Tom Jennings

 Class of 1999
Influence on the Sport

Tom Jennings career as a master bowyer began in 1936, making his first bow at the age of 12. With it he shot the required score to earn a Boy Scout Merit Badge, and he honed his shooting skills hunting small game in California.

Jennings was the driving force in the equipment revolution that brought the compound bow into virtually every facet of competitive archery and bowhunting, The high performance of Jennings compound bows was to create a greater impact than that achieved with the recurves a decade earlier.

Tom clearly states his love of bowhunting, but his real passion, in his own words, was to build the "ultimate bow."

  Notes of Interest

• Served in the U. S. Air Force during World War 11 in the China/Burma/India theater of operations

•  Life member of the NRA since 1940

• Pioneer of many cosmetic and functional improvements in laminated recurve bows

• Other design advancements included large risers, recurve wedges and decorative overlays 

•  Introduced the first 4-wheel and 2-wheel compound bows

• Life Member, National Field Archery Association