WFJ Fienup

Bill Fienup had been a duck hunter most of his life when he started trapshooting in 1936 at the age of 45.  In 1939 he won the Russ Elliott Handicap in Kansas City and won a Plymouth automobile.  Again, in Kansas City he captured the singles trophy in 1940 and in the same year won the singles trophy at the Texas State Shoot.  In 1941 Bill and his son, Ray, won the Father/Son Championship at the Missouri State Shoot.

Bill considered his most important accomplishment was creating the Foundation for the Junior Trapshooters of Missouri in 1967.  The Foundation has provided shells, targets and instructions for thousands of young people to safely learn the sport of trapshooting.  The Foundation also acquired nearly 800 acres of land near the Ozarks in Missouri and leases it to the Missouri Trapshooters Association for their permanent home grounds. With 60 traps, it is the 2^nd largest trapshooting facility in the world.  The MTA has successfully operated the Youth Trapshooting Program for the Foundation for over 50 years.  When Covid 19 struck in 2020, The MTA hosted the Grand American for the ATA.

Bill won the Missouri State Singles Championship in 1946 and the Doubles Championship in 1947. In 1963, he won the Veterans’ Clay Target Championship at the Grand American and in 1968, at the age of 77, won the Singles Veteran Championship.  Even after age 80, he was winning veteran trophies.

Bill had success in business also.  Together with his son, Wilbur, he invented the pop open biscuit can giving rise to Pillsbury’s Pop & Fresh Dough Boy.

Trapshooting was immensely important to Bill Fienup. He proudly said “Trapshooting has been mighty good to me socially and in business, and whatever contributions to trapshooting I have been able to make are small compared to the benefits I have derived”.