November 10, 1892 - September 8, 1982

John M. Olin, honorary Chairman of the Board of Olin Corporation and former Chairman of the Board and a Director of the Company and predecessor companies, since 1922, died in East Hampton, Long Island, New York. He was 89 years of age.

John Olin did everything that could be asked of a human being and then more. He was an inventor, conservationist, philanthropist and educator.

He was an inventor or co-inventor of 24 United States patents in the field of arms and ammunition manufacture and design, and was responsible for numerous ballistic developments. He was best known, in this field, for adapting progressive-burning smokeless powder to shotgun ammunition. Sportsmen were plagued, for years, when their paper shotgun shells became wet in the field, and hailed Olin's invention - in 1959 - of a moisture-proof shotgun shell.

Olin was a trustee emeritus of Cornell and Johns Hopkins University; a life trustee of Washington University in St. Louis and and honorary Director of the American Museum of Natural History. "All who knew him at Washington University considered him to be a great man, said Chancellor William H. Danforth, "his intellect was first-rate. He had an immense curiosity that continued throughout the almost 90 years of his life. One of his beliefs was that 'when one learns why something occurs, the remedy suggests itself.' He had a strong set of convictions from which he challenged others. He was always interested in the response and the responder: a person of broad understanding and good will."

He received the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur of France and the Grand Ufficiale-Ordine al Merito della Republica Italiana.

The success of the Cornell Veterinary Virus Research Institute, to a great extent, can be attributed to him.

In 1969, John Merrill Olin was the President-Treasurer of the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals.

A long-time supporter of wildlife conservation, Mr. Olin was widely recognized as one of the country's most active conservationists and led the effort to save the Atlantic salmon.

Olin was a breeder of saddle and race horses. In 1974 one of his race horses, Cannonade, won the Kentucky Derby.

In 1974 he was named to the Hunting Hall of Fame.

In the 1950's, he established Nilo Farms near Brighton, now operated by the Winchester Group of Olin Corporation.

He was a trainer, handler and breeder of Champion Labrador retrievers. In the early days of the National Amateur Stake, Mr. Olin himself, was an active participant - handling his own dogs. In 1952 and 1953, his Labrador retriever KING BUCK, became the National Champion. King Buck was known to millions of hunters as the dog appearing on the 1959-60 federal duck stamp. The story behind the stamp appeared in the January 1959 issue of Field Trial News. Buck was purchased by Olin in 1951 and was handled by Olin's trainer and handler, T. W. "Cotton" Pershall. Buck's Championships were won in 1952 at Weldon Spring, Missouri and in 1953 at Easton, Maryland. The 1965 National Champion, MARTEN'S LITTLE SMOKY, was also owned by John Olin. Olin's High Point Derby dogs were: (1954) Tanca's Rocky of Random Lake; (1955) Stonegate's Ace of Spades and (1965) Time of Frontier.

In 1960, Olin served as the Trial Chairman for the National Championship Stake. Also in 1960, he was the recipient of the Martin Hogan Memorial Award - made annually to the person in the Midwest, who in the opinion of the award Committee, had at all times displayed good sportsmanship and had contributed the greatest advancement to any or all retriever breeds and Retriever Field Trials. The honor being bestowed him was not in recognition of his dogs, but instead, an acknowledgement of his contributions to retrievers. In 1962 he became President of the National Retriever Club. Anything worthwhile in retriever trials, always had John Olin's generous support. He was a staunch supporter of both Nationals and his generosity furnished the ammunition used at the Nationals, through the Winchester-Western Corporation.

Following the death of John Fraser, Jr., in 1963, John Olin promoted and arranged the acquisition, by the two National Clubs, of the Field Trial News, now called the RETRIEVER FIELD TRIAL NEWS. He was thus instrumental, not only assuring the continuance of the publication, but making it a truly national instrument in ownership, organization and interest.