  On
June 25, 1902 William Sevier Ward married Pearl Florence
Wright in Texarkana, Arkansas. After moving to Easton,
Missouri the couple was blessed with a son, Virgil, on
May 25, 1911.
The business was traded in 1927 for a 120 acre farm, located
2 1/2 miles from Amsterdam, Missouri. His father purchased
cattle at $300 each. The Great Depression hit, and the
price of cattle dropped to $30 per head.
Because of the move Virgil had to miss a year of school.
In 1928 he started as a sophomore in Amsterdam High School.
The family was extremely poor. Many times Virgil and his
brothers and sisters didn't attend school because they
had to work. When Virgil did go to school he would walk
the nearly three miles.
His competitive spirit has shown throughout his life.
While attending Amsterdam High School he was the county
champion for three years in track. He was never beaten
in any running or standing broad jump competition. He
also competed in the discus throw and pole vault, and
was the leader of the basketball team.
When asked about his favorite subjects, Virgil jokingly
says, geometry and girls. Maybe that is why he was called
the "sheik" in a high school year book.
Although Cleda Irene Thornbrough, who was called the "prettiest
girl in school", attended the same high school, Virgil
did not meet her there. Their meeting took place during
one of Amsterdam's Band Concerts, of which there were
one or two each week.
The meeting eventually resulted in Virgil and Cleda's
wedding on December 3, 1933. Virgil was 22 and Cleda was
21. They were so poor that they could not afford a wedding
photo.
Their first child, Bill, was born in 1934. They also have
three daughters, Barbara, Karen and Sandy, nine grandchildren
and five great grandchildren.
Virgil started a plumbing shop in 1950 in Amsterdam. To
supplement his income he also sold appliances. The family
lived in the back of the shop, which eventually became
the home of the Bass Buster Lure Company. It remains as
one of the Bass Buster plants today.
It was through his appliance sales that he first met Coco
Gregory who became his secretary, and still holds that
position today.
  In
1955 Virgil and Bill started the Bass Buster Lure Company,
and patented the fiber weedguard. This weed guard revolutionized
the weedless jig, and is still used today by jig manufacturers.
However, it was the feather jig that was the first big
success of the company.
After the feather jig came the famous maribou jig, and
Beetle Spin. Later the company was sold to Sam Johnson
of the Johnson Wax Company, who owned Johnson Fishing,
now known as Johnson Worldwide Associates.
Amsterdam is still the home of Bass Buster. It not only
has the original plant, but also a new facility on the
south side of town.
Virgil's athletic abilities and competitive spirit have
carried throughout his life. He played basketball until
the age of 38 and baseball until he was 48. In competitive
fishing he has won the 1958 Regional Bass Competition,
1962 World Series of Sport Fishing, 1964 National Championship
of Fresh Water Fishing, and 1964 Outdoor Writers and Broadcasters
National Fishing Tournament.
According to his son Bill, this competitiveness and faith
in God is what has carried his dad through many tough
times, including his fight with bladder cancer.
Some of his first experiences with the electronic outdoor
media were with Lloyd Presley, who had a local outdoor
show in Springfield, Missouri. Later Lloyd started Presleys'
Country Jubilee, which was Branson's first country theater.
Virgil appeared on Lloyd's show reporting his fishing
success in the area.
It wasn't long before Virgil was going strong in the outdoor
media with a column in 455 newspapers, and a radio show
on 200 stations.
From 1963 to 64 Virgil hosted his first TV series with
co-host Bud Iman, for the Missouri Conservation Commission.
The shows aired on channel 3 in Springfield, Missouri.
At this same time he also taught a fishing class at Southwest
Missouri State University.
This was the spring board for his most famous accomplishment
- the nationally syndicated Championship Fishing TV Show.
He hosted the show for 25 years, 21 of which took the
number one rating for fishing shows, according to the
Nielsen and ARB rating services. One of those years the
show placed number one over 400 syndicated shows - one
of his proudest achievements. 
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