1951
At age 23, Bob Lee forms Wing Archery in Houston, Texas, crafting his unique traditional bows
1959
Through dogged determination — and the donation of dozens of Red Wing Hunter model bows — Bob Lee successfully lobbies for Texas’ first archery-only hunting season
Bob assists in forming the Pope & Young Club dedicated to developing records for quality game taken with bow and arrow — the archery counterpart to Boone & Crockett
1963
Bob produces the first 3-piece bow — the Presentation II. The P-II proves an overwhelming and immediate success, and serves as forerunner to the takedown bows on the market today
1965
Bob relocates his company to Jacksonville, Texas, and is quickly established as the city’s largest employer, shipping in excess of 300 bows per day
1968
Bob helps to form the national Archery Manufacturers Organization (AMO), an association that develops industry standards for bow weights, draw lengths, etc.
After growing Wing Archery to the third largest archery manufacturing company in the world, Bob Lee sells to Head Ski and remains as CEO
1972
Bob Lee resigns from his position with Head Ski (now owned by AMF-Head)
1989
Bob and son Rob launch Bob Lee Archery with a newfound commitment to the preservation of American-made, handcrafted bows — at a rate of up to 4 bows per day, a stark contrast to the mass production of the Wing heyday
2007
Bob Lee is inducted into the National Bowhunters Hall of Fame and is honored with a standing ovation during the award ceremony in Las Vegas among his peers, family and other industry notables
2010
The company moves into a newly-constructed facility on nine acres in Jacksonville. The lobby is now home to Bob’s first bow, built in 1951, as well as other vintage Wing models, memorabilia, and a multitude of trophies from Bob and Rob’s hunts and tournaments
2011
The company celebrates Bob’s 60th anniversary in bow-building with the unveiling of a Limited Edition Anniversary model — The Legacy featuring Stabi-Lock™, an innovative tool-free limb attachment system that uses a riser channel and limb wedge with detents
2012
A Bob Lee recurve wins “Best Bow” in the nation out of 12 market leaders tested by Bowhunting World magazine — the winning Bob Lee model is aptly named The Ultimate; 2nd place was also awarded to a Bob Lee bow (The Natural)
2014
Bob Lee receives his second Hall of Fame induction during the Grand Opening ceremony of the National Archery Hall of Fame Museum at Bass Pro Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri
2021
Bob Lee, founder of Wing Archery and partner to son Rob in Bob Lee Bows, passes away at age 92 after an extended illness. His legacy will live on in the multitude of bows cherished by shooters around the globe, and the innovations that changed the face of traditional archery. His indelible presence will remain in the hearts of his family, friends and throughout the sport he so dearly loved.
Rob Lee, son JJ, wife Jenni and their devoted team continue Bob Lee’s legacy through an ongoing commitment to the sport of traditional archery. Bob’s spirit of innovation lives on as well, with this year seeing the introduction of new products such as Carbon CobraCurve limbs (super recurve design faced in twill carbon) and a streamlined concealment cap for the company’s renowned Stabi-Lock™ system