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The
University Flycasters and Student Chapter of the American Fisheries
Societies, student organizations at the University of Wyoming, have for
the past seven years hosted an annual Anglers Symposium on the campus of
the University of Wyoming. The Symposium features angling topics and
an expert panel program with speakers addressing topical issues of
interest to fly fishers in the Rocky Mountain region. Jack Dennis has been
the lead presenter at the Symposium since its inception.
Jack
brought Gary LaFontaine to the Symposium for several years, and Gary was a
featured and beloved guest. Gary’s battle with ALS and death in 2002
affected us greatly. The profits from the 2001 Symposium were donated to
Gary’s medical fund.
UW Flycasters Nick Boyd and Ed Schmidtmann
view recent additions to the Lafontaine collection.
To
further remember Gary, and honor his many contributions to fly fishing,
the University Flycasters inaugurated the LaFontaine Memorial Angling Book
Collection of fine angling books in conjunction with the Symposium in
2002. The La Fontaine collection, which as of 2003 consists of
nearly 60 titles, is maintained at the University of Wyoming’s American
Heritage Center, Rare Book Collection.
 The
LaFontaine collection joins the Frederick and Clara Toppan Angling Book
Collection that was donated to the University of Wyoming on Mr. Toppans
death in 1966. The Toppan collection has almost 500 highly-valued angling
titles, including early editions of the Complete Angler, several Frederick
Halford titles, an original edition of the Western Angler by Roderick Haig-Brown,
and many other valuable titles. The Toppan Collection is supported by a
permanent endowment from Mrs Clara Toppan that assures professional
curation of both Toppan and LaFontaine angling libraries. To expand
the LaFontaine collection, donations of valuable and rare editions of
angling books published after the mid 1960s are encouraged, but selected
titles published before Mr. Toppans death also are welcomed.
Anne Marie Lane, Curator, Rare Books Collection,
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming,
and the LaFontaine Memorial Angling Book Collection
Because
of limited space and the need to ensure high quality, titles donated to
the LaFontaine collection will be reviewed by a panel consisting of Anne
Marie Lane, Curator of the Toppan Collection, nationally known
anglers/authors/publishers, as well as University of Wyoming students and
staff.
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