This May, Glynn County’s institutions of learning will celebrate the graduation of a new group of students. It is noteworthy that several alumni from this region have achieved fame, especially in the field of sports. One remarkable Glynn Academy graduate from the 1930s is Fred Missildine.
Born in Glynn County in 1915, Missildine achieved international fame in the field of skeet and trap shooting. His skill with a shotgun was self-taught at a time when there were few instructors of competitive shooting. In his mid-twenties, he became manager of the Sea Island Gun Club and launched his career as a competitive shooter. He competed in his first tournament, the National Skeet Championship, in 1941 and broke 249 of 250 targets to win the professional class. Later that year, the United States entered World War II, and from 1942-1945 Missildine served in the 8th Air Force as a shooting instructor to train Army Air Corps pilots.
Image courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Fred Missildine and his dog
After the war, he returned to competitive shooting and won over 35 national and international championships. Throughout his career, Missildine missed only 327 out of a total of 28,425 targets, and his lifetime average was an astounding 98.6. He was at one time ranked the No. 1 teacher in the country and among his students were many world champions. In addition to teaching at the Missildine Shooting School at Sea Island, he wrote three instructional books, including Score Better at Trap and Score Better at Skeet. These books, though out of print, are still being read and credited with improving scores.
During his lifetime, Missildine was inducted into three halls of fame: the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia State Skeet Association Hall of Fame, and the National Skeet Shooting Association Hall of Fame. A lifelong resident of Glynn County, Missildine died in 2000. He was inducted into Glynn County Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
The month’s image from the Coastal Georgia Historical Society archives shows a youthful Missildine with his dog.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
