While "The Old Man And The Sea" captured my imagination for catching BIG fish, it wasn't until years later I learned "Papa" Hemingway and I had so much in common, in our travels, our upbringing, and our love of fishing. As I read his biographies and books published by friends who knew him and fished with him, I became more and more captivated by the similarities between us.

They start out with the sharing of the family name, "Hall". Both our roots are of English origin, and Papa's grandfather, for whom he was named, was Ernest Hall. While I have not traced the blood lines, there must be a connection back in jolly old England.

We both started fishing at a very young age-Papa in the midwest, including Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I was raised in the Northwest, and fished in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. (Idaho turned out to be Papa's final resting place.)

Papa's life, which is well documented, parallels mine: leaving home at a young age, and rather go to college, we both chose to explore the world. In 1957 I enlisted in the military, which was the start of my invesitgative career. I excelled in both the private sector as a private investigator in California, and 9 years as a Pinkerton Detective, in the Detroit, Los Angeles, and Orange county offices. My final years in this carrer were spent working as a government investigator.

Unlike Hemingway, however, my writings turned out to be millions of pages of reports ...short, concise, and to the point. (No great novels here!) however, I was able to travel around the world with this career, and, like Papa, I was able to go fishing in every theater that I found myself in, including Europe and the Orient.

As a young fisherman, I shared Papa's feeling about fishing, as he wrote: "Someone just back of you while you are fishing is as bad as someone looking over your shoulder when you write a letter to your girl."

Since I was raised in a very small community, it was not hard to enjoy solitude when I fished. I became very adept at catching fish, but was warned over and over not to bring any home. This started a release program for me at a very young age, as I loved catching trout over and over again in the small streams where I honed my fishing skills.

Both Papa and I discoverd big game, or "Blue Water" fishing as we aged and the opportunity presented itself. While conducting an investigation in Mexico, I found the "Marlin Capital Of The World", and Papa's "Old Man And The Sea" suddenly took on a whole new meaning. I wanted to share this experience with as many anglers as possible.

Papa pulled off a deal with the U. S. Government, using the Pilar as an undercover vessel to search for U-Boats in the Gulf of Mexico during WW II. He used the opportunity to do a lot of fishing in all the ports, and generally had a good fishing time. I had no hope of doing the same thing. Instead, I've conducted dozens and dozens of trade shows promoting the kind of fishing which has afforded me the opportunity to fish the "Blue Water" several times a year.

For the past 25+ years, I have taken or sent thousands of anglers to this Paradise. It continues to be a personal fishing thrill, sharing with everyone I can talk into going fishing the love of catching these magnificent warriors in the Blue Water.

I think Papa would be proud that I have chosen to honor his name and accomplishments by organizing this kind of fund raiser. We both loved the competitive challenge of life. The scholarship moneys raised in this manner I feel are a special tribute to the effort and his name.

Finally, the fact I bear a physical resemblance to Papa is a very special gift. Or...is there a genetic connection?