I'm the son of John(Joe) and Joyce Sheehan, both part of the
management structure at DW in the 80's / 90's for the separate
corporate entities of Dan Wesson Arms and Wesson Firearms. Both are
alive and kickin, and I write these words with their permission, but
without editorial constraint.



My father was hired by Dick Rosenfeld as plant/production manager to
launch the .44 mag, a task which he engrossed himself in, as he had
all other precision manufacturing endeavors he nursed in his career.
His experience's at P&W Aircraft along with his successes as an
aftermarket motorcycle accessory manufacturer made him the logical
choice for hire.
Dad has always been a focused manager, sometimes viewed as cold or
curt by subordinates, non-deferring to superiors, and having worked
with him directly during his cycle fab days I can see where the
perception is valid. When he's in the shop, he owns it, and treats it
as such. For his efforts, he was awarded and presented an engraved,
dove gray DW .44 mag bearing a desirable serial number,.... a piece
which he owns to this day. He stayed with the company from 1980 to
1990. Painfully aware of the circumstances of the company's demise, he
sometimes laments on what "could have been". He finds a great deal of
beauty in the design of the .44, and once in a while he, myself and
brothers will take his presentation piece out and pass it around,
admiring it, critiquing, remembering.
After Rosenfeld's partner Bob MacWilliams bought him out, Dad's
influence in the company was overshadowed by petty background noises
not uncommon to smaller company structures. That's as eloquently as I
can express that subject at this time. He and most others `in the
know' believed Dan Wesson Arms would have fared well under Rosenfeld.
Dismissed by MacWilliams in 1990, he later joined the restructured
"Wesson Firearms" under Seth and Carol Wesson and Ed Arventes , not as
management, but under the title of "tool grinder"….great euphemism for
a manufacturing guru, but hey…Pops was always in it for the challenge…

Mom recalls being hired in 1985 as a part time parts clerk and didn't
stop working until the doors closed. Through 2 corporations and all
the expected positive and negative dynamics, Mom is a trooper.
Always task capable and meticulous, she quickly advanced to filling
the full time slot. No stopping Ma from there, and her talents were
applied to several administrative staff positions to include materials
procurement and vendor accounts. She was also contracted by Bob Serva
to identify, ship and catalog the parts inventory he acquired when he
purchased the company. My folks went to NY and met with Serva on the
backside of this activity to make the transition of property as smooth
as possible. They left NY satisfied that the Dan Wesson legacy that
once was, would be again. Prior to the CZ acquisition, I'd hit the DW
website….report to my folks what was going on with the company….they
were always pleased.

Mom and Dad are open to fill in any blanks that they can on the
subjective history of the company during their employment. If you
have any questions, feel free to ask……..

Mike Sheehan
Springfield, MA