Well, judging by the photo above, it wasn't Rich Ward. This was, dast I say it?, back in 1972 when Bob Ward's primary store was downtown on Higgins (I think I've got the street right)--back in the day when you could get a plate-lopping cut of prime rib at the Ox for $2 and change. That was also the summer when I "discovered" a massive stonefly hatch on the Clark Fork just out of town (not the famed salmonfly but a slightly smaller version) that would light up the river and give me several browns between 15 and 20 inches every afternoon. That is one reason I always carry and use the Kolzer Orange to this day.
The reel on my Orvis was (and will be) a little System 5 from Scientific Anglers (similar to the Hardy Marquis), but I do miss the old Medalists. I'm trying to find a 1492 or 2 1/2 for a Lamiglas four-weight I'm thinking hard about building in my "spare" time. Then I have the Fenwick, which needs a 1494 or 5...