About the Author
  Jerry White is a native of Illinois. When he graduated from high school, he entered the U.S. Marine Corps and began a 26-year-long military career as a combat engineer. In an unusual move for the USMC, he was allowed to change jobs and pursue his primary interest of repairing guns, an area where he had shown talent.

He spent 12 years as enlisted armorer and the remainder of his career as an Ordnance Officer. He found that his interest in the modern weaponry waned and that he was developing a curiosity on the history of firearms technology.

Jerry went through what he calls his "black powder phase," with all the attendant longrifle building and shooting, powder horn making and engraving, that accompanies the hobby.

 

When he finally retired from the Marines, he treated himself to a museum and gunsmith tour of Great Britain, actually twice in two years. The opportunity to see and handle firearms from the past was invaluable.

He was never content to just study firearms from printed word, photo or from behind glass cases. He would make a gun to study and shoot the various styles of lock mechanisms. Rather than collect a gun, he collected knowledge about the gun.

Over the years, he has amassed a large library on the subject of historic guns, including videos shown on the History Channel, A&E, and PBS.

"One can't just study the gun," he says, "but the history of the region and the people using the gun to gain insight on 'why that style'".

His current fascination is with the arms of the Islamic regions, the Balkans, and lower Russia. That means miquelet and the miquelet starts in Spain and New Spain. The pursuit continues.

He resides with his wife, Doddy and his many cats in Oceanside, California. They live in the San Louis Rey valley, under the shadow of the Mission. During the daylight hours, he enjoys his job as the driver supervisor of a paratransit transportation agency.

 

Article Date: 09/99