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Celebrating 50 years of Fishing
September 1960 – 2010
Austin Bass Club
TABC Honors ABC member James A. Sparks
Bobby Landes Angler of the Year
The Austin Bass Club held its annual awards banquet on February 20, 2010 at the Cypress Grill located on William Cannon Drive in Austin, Texas. We had a great turnout with over thirty (30) participants attending.
The Austin Bass Club was honored by having Allan Summers, Director Region 7, Texas Association of Bass Clubs, and his wife Glenda, Treasurer of the Texas Association of Bass Clubs, in attendance. It was a great honor to have these individuals attend and give their support to our club and participate in our event. Thanks Allan and Glenda for coming and being able to meet you and introduce you to our fellow members. Allan and his wife are charming individuals and if any club has an event in Region 7, I urge you to invite Allen and his wife.
The event started at six in the evening with a happy hour and the meal service started at seven. The food was great and the waiters were just excellent.
Darryl Hanson, President kicked off the event by welcoming all present and thanked them for their attendance and participation. Darryl also recognized the officers present and thanked those present for participating in our annual festivity. He also summarized the past year’s events and where the club would like to go in the coming years and urged all to participate and give their utmost to insure the continuous success of the Austin Bass Club.
The Austin Bass Club recognizes three events for the anglers of the club. The awards given to the anglers are the Top Angler of the Year, Top five big bass of the year and the President award. Those awards are the Jackie Hewlett Award for top fisherman of the year, Lauren Johnson Trophy for the first Big Bass of the Year and the Ira Stockebrand Award for the Sportsman and Conservation angler. This award (Ira Stockebrand) as mentioned is given at the discretion of the President. It is not necessarily given each year. In addition to the big bass awards, a plaque is given for the second thru fifth places.
After the meal, the President kicked off by awarding the top eight anglers of the year that will represent the Austin Bass Club in the TABC State Championship Tournament to be held on Falcon Lake in September of this year. Those individuals are as follows:
Bobby Landes 97.90 lbs.
Jeff Woodard 94.77
Jim Sunvison 94.61
Darryl Hanson 92.87
Mike Shields 81.61
M. Jake Jakubowsky 79.63
Denis Parish 58.88
Jim Brown 57.27 (Keith Nichols will fish in his place)
After the top eight angler’s awards the Big Bass of the Year was given. The individuals receiving this recognition are as follows:
Darryl Hanson – Lauren Johnson Award 11.19lbs Choke
Jerry Carpenter 8.84 Falcon
Mike Campasso 7.45 Falcon
Bobby Landes 7.26 Falcon
M. Jake Jakubowsky 7.03 Buchanan
David Cosner was recognized for his accomplishments this past year by being given the Ira Stockebrand Award. This is the award given at the discretion of the President for individual accomplishments in the area of sportsmanship and conservation. David fishes the Collegiate Tournament Series under the FLW for Texas State University. He and his partner have qualified to fish the Championship Tournament of the collegiate series this April in Kentucky. David also started the Basscat bass club at Texas State University in San Marcos and currently serves as President of that club. David is a unique individual and a man with determination. He has a situation with his lungs that is call Wegener’s granulomatosis, a rare auto-immune condition that attacks the small blood vessels in his body. He had 42 lung surgeries, including the removal of two-thirds of his right lung. But he keeps on ticking and never gives up. When he had to go into the hospital for surgery his first comment to the doctors was "when can I go fishing?" – He lives to fish!
ABC and TABC Honors fellow angler and longtime member James A. Sparks
President Darryl Hanson requested that M. Jake Jakubowsky come forward for a special presentation to be given. Jake then read a resolution presented by the Austin Bass Club to James Sparks awarding him Honorary Charter Member for his long service to the club. The resolution recognized his leadership, accomplishments and encouragement he has shown over his forty-nine years of membership in the Austin Bass Club and thirty-eight years in TABC. Because of his devotion and commitment to the Club and the sport of bass fishing, Jim was worthy of this honor. He then was given the framed resolution and Darryl Hanson presented Jim with a certification of achievement authorizing lifetime membership with all rights and privileges.
Allan Summers, on behalf of the Texas Association of Bass Clubs, came forward to issue a statement from Ed Calderone, President of TABC. In part the statement stated that because of his devotion to the club and TABC Jim was presented with a plaque giving him Honorary Life Time Membership to the organization. There have been only five other such presentations given and this was truly and honor for Jim and the club to have such a member receive this award. Allan recognized Jim for his long-standing commitment of thirty-eight years to TABC and that by this small token was a way in which the organization could say a big thank you. Upon handing Jim this award, a standing ovation was bestowed on Jim Sparks.
Allan then spoke a little on TABC and reminded us that this organization (TABC) is our organization. He encouraged us to attend meetings and provide input to the organization as this is the only way that it can grow and continually be successful in the future years. He thanked us for our continued support of the organization and wished everyone a fruitful year in bass fishing.
On behalf of the Austin Bass Club we would like to thank Allan and the TABC organization for their recognition and support of our club. We appreciate his attendance and were much honored to have him join in our activity and be a part of this event. We look forward to the upcoming State Championship tournament and seeing everyone there.
M. Jake Jakubowsky
edited: Keith Nichols, Secretary
