My dad got to know Alvin in the Mid to Late 30's, along with Emil Kollochek when he transported his [Dad's] English Pointers to Wisconsin and Michigan, for Field Trials. They went near Bryant his hometown and Dad had read about him in Outdoor Life, in an article by Townie Whelen. He wanted him to restock a high grade A.H. Fox, he took in trade. Alvin recommended someone else for the job, a few miles away in Stevens Point WI. My Dad had his first gun built by him in 1937, an N.R.A. SPORTER with custom stock, G&H SIDE MOUNT and ZEISS ZIELKLEIN 2.25X SCOPE. It had his trademark crosshatch or "AUTOMOBILE FRONT GRILL PATTERN" CHECKERING at the grip. Sadly he made only a few more for him, when WWII called my Dad back into active service. They had planned a Custom Mod. 70 Short Rifle and a M-22 Project but ALVIN died in July 1945 or 6, so it wasn't to be. The way I got the nickname was, my DAD named a beautful male Lemon Pointer whose blood would end up in the famous Alabama ELHEW LINE of pointers, "Alvin Linden" in honor of him and when I was a boy, I became very fond of the dog. So that, when my brothers shot a quail and we were in the stage of only WORKING/TRAINING a single dog at a time, my brothers called me their... ALVIN LINDEN AND TOLD ME TO GO AND GET THEIR BIRD! which I did! Karma is Hell though, when either of them ask to borrow a gun, I always tell them...ALVIN LINDEN [the pointer] IS USING IT!!! Jerry
