former fishing guide to be on the show, they plan to have many other outdoor communicators on the show. I hope it becomes a success. One of the goals of any outdoor writer is to highlight all the outdoor opportunities that are available to the public in their area.
We are continually trying to bring to our readers more ways to have fun with their family and at the same time enjoy all the things that God has given us.
I have always felt blessed that this newspaper gives me the time to connect with you. Your letters and pictures that you send me each week are deeply appreciated. I hope to continue to shine a light on even more ways to enjoy this time each week as we explore the outdoors together.
As we wrapped up the show, and I was heading back to the truck my mind couldn’t help but think back to the early days when Henry Dietz (a neighbor) took me under his wing and taught me how to make fishing lures and then took me to the water and showed me how to use them. Other than my dad, Henry set the hook deep in my heart to become passionate about the outdoors.
It is my deepest wish to pass it along as we walk this path together. I hope you will continue to join me again as we go “Outside with Chris.”
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