Leon Febres Cordero

[Jack Suber]

Former President of Ecuador and Father of IPSC in Ecuador, Leon Febres Cordero, passed away yesterday in Ecuador after battling lung cancer. He was the first democratically elected President of Ecuador in 1984 and a close ally of the Reagan administration. He introduced me to IPSC shortly after his election, when I was 18 years old.

R.I.P.

Here is a picture of my son and I with President Cordero at the World Shoot Closing ceremonies. The second picture is of President Cordero (Leon) and I after my first IPSC match in 1985. My Dad had just presented him with a Gold Cup 45 on behalf of the Reagan Administration. One cool thing is that the first picture at the World Shoot was taken 20 years to the day after the picture of he and I in 1985.

Edited December 17, 2008 by Jack Suber

[Steve J]

Sounds like he was a great man who will be missed by many. My condolences to all whose lives were enriched by knowing him.

Edited December 17, 2008 by Steve J

[Jack Suber]

Here are some his quotes:

"Exercising leadership, my friend, is not done with smiles," he told the AP in a 2006 interview. "Smiles are good for wooing a woman but not for governing."

"My best friends are my cigarettes and my pistols. They don't ask for anything and they're always ready," he told the AP in 2006. "I'm armed all the time because I've been shot at all my life."

He rejected his opponents barb that he saw himself as the "owner" of Ecuador, for which he developed a quick rejoinder: "If I had the influence that people say I have, the country wouldn't be in the shape it is in."

During the toasts at a state dinner given by President Reagan in 1986, Mr. Febres Cordero briefly summed up his philosophy, “I must confess that I’m still an addict to Westerns.”

[Greg Bell]

It sounds like he was a great guy!