Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander

wanted him to be a leader but with a sense of humor, too. I wanted him to work and make a living. I wanted him to be a man’s man, but with gentleness and love for me and his children, and be ready to defend us at all times. More than anything else, I wanted to feel loved and protected.
    What I didn’t know when I found the man who filled my dreams was that I had found a diamond in the rough. It would take a lifetime to perfect that diamond on the long journey of life.
    Phil and I have had many good years, some hard years, a few sad years, and a lot of struggling years to get where we are now. God put us in each other’s paths. It has always been a wonderful ride for me.
    I have a husband who is my best buddy and friend, my lover, my Christian brother, my champion, and the person who will always be there through thick and thin.
    There is no greater love than your love for God, but right under that is your love for your husband, your partner for life. One of the great tragedies I see is people not putting every effort into the foundation of their marriage. My grandmother told me that it’s one man and one woman for life and that your marriage is worth fighting for. We had a few hard and bumpy years, but prayer, patience, and some suffering and hope—plus remembering an old lady’s words—were what got me through the difficult times. We have given it our all for our marriage and family, and my dreams did come true. Phil is and will always be my hero!

Thanks to my oldest brother, Jimmy Frank, for his historical excellence, vivid memory, and storytelling. Thanks to Mark Schlabach for his insight, skill, and help with writing this book. Thanks to our old friend Philis Boultinghouse for her help in editing and mostly for not being anything like Denny. Thanks to John Howard for his help in making this project come together. I thank all of those who worked hard for little or no pay helping us get started almost forty years ago. I thank Gary Stephenson for his early work in bringing our hunting exploits to the screen and many others who have helped that process all of these years. I thank all of our Duck Commander employees for their hard work and dedication and all of our great customers and fans who have given rise to this ducky phenomenon. Thanks to the Outdoor Channel and A&E for bringing our family to the airwaves of this great country. Finally, a special thanks to all of the Robertson family, all of whom live the legacy set forward in this book. To Granny and Pa, who await the great resurrection, and to my brothers and sisters and their families and especiallyto my best friend and travel buddy, Miss Kay, and to my four sons and their families. Most of all I thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, son of the Almighty God, for washing away my sins, teaching me a better way to live, and guaranteeing my eternal inheritance.

My parents James H. and Merritt Robertson

My third-grade picture

Playing baseball in my junior year at North Caddo High School, Vivian, Louisiana

During my playing days conferring with North Caddo coach Ed Sigrest

The Robertson men in the early 1970s in Gonzales, Louisiana. Left to right: James (Pa), Tommy, Jimmy Frank, Si, Harold, and me

Kay and me—high school sweethearts

Kay as a sophomore at North Caddo

Kay with her Papaw Carroway and miniature pony, Tony

My sophomore year at Louisiana Tech (1966). Pictured here are the backfield and receivers. Terry Bradshaw is number 12 and I am number 10, on the back row third from left.

My first year teaching English and PE in Junction City, Arkansas

Alan, Jase, Kay, and me in 1972

From left to right: Alan, Kay, Willie, and Jase, Christmas 1976

Al Bolen and me in the early 1970s

Me in front of Granny and Pa’s house in Luna, Louisiana, holding catfish caught on the Ouachita River

The boys—left to right: Willie, Jep, and Jase—waiting on me to return with the fish

Me at the lathe in the mid-1970s

Still building duck calls in the 1990s

Building duck calls is a family affair.

Me with Peggy Sue out on my land

Mac Owen and me hunting among the cypress trees of Louisiana

Here I am preaching the gospel at a speaking event.

Grand opening of the new location in 2010

The Duckmen accepting our Golden Moose awards in 2010

Si and me enjoying some brother time

Jimmy Frank, Tommy, and I admire the five-hunter limit from the last hunt of 2011.

We hope you enjoyed reading this Howard eBook.
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