International Hunter Education Association honors Larry McAdow
PRATT — The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) has announced that Larry McAdow, Halstead, will be inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) hunter education coordinator Wayne Doyle nominated McAdow, the third Kansan to receive the honor. This prestigious honor is given to individuals with "outstanding traits that have helped to improve the hunter education movement in a manner that exceeds the general effort."

McAdow has been actively involved with hunter education for 36 years. He started as a volunteer instructor in 1974, and from 1980 to the present, he has served several terms on the Hunter Education Advisory Committee, continuously since 1994. In 1984, he was designated as a master instructor, and in 1988 became an area coordinator for the Kansas Hunter Education Program. In 1991, McAdow was named Outdoor Educator of the Year by the Kansas Wildlife Federation. He has been awarded the Kansas Hunter Education Program's Order of the Buffalo for excellence — a peer-selected award — three times. In 1996, he was name Game Conservation International's Outstanding Hunter Educator, as well as the Kansas Region 4 Instructor of the Year. In 2003, he was named the Winchester Instructor of the Year by IHEA.

"Larry is all about innovation," Doyle said. "In his 36 years as an instructor, he has continually looked for and adopted new and better ways to teach. He has made use of new technology and new ideas in training instructors and students."

Some of McAdow's accomplishments include the following:

• designed and built one of the first trail walks (hunter safety trails) in Kansas and spent his own time and money traveling the state to train other instructors in its use;
• co-authored KDWP's Trail Walk & Pop-Up Plans, a permanent part of the Hunter Education Program's instructor manual;
• conducted instructor workshops for many years;
• helped design hardware and software configurations for classroom audio/visual equipment;
• designed online training for instructors;
• was the driving force behind modifying computer software for the classroom, known as HEToolsã;
• was a founding member of the Kansas Hunter Education Instructor Association;
• taught advanced hunter education classes on waterfowl hunting; and
• demonstrated his trail walk at IHEA venues in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Nevada.

"Larry's most valuable contribution to hunter education is his willingness to share knowledge with others," Doyle explained. "He will help solve problems, teach classes, train instructors — anything that's needed on short notice. His willingness to listen, offer advice, counsel, and mentor has been invaluable to me as statewide coordinator. I simply couldn't be as effective without Larry McAdow. The impact he has had on this program is immeasurable."

McAdow's response to news of the award reflects both a dedication to his work and a humble attitude toward the spotlight.

"I have been honored over the years to be associated with and work with the best instructors and state coordinators anywhere in the world," McAdow said. "This is the honor of my life. All others pale in comparison because of the people I have had the honor to be associated with over the years."

McAdow will be inducted into the IHEA Hall of Fame at the organization's annual meeting June 2-5 at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo. For more information on this event, go to the IHEA website, www.ihea.com.
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