Written by D.C. Thomas
Clarksville, TN – Friends, art patrons, and fellow artists gathered Saturday, September 20th, 2025, at the Wade Bourne Nature Center for the opening of “The Legacy of Wade Bourne,” a new exhibit by local artist Larry R. Richardson.
The reception, held from 1:00pm-3:00pm in the Hand Family Community Room, highlighted original oil paintings and watercolor sketches that honor Bourne’s contributions to the outdoors.
A photograph of Richardson alongside Bourne accompanied the display. The picture was hung above the artist’s statement with the message: “Two friends, who would become fellow employees at the world’s most prestigious wetlands conservation organization, Ducks Unlimited.”
The exhibit, located at 2308 Rotary Park Drive, will remain on display through November 8th.
Richardson described his friend and mentor as a man whose impact reached far beyond the field. “Fellow outdoorsman and friend, Wade Bourne, was mentor and all-round good guy to so many who followed him through his wide array of media productions,” Richardson said. “Meeting him in person made a lasting impression. But, whether listening to a podcast or watching a TV show, it wasn’t difficult to envision being with Wade in a fishing boat at Reelfoot Lake or watching a flock of geese turning into the wind over a harvested cornfield in Nebraska. His legacy lives on at the Wade Bourne Nature Center. The scenes in this art show are reminders of where we all have been and want to go. Wade’s legacy is there with us.”
Montgomery County Parks and Recreation encouraged residents to experience the exhibit. “We welcome you to the Wade Bourne Nature Center to view a stunning painting collection by local artist Larry R. Richardson. Each painting honors Wade Bourne’s legacy to the Great Outdoors. This exhibit will be on display at the Nature Center through November 8th, we hope you’ll stop by and enjoy it,” the department shared.
According to wadebourneoutdoors.com, Bourne, a Clarksville native, was one of the nation’s most recognized voices in outdoor journalism. From 2000 until his passing in 2016, he hosted Wired2Fish/Hunt Radio, a syndicated program broadcast nationwide. He previously hosted In-Fisherman Radio, the largest outdoor radio show in North America at the time. Over four decades, Bourne published more than 3,000 articles in national outdoor magazines, served as editor-at-large for Ducks Unlimited Magazine, and authored six books.
Bourne’s work earned him induction into the Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 2005. He also received the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014 and the 2016 Homer Circle Fishing Communicator Award.
Bourne attended Austin Peay State University before graduating from the University of Tennessee. He lived with his wife, Becky, on his family farm in Clarksville, where they raised their two children, Hampton and Haley.
For more information about Larry R. Richardson’s art, visit www.cumberlandriverartist.com
Photo Gallery
