Dick Baldwin was known across the country as the greatest historian on trapshooting.
He wrote a book and several columns about the sport. He was the director of the Trapshooting Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio , and he dedicated his life to uncovering the storied pasts of famous and not-so-famous trapshooters. "Dick Baldwin -- a great shot, an excellent writer and just a heck of an all-around guy," Jim Bradford Jr., chairman of the Trapshooting Hall of Fame in Ohio, said Thursday.
The 69-year-old Baldwin, a resident of Fairlawn Avenue in Danbury, died Wednesday evening after his car was struck by a Jeep Cherokee on Clapboard Ridge Road. Shortly after 5 p.m., Baldwin was driving a Dodge Intrepid on Beckerle Street. When the car turned onto Clapboard Ridge, the Jeep, driven by Carl Savino, 18, of New Fairfield, struck Baldwin's car. Baldwin's car then spun, accelerated into a driveway, and struck a shed, bicycle and fence before crossing another driveway and colliding with a tree. Officer Lance Brevard said Thursday that it appears Baldwin did not yield to the Cherokee before turning on to Clapboard Ridge. Weather was not a factor, he said. Baldwin was transported to Danbury Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His stepson, Alex Stein, whose age was not available, was a passenger in Baldwin's car and was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Savino was not injured. "It was all about the outdoors. He was supportive, a teacher. He loved me unconditionally and was very family oriented," said Susan Sturdevant, one of Baldwin's two daughters. "He would want people to know how much he loved his wife, Sally, too." Dozens of trapshooters across the country Thursday expressed their condolences and shared memories about Baldwin on at least two Web sites dedicated to the sport, www.traphof.org and of 3 Tami Daniel, Trapshooting Hall of Fame office coordinator, said Thursday in a phone interview that Baldwin's biggest joy in life was "finding history, memorabilia, any story about trapshooting." Baldwin was a third-generation trapshooter. His grandfather shot live pigeons and clay targets, and his father was a trap boy at the Pahquioque Rod & Gun Club in Danbury before he was hired by the Remington Arms Co. to be a professional shooter. Born Jan. 13, 1937, Baldwin shot his first registered targets in 1948. He went on to win the sub-juniorNorth American Clay Target Championship and captured the out-of-state doubles title in the New York State Trapshooting Tournament in Syracuse, N.Y. Baldwin then followed in his father's footsteps and was hired by Remington in 1957. A plane crash in 1963 affected how he shot, but Remington made him director of advertising and sales promotion. He retired in 1984. Baldwin continued trapshooting for four decades and he wrote for trade publications including Outdoor Life, Guns and Ammo, and The American Hunter. He also was trap and skeet editor for Guns
and Hunting. In 2000 Baldwin began writing a column called "The Road to Yesterday," which was published monthly in Trap & Field magazine for more than five years. In August of the same year, he became director of the Trapshooting Hall of Fame Museum. "Like all youngsters, I had my heroes, and my dad was at the top of the list -- not so much for his shooting ability, but because he seemed to know so much about guns, shells, hunting, trapshooting and hound dogs," Baldwin said in his first column. Last year, Baldwin compiled 34 trapshooting stories into a 200-page book also called "The Road to Yesterday." He sold about 3,000 copies and planned to write another book, daughter Susan said. Throughout his life, Baldwin won dozens of awards and met several famous people through trapshooting, including baseball stars Mickey Mantle and Catfish Hunter. He also had a collection of signed photographs from famous people, including Yankee pitchers Whitey Ford, Mel Stottlemyre and Sparky Lyle; Paul Tibbetts, who piloted the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb; the Apache chief Geronimo's grandson; and Cheryl Tiegs. Tom Ford of Brookfield, a member of the Connecticut State Trapshooting Association, said Baldwin was a great storyteller and an unbelievable collector of trapshooting memorabilia. "Dick was the absolute quintessential storyteller. This guy was Will Rogers with a shotgun," Ford said. Green Funeral Home, 57 Main St., will host a visitation Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. Funeral services will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Ridgebury Congregational Church, with burial to follow at Wooster Cemetery, Danbury. A trapshooting event will follow the burial at 1 p.m. at the Wooster Mountain Shooting Range on Route 7 in Danbury.

of Danbury, died in a car crash on Wednesday October 11, 2006. He was born in Danbury on January 13,1937, to the late Helen and Clifford G. Baldwin. He graduated from Danbury High School in 1955. Dick was a life long Danbury resident. He was an avid hunter and competitive trapshooter for 57 years. Dick was the director of the National Trapshooting Hall of Fame located in Vandalia,Ohio. He worked for Remington Arms Company in Bridgeport as a professional shooter and advertising manager for 27 years. He is a member of the Eastern United States Trapshooting Hall of Fame and Connecticut Trapshooting Hall of Fame. He wrote numerous hunting and trapshooting articles for national publications. He wrote a book of historic trapshooting stories and co-authored a book with two other Remington pros on trapshooting. He loved to hunt ruffed grouse and woodcock in Connecticut, and his home in Chenango County,NY. with his family and friends. He also hunted deer, pheasant and duck all over the country. When he wasn't hunting, fishing or shooting, he was either telling stories or watching his beloved Yankees. During his career at Remington, he befriended many Yankee ball players who made ads for Remington and shared his passion for hunting. A high point in his life occurred when he was invited to spend a game in the Yankee dugout, where he sat wedged between Joe DiMaggio and Mickie Mantle. Dick lived his life to the fullest and died with no regrets. He was dedicated father, husband, and grandfather. He is survived by his wife, Sally K. Baldwin; his daughters, Susan B. Sturdevant of Danbury, and Sara B. Palmer of New Fairfield; his grandchildren, Rachel T.Sturdevant, Garrett B. Palmer, and Grant E.Palmer; son-in-law, Todd Palmer; step-sons, Max T.Stein of Boulder,Colo; and Alex T.Stein of Danbury; numerous cousins, in-laws, and his faithful bird dog, Pie. Visitation hours are Monday, October 16, from 5 to 9 p.m. at Green Funeral Home, 57 Main St. in Danbury. The funeral service is Tuesday,October 17 at 11:00 a.m. at Ridgebury Congregational Church, 602  Ridgebury Road in Ridgefield. Memorial contributions can be made to: Trapshooting Hall of Fame, 601 West National Road, Vandalia,Ohio 45377 or Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center,1275 York Ave,NY 10021