It was with sadness that I just learned that Paul Vallandigham passed away late last year. Here is a tribute written by a long-time friend and associate which you may find interesting.
Ron T.
Oct 4, 2012-GSL Director Paul H. Vallandigham passes away by John Boch
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Paul H. Vallandigham, a long-time gun rights giant in Illinois.
Mr. Vallandigham was a life member of the NRA, a former director of the Illinois State Rifle Association, as well as a founding member of Guns Save Life's (G.S.L.) predecessor organization and has served continuously as an officer or director since then. He was currently as a director as well as the corporate counsel of Guns Save Life.
As an attorney in his professional life, he was a member of the Illinois Bar and the US District Court, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of the United States Bars. He had served both as a public defender and as a special prosecutor in addition to his work in private practice.
Mr. Vallandigham passed away the last week of September in his living room, cleaning the guns he appreciated and valued so much along with the rights they represented and symbolized.
He worked tirelessly to promote civil rights not only by educating the general population through his promotion of basic civil rights, but also in his work as a Hunter Safety instructor, NRA firearms instructor and a Boating Safety instructor. He was a many-times published author on a host of topics from firearms to tracking.
We loved Paul and his eagerness to share his vast knowledge on a host of topics. We sometimes teased him that he was too eager to share, but we certainly appreciated his encyclopedic knowledge base which came in handy more times than we can count.
He held an appreciation for antique and custom-made firearms and shared that enthusiasm eagerly. He loved to attend the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association’s events at Friendship, IN and would hound us to accompany him ”“ even those of us who carry plastic guns and eschew wooden stocks.
He was constantly giving of his time and expertise, willingly and eagerly. And while sometimes some of us disagreed with Paul, I know of not one time when Paul was wrong. His wise counsel was always spot on, even if it wasn’t evident right away.
We’ll certainly miss Paul ”“ a man who gave so freely of his time, insightful knowledge and ideas.