About the Prince William County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited

The Prince William Chapter of Ducks Unlimited was begun twenty-eight years ago by founding members Dr. Jack Pash, L. Walter Sullivan, Bob Humphrey, Mike Polofka, Melvin Dent, William Cumberland, Jim Connell, Ewing Wall, Jr., Bobby Caton, Paul Ebert, Andy Lynn and George "Tick" Stinger. The first organizational meeting was held at the Occoquan Inn.

Under the leadership of Dr. Jack Pash the group hosted the first annual Ducks Unlimited banquet on Friday, October 13, 1978 at the Fairfax Rod and Gun Club. Highlights of that first event included a trap shooting exhibition, a Labrador Retriever demonstration and the give away of a limited edition Ithaca Model 51 shotgun.

Throughout the years, the Prince William Chapter has grown and the popularity of the banquet has increased causing the event to be held in a variety of locations including the Prince William County Fairgrounds, Coles District Fire Department, the Prince William County Police Association Hall, the National Guard Armory, Seminole, the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rector, the Manassas Elks Club and most recently at the Virginia Portuguese Community Club.

Committee members also changed with each location however, some notable ones remained the same. L. Walter Sullivan, with the assistance of Dr. Jack Pash, Paul O'Meara and Paul Ebert, chaired the dinner for over 10 years. Andy Lynn, Pete Ebert and Ralph McDowell also served as event chairmen through the years. Peter Kane, who recently retired from the PW Ducks committee, organized the auction for a number of years and many current committee members including Chip and Nancy Rohr, Molly Lane, Jeanene Ebert, Ellen Patterson and Peter Wettergreen have long been active in the DU organization.

The event itself, the banquet and auction, has changed very little through the years. Each year the chapter has provided guests with a lively cocktail hour and delicious dinner followed by both a silent and live auction, the proceeds of which go to the Ducks Unlimited national organization for the conservation and preservation of wetlands and other habitats of North American waterfowl. The Prince William chapter of Ducks Unlimited as been proud to turn over a significant amount of money each year - from a little more than $12,000 in the early years to a record near $50,000 last year which earned the Chapter a Top Ten finish in contributions for Virginia..