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Contributor to the Sport, influence on the sport, Bowhunter
Bob Lee has
been an active lover of archery his entire life, and In 1951,
he founded an archery manufacturing company that later became
known as Wing Archery. At the company's peak, they were
producing 300 bows per day.
In 1963,
Bob pioneered and produced the first three-piece detachable limb
bow on the market, the Wing Presentation II take down bow. His
three-piece bows have become the most popular design of
traditional bows in the archery world to date.
He was a
charter member of the Pope & Young Club and was also
active in the early stages of AMADA (Archery Manufacturers and
Dealers Association) which later became AMO (Archery
Manufacturers Organization). Bob was instrumental in helping to
establish the industry standards.
Bob Lee’s
immeasurable contributions to archery and bowhunting span six
decades. The Bob Lee legacy is still evolving through his
partnership and collaboration with son Rob as they continue to
produce custom, handcrafted, American-made, top-ranking bows.
At the age of 84, Bob still works full-time in the business that
carries his name - designing and building his beloved,
handcrafted bows.
Notes of Interest:
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1951 - Forms Wing Archery Company in Houston, Texas,
producing handcrafted, custom
traditional bows
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1959 - Through dogged determination - and the donation of
dozens of Red Wing Hunter
model bows - Bob Lee lobbies successfully for an
archery-only hunting season.
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1959 - Bob assists Glenn St. Charles in forming the Pope &
Young Club dedicated to
developing records for quality game taken with bow arrow -
the archery counterpart to Boone & Crockett.
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1963 - Bob produces the first 3-piece bow - the Presentation
II. The P-ll proves an
overwhelming and immediate success, and will be regarded for
decades to come as one
of the finest models and industry has seen.
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1965 - The company relocates to Jacksonville, Texas,
establishing itself as the
largest employer in the city, with shipments exceeding 300
bows per day.
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1968 - Bob helps to form the national Archery Manufacturers
Organization (AMO),
an association that develops industry standards for bow
weights, draw lengths, etc.
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1968 - Bob sells Wing Archery, the third largest archery
manufacturing company
in the world, to Head Ski and remains as CEO.
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1972 - Bob Lee retires his position with Head Ski (now owned
by AMF-Head)
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1989 - Bob and son Rob launch Bob Lee Archery with a
newfound commitment to the
preservation of American-made, handcrafted bows - at a rate
of up to 4 bows per day,
a stark contrast to the mass production volume of the Wing
heyday.
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2007 - Bob Lee is inducted into the National Bowhunters Hall
of Fame before a standing
ovation audience at a dedication ceremony in Las Vegas.
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2010 - The company moves into a newly-constructed facility
on nine acres in Jacksonville. The lobby serves as a Wing
museum where Bob’s first bow, built in 1951, hangs with
dozens of Wing models.
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2011 - The company celebrates Bob’s 60th anniversary in
bow-building with the unveiling
of a Limited Edition Anniversary model - The Legacy
featuring Stabi-Locktm, an innovative
tool-free limb attachment system.
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2012 - Bob Lee recurve is named “Best Bow” out of 12 market
leaders tested and
reviewed by Bowhunting World Magazine. The winning Bob Lee
model is aptly named
The Ultimate.
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