Marty Ward was scared of Eugene Lockwood the first time he met him.
Lockwood, the owner of Gene Lockwood's sporting goods store, carried himself with a quiet pride that was intimidating to the then-23-year-old Ward.
"He taught me everything I know about business," said Ward, president of Gene Lockwood's Sports Inc., who'd worked with Lockwood for 33 years. "He was like a father to me."
Lockwood passed away Tuesday at 91 years old, just two months short of celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first sporting goods business -- a department within Pfeifer's Department Stores. His business continued as the department store became Pfeifer-Blass, then Dillard's Department Stores.
He opened his own store in Little Rock in 1976. Since then, Gene Lockwood's -- with locations in Little Rock and Hot Springs -- became one of the leading sporting goods stores in the area, Ward said.
"He embraced change," he said. "I imagine this store will be around for 100 years because of that and the merchant business model it was built on."
Forty years ago, the store had a wide range of sporting goods, Ward said. But as big-box stores came in, Lockwood adjusted. He paid attention to the trends and shifted from carrying golf and tennis equipment, to specializing in hunting and fishing gear, to bringing in the big names in outdoor clothing.
Up until the past few weeks, Lockwood would stop in the Little Rock store. Last year, for his 90th birthday, Ward took Lockwood to Las Vegas. A longtime horse-racing enthusiast, Lockwood spent more than 12 hours watching races, Ward remembered.
In 2009, the two took a trip to Alaska. Lockwood climbed in and out of the bush planes with no problem.
"He was always on the go -- always moving," Ward remembered.
He played tennis into his 80s, and he also played online bridge games in his downtime.
Ward said he was honored to know Lockwood and learn from a man who was part of the "greatest generation."
Lockwood was a combat veteran, serving in the Army Field Artillery in the European Theater under Gen. George Patton. When he returned stateside, he married Norma Jean Rephan. They had "a truly storybook marriage -- they never fought and were always with each other," Ward said.
"He truly adored Norma Jean," remembers Steve Bauman, who knew Lockwood most of his life.
Bauman's parents were close friends with the Lockwoods, and the two families spent vacations, dinners, rounds on the golf course and hours in a fishing boat together.
"He managed what few can," Bauman said. "He found a great balance between working hard and playing hard. He really lived the life he wanted to live."
Metro on 08/14/2015