Conolon question

[Ron Mc]

I remember hunting around on websites...
somebody has a history write-up on Doc so-and-so, his patents and his Conolon rods. (I know, NOT Doc Howald)
Anybody with any clues to help on this one?

Thanks

[Jim Wiegner]

Hello Ron:

On page 10 of the excellent book "Fiberglass Fly Rods" by Victor R. Johnson and Victor Jr. from Centennial Publications, the fellow I believe that you are looking for is Dr. G.G. Havens, who was the founder of NARMCO. As you may already know, this is the company which produced the very popular Conolon rods in California.
And Dr. Howald designed my favorite fiberglass rods from the 1950s, the Shakespeare Wonderods. Jim

[Ron Mc]

thanks Jim, that's the Doc I was looking for.
I was hoping to find more info on this rod, hopefully to date it.

I saw something on a website out there once, and now I can't find it through search engines. I was hoping somebody might aim me in the right direction or have some information. I have the price tag from this rod - $35, which was a bunch in the late 50s or early 60s.

here's what looks like a s/n



(if we get to Favorite glass rods, well, it's going to Phillipson and finally Para/Metric.)
but the name has helped - found this much already:

34. GLENN HAVENS
Almost all of today’s graphite or fiberglass fishing rods are hollow, tapered tubes built by wrapping a resin-impregnated fiber matrix around a steel mandrel. Glenn Havens, who founded the National Research and Manufacturing Co. (known as NARMCO) in San Diego in 1944, was apparently the first to make fishing rods using this method. On the East Coast, meanwhile, Arthur Howald patented a slightly different rod-making process in 1945, which led to the Shakespeare Wonderod. Howald is usually credited as the developer of modern synthetic rods, but it was actually Havens who created the process by which most rods are now constructed.

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif ... -6,00.html