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SPRINGDALE -- Springdale junior high counselor Ron Duncan was named BASS National Man of the Year in a feature of the 20th BASS Masters Classic, which ended Saturday, July 31, at the Louisiana Superdome. Duncan, 47, and on the staff of Central Junior High, was saluted for his work with a school fishing club over the past 16 years. The club has served as a model for the international "Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs" program for young people. The annual Man of the Year award is the top honor of Bass Anglers Sportsman Society (BASS) for individuals associated with sportfishing. From the 1983 beginning of Central’s Fishing Club under Duncan’s tutelage, the program to get young people interested in fishing, even without parental guidance, has spread through the nation and into Canada, Japan, Italy, Zimbabwe and South Africa, according to Don Corkran of the BASS staff. Duncan started the junior high club as a means to motivate and interest students who had home life problems, were poor performers in the classroom or who had other difficulties. Another objective was to steer the youths away from drugs and alcohol. The club quickly became the hottest game going at Central Junior High, and members have consistently numbered around 600, this in a school with an enrollment of 900. Duncan said, "The kids don’t get in the club automatically. They pay $2 (a year) or they can write an essay on why they want to be in the club." The Central Fishing Club participates in a half dozen or more fishing outings each school year, including the national "Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs" Expo. To qualify for this trip, the club members must achieve high marks in both school attendance and classroom work. Duncan has also directed four Arkansas Hooked on Fishing Family Picnics, in which more than 18,000 people have been fed, entertained and encouraged to take up fishing as a wholesome family activity. Duncan was nominated for the national award by the Arkansas BASS Federation. Corkran, the director of Federation activities for BASS, said, "The strength and success of a program or organization reflects the caliber of its leader. The Man of the Year is a positive role model for all BASS members, as well as our youth members, to follow. Ron Duncan holds this title because of his outstanding work to promote and protect fishing for the future." Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee was on hand at the BASS Classic to congratulate Duncan, who attended the national Summit on Sportfishing and Boating. Huckabee was a keynote speaker at this conference.

Uploaded: 8/6/1999