Arnie Vitarbo has left the range

Another accomplished shooter has left us. Arnie passed away on Sept. 10 in Cedar City, UT.

Arnie was a great man to know. He offered me a spot at OTC in 93. He was firing member on Air Force team in the 1960’s (2660’s) and took 4th in Free Pistol at the Olympics.
He will be missed.
Jon

I have the following accomplishments listed on the AF Shooting Teams website for Arnie during his Air Force Team time:

Arnold Vitarbo (National/Interational Pistol) - 1963-1969, 1972-1973

    #112 USAF Distinguished Pistol Shot Badge
    #143 USAF Distinguished Rifleman Badge
    #108 Distinguished International Badge (1967)
    NRA 2650 Club - 1963
    President's Hundred
    1963 - New Jersey State Champion
    1963 - Maryland State Champion
    196? - California State Champion
    196? - Arizona State Champion
    Jul 65 - General Carl Spaatz Trophy - 290
    Jul 66 - Winner National Trophy Pistol Team Match (Gold Cup Trophy) (Firing Member)
    1966 - Member World Championship Team - 5th place Free Pistol
    1967 - Member Pan Am Team - Individual Gold Medal Free Pistol
    1967 - Member Pan Am Team - Team Gold Medal Free Pistol
    1968 - Member Olympic Team - 4th place Free Pistol
    1968 - InterService Service Pistol Team Champion (Vitarbo, Legg, Rupp, Hadley) - InterService Record 1166-35x - still stands
    1969 - Set Free Pistol record of 571 - held until 1985
    1969 - Set Standard Pistol record of 586 - held until 1978
    1969 - Iowa State Champion
    1973 - "Benito Juarez" Championship - Gold Medal Standard Pistol
    1973 - National Free Pistol Champion
    1974 - Hawaii State Champion
    1986 - Oregon State Champion
    1986 - Set Air Pistol record of 584

He also wrote an article for the site that can be found at:

Outline History of the United States Air Force Marksmanship School

He will for sure be sorely missed.

What a great list of accomplishments and a big loss for the BE community! Thank you Ed for listing those!
He is very highly spoken of in the local shooting community, and was instrumental in organizing and running the shooting sports for the Utah Summer Games held every year in the Cedar City area. Only after his health took a turn for the worse, the USG responsibility was shifted to the Red Cliffs R&P Range in Hurricane, UT this year and going forward. Lots of folks love his custom made hand grips also.