Tom, I read it the other way around: the rifle was given by the group of higher-ranking company officials to one person who had worked for the company for 25 years Oct.26, 1926. That unnamed person, who started working for Dürkopp in 1901, was certainly a high-ranking manager. As I wrote, you may email Dürkopp-Adler. Maybe they have a "company historian", who can answer the question. Certainly they have English-speaking staff, as they are providing the international market. Here is the link to their history in English: http://www.duerkopp-adler.com/en/main/company/history.html