Ed Dean - PSTC Life Member

I first became involved with the Peoria Skeet and Trap Club in 1964 at age 13 when the club moved to its present location.  I started working as a trap boy and soon got the chance to try shooting when Ben Benedict gave me shells and let me use his Browning over and under.  I continued shooting and started shooting registered skeet in 1968.  Over the years I served as skeet chairman from 1975 until today where I have coordinated the annual 3-I shoot, several Illinois state shoots and several ACUI collegiate shoots.  I have served on the Peoria board of directors for over 35 years  in the role of President, Vice President, Secretary, and 28 of those years as Treasurer.  I was also the first full-time Manager of the club from 1985 until 1989.  Besides my work with the Peoria club I served one term as President and one term as Vice President of the Illinois State Skeet Association and 5 two-year terms as state director to the National Skeet Shooting Association.

In shooting, my first gun championship was with the 12 gauge in 1971 at Decatur Soya shoot where I ran 100 straight and beat several All American shooters in a 12 man shoot-off.  I went on to win gun championships across the mid-west at Palos, Northbrook, Davenport, Quincy, St Louis, Louisville, Des Moines, Waukesha and Fort Wayne.  I have won gun titles at 4 Zone shoots and 13 State shoots including my most recent with a 100 straight in 410 at Peoria in 2014.  I have been on All State Teams almost every year from 1975 to the present.  My biggest win though came in 2002 becoming just the 6th shooter to break 650 out of 650 at the World Shoot in San Antonio, Texas.  I won the HAA event with 650, the HOA event with 550 out of 550 and beat 26 of 27 shooter for runner-up with 100 straight in the 410 event.  Another big accomplishment was having the highest average in the World with the 12 gauge in 1982.  The average was 99.83 with 1,198 out of 1,200.

In 1982 I was inducted into the Illinois Skeet Hall of Fame and have shoot 214,350 registered targets as of now in my shooting career.  Besides my World Championships, one of my biggest moments was shooting with Becky McCumber and Chris Phelps when they broke their 400 out of 400 HOA’s and being there when my brother, Jack Dean, was awarded his Illinois Skeet Hall of Fame plaque. (Recorded in 2015)