Lemme a local archery legend

I grew up in the 1970s, and my family really got involved with archery. We competed in area tournaments, including the New York State Championships and one trip to the Nationals at Watkins Glen. While I've had the chance to see some of the evolution of the modern bow and arrow, my experiences pale compared to area archery icon Tom Lemme.

I talked to Lemme recently and got some of the highlights of his lifetime as an archer. Lemme, at 94, is one of the few remaining veterans of the World War II battle of Iwo Jima. "I was wounded in the battle and was recovering in the hospital when the war ended," Lemme said. "My father didn't want us to enlist (his family owned a market and needed him to work there), but I was drafted and made it to Iwo Jima." Today, Lemme attends veterans events and tries to get in touch with others from his outfit in WWII.

"I got into archery after shooting darts with my friend Eddie Alberts," Lemme said. "Eddie wasn't doing well and said he could do better with his bow." Alberts took Lemme to the Mayfair Field Archery Club in East Greenbush and taught him to shoot. Lemme got his own equipment, and the two spent plenty of time at the range, and competing in area tournaments, often winning the club events.

From his tournament competition grew a desire to make a business out of archery. "I started the shop in 1957 or 1958," Lemme said, "I had one on Lark and State Street until 1987, and then had the Central Avenue shop until 2005."

In his half-century as a shop owner, Lemme saw the complete evolution of archery equipment. "We were still using wooden arrows and self bows when I started, then Bear Archery came along with the fiberglass laminated bows, which changed everything," Lemme said. "I saw my first compound bow at the club range — we all thought it was strange and that it would never take...