William J. Summerall
Inducted 1987
He was Waycross’ first rifle marksmanship champion. In 1931 at Sea Girt N. J., he placed second in the 200 yard match. He won the Georgia State Championship in 1936 after previously winning the American Legion National Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio in 1934. Also, in 1936, he set a national record at Camp Perry with a perfect score of 400 in a 50 meter match. He won the first match of the championship over 800 competitors, and was a member of the East American Legion team that won with a national record.
He was a member of the International Dewar team, composed of the top 20 scorers in aggregate matches and completed against teams from the British Empire. He placed 7th nationally in the National Rifle Association ranking instituted in 1936 and in 1937 he was a member of the U.S. International Pershing Trophy Team. He was the only Southerner on the team composed of the top ten shooters in the United States, which competed against Great Britain. He and a teammate, Dr. Russell Gardner from Ohio, shot the high total score.
At Camp Ritchie, Md., he teamed up with a former national champion to win the 1938 two-man team match by four points, a new range record. He had previously (1936) tied for second place in the Grand Aggregate at Camp Ritchie. He won a place on the 1938 International Dewar team and was a member of the International Veterans team.
In 1947, he won the North Carolina state championship, placed third in a match at Camp Perry and again made the International Dewar team.
He won the Southeastern Regional Matches at Chattanooga, the Tri-state matches at Chattanooga and the North Carolina State crown for a second time in 1949.
In 1950, Summerall won two matches in the Southeastern Regional in Miami and was second in the Southeastern Regional any sight aggregate in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1953. He shot a perfect score in a match in Los Angeles, California in 1960. He held a Lifetime Master Rifleman classification with the National Rifle Association.