Longtime trap club caretaker Harry Greene says goodbye

With or without a firearm, Harry Greene is a straight-shooter.

Ask him a question, you will get an answer. Anyone who has been on one of the many firing lines at the Plains Trap Club and gun range can attest to that.

After agreeing to becoming involved with the well-used shooting site in 1999, Greene has been a fixture at the range adjacent to the public golf course.

Now, after two decades of keeping good care of and watch over the facility, Greene has decided to move on. He will be heading to Michigan at the end of September to help care for his son who has been battling medical issues for several years.

After assuming the role of caretaker in 2002 and moving a mobile home he owned onto the property, Greene went about making changes that would ultimately change the club and range into a first-class facility.

But he is quick to point out it was a group effort.

“I came here with the idea of cleaning things up,” said Greene, who has worked without pay for the entire time. “First, anyone who would become a caretaker at a gun range ought to be a shooter so he knows what’s going on.”

And a shooter he is, going back to age 10 when he first fired a weapon. From there he took up hunting and eventually joined the U. S. military.

“I’ve been a gun guy since I was a little kid,” Greene said. “This is what I do. I like firearms and like being around people who also enjoy them and do so safely. Some people like football, I like shooting.”

He had worked on gun ranges in the past and spent time in Vietnam with the Army. When he eventually saw the gun range just north of Plains, he saw potential in a site that was basically without organization and proper facilities.

“This was a place where local folks came to shoot,” he said. “But it was also a place where folks came to drink beer and leave garbage behind. I haven’t done anything special, just worked with the great people around here to make it better.”

When he first started helping out, Greene said the property was not in good shape. Rotting animal carcasses, discarded mattresses and other trash were left behind. “Some people were upset when we started cleaning things up,” he said.

Today the site is home to the Trap Club and a separate gun range for rifles and handguns that rivals any range in the area.

As part of his duties at the 45-acre site, he keeps the lawns mowed and the trash picked up. He also is a membership booster and helps with paying the bills.

“Range manager is not a big title,” he said. “I could be commander of the commodes and payer of bills.”

But perhaps what he will be remembered for and missed a lot is his knowledge of guns and their proper use, information he is always willing to share.

“I’ve spent a lot of time on this and other gun ranges,” Greene said. “I’ve seen people with a wide range of experience and abilities, including little or no experience. There are some who have come here who I wouldn’t trust with a BB gun downtown.”

Greene, who keeps a watch on the place, is known for coming to the shooting area whenever shooters arrive. “I just try to help if I can and offer advice when I feel it is needed.”

A self-described technology “dinosaur”, Greene said he will miss the interaction with gun owners and the friendships he has made.

“I’m a land-line guy,” he said, referring to his hesitance to own a cell phone. “I don’t have a computer. I realize things change over the years and nothing really stays the same.

“I’m hoping whoever is the next caretaker will keep good care of this place”.

It may well be impossible to replace Greene, who has worked without pay and owns the house he moved to the property.

“Being retired has allowed me to take on this role and be around what I love to do,” he said. “It can be a thankless job and whoever comes next should be able to live here on the grounds. I’ve always tried to take good care of things.”

Greene said he moves on with a great deal of gratitude for all those he has met over the years.

“Management of this place has been very good to me,” he said. “There have been so many good people who have come and been part of making this a good shooting site. I’ve just enjoyed being able to be part of providing a service for the good people of this area.”

“Hey, I am what I am.”