The Ketchpen: Rodeo Historical Society

Autumn/Winter 2016 ®

Rodeo Historical Society

"There is no future in giving up!"

— Amberley Snyder, 2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award Recipient

Autumn/Winter 2016 ®

Rodeo Historical Society

27

24

32

6

11

On The Cover

Greg Westfall’s image of Amberley Snyder graces the Autumn/ Winter cover of The Ketchpen. She is shown running in the 2016 Friday night performance at Spanish Fork, Utah. Snyder, the youngest recipient to date, was presented with the Tad Lucas Memorial Award during the recent Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend.

Features

Rodeo Weekend Recap Revisit the special moments that made for a memorable event

6

Hall of Fame Introductions Meet the 2016 Class of Inductees and Honorees

11

Pardoned, After All These Years Cutting college classes to rodeo, this group of movers and shakers finally forgiven

23

Crossing Paths: CA Teal Blake...

The cowboy influence in a watercolorist’s career

24

... And TCAA Artist Troy West A leather carver’s love of rodeo and the life that follows

Arena Safety: Then and Now Finding the perfect balance between safety and entertainment in rodeo

Columns

27 32

2 Presidents’ Messages 3 RHS Board of Directors 4 Preserving Heritage 4 Digest 5 The Museum Store 30 Empty Saddles 38 Landscape of Giving 42 On the Cover

2

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Presidents’ Messages PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

B Steven M. Karr

y all accounts, Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend, September 30-October 1, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, was wildly successful.

This is due in no small part to the exceptional individuals in the Rodeo Hall of Fame Class of 2016, as well as the Tad Lucas and Ben Johnson Memorial Awards recipients.

In this issue of The Ketchpen, we recap Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend and introduce you to each of these amazing inductees. Jake Barnes, Ote Berry, Clay O’Brien Cooper, Bud and Jimmie Munroe, Wick Peth, and Walt Linderman all touched countless lives on the road to rodeo greatness, as have Jack Roddy, Ben Johnson Memorial Award recipient, and Amberley Snyder, Tad Lucas Memorial Award honoree. We were proud to host them here at the Museum and equally pleased to feature them in The Ketchpen.

WWW.OWNBEYPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

I

Sharon Shoulders

f you missed the 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend you should be sorry because it was one of the best ever!

Make plans now to attend next year’s event, scheduled for October 27 – 28, 2017.

Success can be measured by the outcome of professional people working together, and that is exactly what happened at this year’s Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend.

Friday evening’s cocktail reception was well attended, fun, and informal, held in Prosperity Junction, an “old cowboy town” setting at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Saturday morning’s Inductee Panel Discussion was nothing short of a success as well.

At Saturday night’s Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductions, emcees Pam Minick and Dave Appleton were superb. Who knew cowboys Jake Barnes, Clay O’Brien Cooper, and Ote Berry, and bullfighter Wick Peth, could make such eloquent speeches, along with Jimmie and Bud Munroe? Dorothy Linderman and son Jay accepted for deceased inductee Walt Linderman.

Jack Roddy, a longtime Rodeo Historical Society and Museum supporter, received the Ben Johnson Memorial Award. And if ever there was one to fill a room with admiration, it was the extraordinary Amberley Snyder accepting the Tad Lucas Memorial Award. Tears were shed at her bravery.

Also in this issue, we introduce two talented artists from two organizations with strong ties to this institution — Teal Blake, Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) member, and Troy West from the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA) — both featured in the Museum’s annual Cowboy Crossings exhibition and sale. We also look at a new helmet that promises to save lives in the arena, and the story of seven college cowboys who were pardoned 50 years after skipping class to attend — and win — an intercollegiate rodeo.

Rodeo is central to the evolving history of the American West, which is why the Rodeo Historical Society remains an integral part of the National Cowboy Museum. With your continued support, we can keep rodeo’s rich heritage alive for generations to come.

Steven M. Karr, Ph.D. President & CEO National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Sydney Spencer and Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Teen Kassidy McKee escorted and presented the awards to all recipients. Ellen Roth, a student at Oklahoma City University, gave a heartfelt invocation, which was followed by a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Olivia Kay. Youth and beauty are always appreciated, and these young women were no exception.

Bob Tallman was the great voiceover talent in the inductee videos. Don Armes, popular auctioneer and former member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, kept a fast-moving pace during the live auction. And, I would be remiss not to mention the well-bred and well-behaved horse donated by Bobby Norris that made the 2016 auction a success.

The Museum’s professional production crew kept everyone within the script; the evening ended by 9:15, which was a first, and gave everyone time to visit afterward.

There are not enough accolades to thank the Museum staff, President Steven Karr, the Board Members, and auction donors for their dedication, hard work, and long hours. A heartfelt thank you to all who support the Museum with membership and attendance, as well as the many volunteers and docents who give up personal time to make events successful.

I encourage you to keep up with all the Museum events happening year-round through social media and the quarterly newsletter, and attend as many as you can. I look forward to seeing you there!

Sharon Shoulders RHS Board President

AUTUMN 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

3

Preserving Heritage and Shaping the Future 2016 RODEO HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sharon Shoulders, President, Oklahoma Dave Appleton, Vice President, Texas Christie Camarillo, Immediate Past President, California Doug Clark, Oklahoma Mike Hudson, Texas Larry Jordan, Montana John McBeth, Kansas Bryan Painter, Oklahoma Cotton Rosser, California RODEO COMMITTEE Bobby Norris, Chairman, Texas Gilbert Aguirre, California Steve Beneto, California Dr. Billy Bergin, Hawaii Randy Bernard, Tennessee Dr. Scott Calhoon, Oklahoma Robert A. Funk, Oklahoma Mike Ingram, Arizona Dr. John Jameson, Oklahoma Lincoln Lageson, California Kelly Riley, Texas Gordon Whitener, Tennessee Jerry Winchester, Oklahoma John W. Wroten Jr., Texas NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM Steven M. Karr, Ph.D., President & CEO BOARD OF DIRECTORS’ OFFICERS Lynn Friess, Chairman, Wyoming Gary Pierson, Vice Chairman, Oklahoma Everett Dobson, Secretary, Oklahoma Linda Mitchell Davis, Treasurer, New Mexico Lance Benham, Immediate Past Chairman, Oklahoma SOCIETY COORDINATOR Andee Lamoreaux

W

ith a profound history that extends nearly 150 years, rodeo has become an everlasting symbol of the West.

The Rodeo Historical Society (RHS) was created to preserve and ensure this unique Western tradition is kept alive for future generations.

RHS supports the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s efforts to preserve the sport through an array of activities. The Society supports the acquisition and exhibition activities in the American Rodeo Gallery at the Museum and contributes to preserving the past and present rodeo stories through its biannual publication The Ketchpen.

RHS’ ambitious Oral History Project collects, through recorded interviews, the biographies and stories of rodeo cowboys and cowgirls nationwide.

These interviews are preserved and made available to authors, historians, and others interested in learning

more and studying the history of rodeo. Because of RHS’ initiatives, rodeo remains an integral part of how America remembers the West of yesterday and today.

Your membership makes it possible to conduct the annual Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend, highlighted by formal induction ceremonies. The weekend also encompasses the prestigious Ben Johnson and Tad Lucas Memorial Awards and includes a Benefit Auction to generate additional programming dollars. The event offers rodeo enthusiasts from around the world the opportunity to gather, celebrate, and honor the best of the sport.

RHS cannot do this valuable work without you. By becoming an RHS member or by renewing your membership you not only help preserve stories and traditions of rodeo, but you also guarantee they are never forgotten.

Membership includes:

• Voting privileges to select Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductees • Two issues of The Ketchpen magazine per year • Free admission to the National Cowboy Museum *If you are a current member you may gift a membership to friends or family members.

For more information about RHS memberships please contact: Trent Riley, Development and Membership Associate triley@nationalcowboymuseum.org (405) 478-2250 ext. 251

Take action today and help us Preserve our Heritage and Shape our Future Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo

4

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Rodeo Historical Society

Editorial Staff

2016-2017 SELECT EVENTS

Content Management

April 21–22, 2017 Western Heritage Awards Weekend

Blaine Smith

Make plans to attend the 2017 Western Heritage Awards as the National Cowboy Museum honors and celebrates the legacy of those whose works in literature, music, film, and television reflect the significant stories of the American West. The awards also recognize inductees into the prestigious Hall of Great Westerners and the Hall of Great Western Performers, as well as the recipient of the Chester A. Reynolds Memorial Award. This year’s honorees include cattleman and banker Raymond E. Adams Jr. (1931–2009), artist Harold T. Holden (b. 1940), and rancher and businessman Johnny Trotter (b. 1951). Reservations are required; call (405) 478-2250 ext. 219 or visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/ westernheritageawards.

May 27–28, 2017 Annual Chuck Wagon Festival Join the National Cowboy Museum for this two-day, fun-filled, family weekend showcasing chuck wagon food samples and numerous indoor and outdoor activities for the entire family. The Annual Chuck Wagon Festival features a petting zoo, leather stamping with the Oklahoma Chisholm Trail Leather Guild, live music, butter making with Ag in the Classroom, rope making with the Ward Family Trick Ropers, and more! The Dogwood Foundation is presenting sponsor, with additional support provided by Last Frontier Boy Scout Council — Boy Scouts of America, Shawnee Mills, Bimbo Bakeries, Rodeo Opry Foundation, Granville Community Music School, and Great Plains Coca-Cola Bottling Company. For more information, visit nationalcowboymusuem.org/chuckwagon.

October 27–28, 2017 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend A major undertaking of the Rodeo Historical Society (RHS), the annual Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend at the National Cowboy Museum celebrates the accomplishments of Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees and the Ben Johnson Memorial Award and Tad Lucas Memorial Award recipients. The Cocktail Reception is October 27, while October 28 is the Inductee Panel Discussion, Champions’ Dinner, and Auction benefitting the RHS. For more information, call (405) 478-2250 ext. 219, or visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo.

Graphic Production Carolyn Seelen

Institutional Archivists Holly Hasenfratz Kera Newby

Contributing Writers Holly Hasenfratz Steven M. Karr Don Reeves Sharon Shoulders Blaine Smith

Contributing Photographers Hymer Photography Carla C. Cain Jennifer Denison MK Creations Joe Ownbey Photography Carolyn Seelen Tammie Webster Photography Greg Westfall Photography

Photography Donors Jake Barnes Family Ote Berry Family Teal Blake Family Clay O’Brien Cooper Family Dickinson Research Center Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Walt Linderman Family Dan Munroe Family National Film Preservation Foundation Wick Peth Family ProRodeo Hall of Fame Resistol RideSafe Hat Ride Right Jack Roddy Family Amberley Snyder Family Troy West Family Rodeo Society Coordinator Andee Lamoreaux

Stay informed on all the happenings at the Museum.

Visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/event AUTUMN 2016 | THE AUTUMN/WINTER 2016KETCHPEN | THE KETCHPEN 55

Rodeo Historical Society

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

Rodeo Weekend Recap

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

National Cowboy Museum President & CEO Steven Karr, RHS Board Member Larry Jordan, Richard Lamoreaux, and Museum Board Member Bobby Norris enjoy the bar inside the Prosperity Junction saloon during Friday evening’s Rope ‘N Ride Reunion.

Delmar Smith and RHS President Sharon Shoulders enjoy the beginning events to the Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

Siri Stevens, RHS Board Member Cotton Rosser, and wife, Karen Rosser catch up during the Reunion.

Four of the legends of rodeo — Jack Roddy, Mel Potter, Ote Berry, and Billy Minick — share a laugh at the Friday evening cocktail reception.

6

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum was once again the place for rodeo fans to be September 30 – October 1, 2016, during Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend. An undertaking of the Rodeo Historical Society, the annual Rodeo Weekend celebrates the men and women whose efforts keep rodeo thriving, and culminates in the induction of a new class of individuals into the prestigious Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy Museum.

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Sue Lytle, Jacqueline McEntire, and Pat Emerson looking like a million dollars at the Rope ‘N Ride Reunion.

Left to Right: Sharon Camarillo, Sherry Fulmer, Bob Feist, Jimmie Munroe, and Amberley Snyder (front) enjoy the Old West charm of Prosperity Junction.

Linda Clark and Tina Snyder celebrate under the festive lights of Prosperity Junction’s Main Street.

2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Walt Linderman’s daughter Vickie Brass (left), wife Dorothy Linderman, and son Jay Linderman take part in Friday evening’s Rope ‘N Ride Reunion.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Jackie and Steve Mellon, Francie McBeth and RHS Board Member John McBeth pose for a photo in front of Prosperity Junction’s hotel.

Museum Board Member John Wroten visits with journalist and previous Tad Lucas recipient Kendra Santos.

Teresa Howard and Kelsey Abraham share a moment with actor, musician, and former NFL star Jeff Severson.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

Carrie Miller Karr and Museum Board Chairman Lynn Friess enjoy the Friday evening festivities.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Left: Pat and Gordon Cathey along with Deborah Haught celebrate the legacy of Gordon’s father, James Cathey, rodeo photographer. A portion of his rodeo photography collection was recently donated to the Museum’s Dickinson Research Center.

The 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend began at the National Cowboy Museum on Friday, September 30, with the Rope ‘N Ride Reunion, an informal cocktail reception held in the Museum’s recreated Old West town, Prosperity Junction.

AUTUMN 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

7

Rodeo Historical Society

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Rodeo Weekend festivities continued at the Museum on Saturday morning, October 1. The Museum Store hosted a book signing by Jerry Gustafson, renowned rodeo photographer, who signed copies of his book, Through the Lens of Jerry Gustafson, Rodeo Photography 1970 – 1976. The morning continued with the Tad Lucas Reception, held in honor of 2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award recipient Amberley Snyder and the other women who have received the award in years prior. This was followed by the Rodeo Inductee Panel Discussion, allowing audience members the chance to interact with 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductees and honorees.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Rodeo photographer Jerry Gustafson is joined by his wife, Emmy, as he signs copies of his book, Through the Lens of Jerry Gustafson: Rodeo Photography 1970-1976 in front of The Museum Store.

Amberley Snyder (front), 2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award honoree, is joined by five past recipients at the Tad Lucas Reception on Saturday morning: (Left to right) Sharon Shoulders (2005); Pam Minick (1998); Kendra Santos (2011), along with Kelly Riley, grandson of Tad Lucas; Arlene Kensinger (1995); and Liz Kesler (2009).

Panel Discussion with the 2016 inductees and honorees (left to right) Clay O’Brien Cooper, Jake Barnes, Ote Berry, Bud and Jimmie Munroe, Wick Peth, Amberley Snyder, and moderated by Dave Appleton, RHS Board Vice President.

8

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Pat Riley (left), daughter-in-law of trick-riding legend Mitzi Lucas Riley, chats with Museum Board Chairman Lynn Friess during Saturday morning’s Tad Lucas Reception.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Married 36 years, Jimmie and Bud Munroe share the distinction of being inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame together.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Museum President & CEO Steven M. Karr and RHS Board President Sharon Shoulders welcome guests to the 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend.

Olivia Kay sings the National Anthem before dinner.

T-Cross Ranch donated this beautiful Quarter Horse for the RHS Live Auction.

2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award honoree Amberley Snyder (center) with Kelly Riley (left), grandson of Tad Lucas, and Sherry Fulmer, Executive Director of the National Barrel Horse Association.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

The National Cowboy Museum’s Sam Noble Special Events Center is set for the 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Champions’ Dinner and Awards Ceremony. Sharing the space are silent auction tables open for bidding. Dinner served by The Petroleum Club preceded the memorial awards, and a fast-paced live auction followed along with inductions into the Hall of Fame.

2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Champions’ Dinner and Awards Ceremony emcees Dave Appleton and Pam Minick with Remington Park President and General Manager Scott Wells.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

The weekend’s Champions’ Dinner and Awards Ceremony was held Saturday evening in the Museum’s Sam Noble Special Events Center. Emceed by Pam Minick, 1998 Tad Lucas Memorial Award recipient, and 1988 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Appleton, the evening included a live and silent auction benefitting the Rodeo Historical Society.

Rodeo Hall of Fame Class of 2016 Inductees Jake Barnes, Ote Berry, Clay O’Brien Cooper, Walt Linderman, Bud and Jimmie Munroe, and Wick Peth were all honored, as were 2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award recipient Amberley Snyder and Ben Johnson Memorial Award recipient Jack Roddy.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Peggy Robinson, Dana Parrish, and Katherine Hudson admiring silent auction items.

AUTUMN 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

9

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Rodeo Historical Society

2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Ote Berry thanks all of those who were instrumental in his becoming a four-time World Champion Steer Wrestler.

Back: Museum Board Member Mike Ingram, Veronica and Dean Ingram. Front: Sheila Ingram and Wade Cook.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Jack Roddy accepts the 2016 Ben Johnson Memorial Award from Miss Rodeo Oklahoma Sydney Spencer.

Wick Peth, 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee, laughs about the “big, bad bulls” he fought for an amazing 37 years.

Toni and Jake Barnes (left) are congratulated by Kendra Santos along with Clyde and Elsie Frost at the 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Clay O’Brien Cooper (second from right) is joined at the Champions’ Dinner and Awards Ceremony by Jo and Wilbur Beatty (left) and wife Alisa.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Sam Duvall, Marvin and Lori Shoulders, and Koell Primrose enjoy the camaraderie and family reunion feel of Rodeo Weekend.

10

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Do not miss any of the excitement during next year’s Rodeo Weekend! Make plans now to attend the 2017 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend, October 27 – 28, 2017, at the National Cowboy Museum. Use the form on the back of this magazine to nominate someone deserving of induction into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, and be sure to renew your RHS membership so you can vote for your favorite nominees. For membership information, call (405) 478-2250 ext. 251. To make reservations for next year’s event, call (405) 478-2250 ext. 219.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

CALL FOR ACTION: SUBMIT HALL OF FAME APPLICATIONS

O

nce again, the Rodeo Historical Society’s Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend was an undeniable success! Held at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum Friday, September 30 – Saturday, October 1, the 2016 Hall of Fame Weekend featured an exceptional class of inductees into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

In the pages that follow, read all about the amazing individuals who make up the Rodeo Hall of Fame Class of 2016, as well as the prestigious Tad Lucas Memorial Award and Ben Johnson Memorial Award honorees.

But, do not forget — The Rodeo Historical Society Board of Directors encourages the public to submit applications for consideration for next year’s Rodeo Hall of Fame inductions. This is considered the highest honor that can be bestowed on rodeo professionals.

Applications should exhibit affiliation with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or its predecessors, including the Rodeo Cowboys

Association, Cowboys’ Turtle Association, Women’s Professional Rodeo Association, or its forerunner, the Girls Rodeo Association.

Candidates should have a significant record of rodeo participation on a national level or have made an impact on professional rodeo. Additional consideration is given for demonstrating exemplary character both in and out of the arena, training of other rodeo participants, or providing service to the sport.

Applications must include original photographs and be postmarked by December 31, 2016, to be considered for 2017. The official form can be downloaded from nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo. The RHS Board of Directors will review each application thoroughly and select a slate of nominees.

Rodeo Historical Society members elect the group to be honored. Do not delay, become an RHS member today and help choose the 2017 inductees to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame. RHS members vote by secret ballot, and may vote only once.

For more information, visit nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

11

Rodeo Historical Society

Jake Barnes

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“I’ve had a very, very blessed career.

You know, I’ve had some hard knocks along the way, but it’s been an incredible ride.”

F

ew would argue that Jake Barnes has roping in his blood.

The great-nephew of world champion tie-down roper Jake McClure, Barnes — who, much like his legendary great-uncle, is an unassuming champion who was born to swing a rope — dreamed of becoming a world champion since he was a little boy.

Yet, Barnes, who has five children with his wife, Toni, and resides in Arizona, shared in his induction speech how he almost missed the opportunity of a lifetime.

“I got a call from Allen Bach and I really didn’t even know who Allen Bach was,” said Barnes. “He was 1979 world champion team roper and he called me up and asked me if I’d start roping with him and I had no clue. And so I said, ‘I have to think about it a little bit.’ He said, ‘Well, you don’t have long to think about it, you got to get on an airplane and fly to Colorado Springs and buy your card tomorrow so we can start entering some rodeos.’

“I was the ultimate rookie. I’d barely been out of a couple of states. I’d never been on an airplane. My friend said, ‘Jake, you need to go try this.’ So I call [Bach] back and told him I’d do it. I hopped on a plane to Colorado Springs and got my card. And I don’t know if it was a blessing or a curse because 36 years now I’m still chasing this dream.”

For Barnes, that dream certainly came true — seven times over.

And though he has spent his life chasing his dream, there have been challenges. At the National Finals Rodeo in December 2005 he severed a thumb. While practicing for the 2015 NFR, he suffered a traumatic brain injury and a broken ankle after his horse fell. Yet, in true Barnes fashion, he bounced back — competing at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo that next January.

For five years straight, from 1985 — 1989, and again in 1992 and 1994, Barnes, along with fellow 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee Clay O’Brien Cooper, was a world champion team roper. In fact, Barnes and Cooper set the National Finals Rodeo team roping average record in 1994 with a time of 59.1 seconds on 10 head.

“We were able to win five world championships in a row, and we ended up winning seven championships, and 27 times to the NFR,” Barnes said at his induction, “and so I know what it takes to go up and down the road. It’s a hard life, but I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. If I had it to do over again, I’d be right back at it.”

Aside from O’Brien Cooper, Barnes has roped with such celebrated heelers as Allen Bach, Leo Camarillo, and, most recently, Junior Nogueira.

12

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JAKE BARNES

Born in Huntsville, Texas, and educated at Eastern New Mexico University – Portales, Barnes joined the PRCA in 1980 and qualified for the NFR his rookie year, the first in a string of qualifications that currently stands at 27. He holds three NFR average titles, one Tour Finale title, and four National Circuit Finals Rodeo titles.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Ote Berry

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“I’m very honored, very humbled to be inducted tonight into what I’ve always called the original Cowboy Hall of Fame.”

A

ccording to four-time world champion steer wrestler and 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Ote Berry, the support of those he calls family is one of the primary reasons he has enjoyed a legendary rodeo career. The youngest of six children, Scott Berry received the nickname “Ote” — and his competitive spirit — from his older siblings. “I was the last of six children born to Buster and Mary Lou Berry,” Berry said in his induction speech. “We were ranch-raised in the Badlands of South Dakota. I learned early in life about competition; whether in the ranch or the rodeo arena, or at the dinner table. It wasn’t until some of my older brothers and sisters moved away that I learned there were other pieces of the chicken besides the neck.”

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF OTE BERRY

As a young man, Berry’s older brother, Bruce, attended one of 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Walt Linderman’s steer wrestling schools, where beginning steer wrestlers were taught

to slide by being pulled on a stick. This technique was passed on to an 8th-grade Berry. “My dad pulled me many, many miles on that stick – many miles, many curse words,” he said. “It developed my style of steer wrestling, of learning how to control my feet.”

In 1980, Berry won the National High School Rodeo Association steer wrestling title, and in 1982 he joined the PCRA hoping to make enough money to stay out of the hay fields. He got his wish. He won the average and his first world title at his first National Finals Rodeo in 1985. He qualified for the NFR 14 times, and went on to win three more bulldogging world championships. When he won his fourth title in 1995, he became only the fourth cowboy in professional rodeo history to claim four or more steer wrestling titles, joining the elite company of Homer Pettigrew, Everett Bowman, and “Big Jim” Bynum. He won 20 NFR go-arounds in his career, including seven when it mattered most: in the 10th round.

For Berry, however, the night of his induction into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s Rodeo Hall of Fame was bittersweet – earlier in the week, the Berry family laid to rest Ote’s father, Buster. “He was so looking forward to this event,” Berry said.

At his induction, Berry also took time to recognize a group of individuals who, though they may not be related by blood, he considers to be family nonetheless: the Duvall family. “The Duvalls are more than my friends, they’re family,” he said at his induction. “Bill [Duvall] has been and still is like my second father.

His son, Sam, is like a brother to me, and out of the 14 NFRs that I competed at, a Duvall hazed for me at 13 of them. From Bill and his son Sam to Bud, to the fiercest competitor in or out of the arena I’ve ever known, my hero Roy Duvall. … Most of my career was spent in the truck either with Bill, Roy, or Sam Duvall. I learned a lot about how to rodeo and I learned a lot about life from them.”

Berry also recognized the “steer wrestling capital of the world,” Checotah, Oklahoma, during his induction. “Eleven gold buckles belong to the cowboys of Checotah,” said Berry. “I’m proud to say Checotah, Oklahoma, is my hometown, and as my friend Clem McSpadden used to say, ‘If you can beat your neighbor in McIntosh County, you’re ready to take on the world.’”

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

13

Clay O’Brien Cooper

W

hen hearing a person described as a former child actor, one’s thoughts usually turn to stories of addiction, car crashes, and unruly behavior. Yet, when discussing former child actor Clay O’Brien Cooper, one is most likely to hear descriptions such as “rodeo champion” and “man of faith.” For this 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, faith in God and competing in the arena were a stronger call than the allure of Hollywood.

That does not mean Cooper’s experiences as a young actor weren’t rewarding. He had the opportunity to share the screen with none other than John Wayne in the beloved Western films The Cowboys (1972) and Cahill U.S. Marshall (1973), and alongside Don Knotts in The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975). He also appeared on episodes of Gunsmoke and Little House on the Prairie.

Having grown up on the family ranch in the San Fernando Valley, not far from Los Angeles, he learned to ride at an early age, and started roping by the time he was five years old. By the age of 16, Cooper had left acting permanently behind him.

His interest in roping, however, was strong as ever, and he pursued it with a vengeance.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Cooper has qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 29 times. He has earned more than $3 million inside the arena and, along with fellow 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Jake Barnes, was team-roping world champion seven times. Cooper and Barnes set the NFR average record of 59.1 seconds on 10 head in 1994, a record that stands to this day.

Cooper has also won the NFR average title four

14

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

times, the National Circuit Finals four times, and is, simply stated, considered by many, including Barnes, to be the best heeler to ever compete.

“To have a partner and friend like Jake [Barnes] and his wife Toni has been another important part of the puzzle that God has put in place for me to have an opportunity to realize my dreams,” said Cooper in his induction speech. “It’s funny that through time life keeps teaching me how special it is to experience and enjoy the people we love and respect and cherish so much. I am eagerly awaiting more of God’s goodness and blessings to come, and also to experience the next life that God offers us with him with our family and friends in eternity. Jesus is the key to that reality for me.”

It seems Cooper has lived a charmed life indeed. In his induction speech, he also acknowledged the role his parents, family, and country played in his success.

“I’ve had parents who encouraged me to always to do what I knew was right, to respect others, and if I worked hard enough and gave my all I could do whatever and be whatever I desired to dream,” he said. “I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to live in a country that has provided and made these dreams possible, and also for the men and women who have sacrificed their lives on the battlefield for our freedoms.

“My wife, Alisa, has been my relentless strength and happiness these last 13 years,” said Cooper. “My daughter Bailey and her husband, Cal, and granddaughter, Fallon; second daughter, Quinn, and her husband, Lane, and their soon-to-have little baby boy in February; and our youngest daughter, Jessica, our one day family doctor — they give me great joy, each one in their own special way. The struggles in life seem to fall in comparison to the joys my family brings me.”

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF CLAY O’BRIEN COOPER

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“I’m honored and humbled tonight to be accepting induction into the Rodeo Hall of Fame.

It’s another example of how God has truly blessed my life with many treasures.”

“Rodeo has played such an important part in our lives and has been so good to Bud and I, and we were just so fortunate that we could do something that we loved to do for the length of time that we did.”

“Jimmie’s been my partner and best friend for 36 years. She’s supported me in my triumphs and failures. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank her and others who have helped me achieve the pinnacle of the sport.”

— Jimmie Gibbs Munroe

The 1975 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) saddle bronc champion and reserve all-around, Bud was a 12time National Finals Rodeo qualifier, reserve world champion in 1978 and 1980, and the 1986 saddle bronc world champion.

He has also served as the PRCA Saddle Bronc Director, on the PRCA Properties Board and Grievance Committee, and is a longtime committee member of the Heart O’ Texas Rodeo in Waco, Texas.

Jimmie Gibbs Munroe entered her first horse show at age 3 and her first rodeo at age 10. The NIRA champion barrel racer in 1974 and 1975, she was the 1974 NIRA all-around cowgirl.

Qualifying for 11 National Finals Rodeos, Jimmie was the 1975 Women’s Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) world-champion barrel racer, tie-down roper, and all-around champion. As president of the WPRA (1979-1993, 2011-2012), she is credited with increasing female barrel racers’ earnings to match those of their male counterparts. In 1996, Jimmie was the recipient of the prestigious Tad Lucas Memorial Award.

Though both were exceptional athletes in their own right, since marrying, the Valley Mills, Texas, couple have proved the old axiom that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

“This is quite an honor for us. To be inducted into the original Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame, beside my wife, is pretty amazing,” Bud said in his induction speech, emotion cracking his voice. “Jimmie and I grew up a long ways apart and rodeoed separately until we got married in 1980. I learned real fast that taking care of the horse happened way before taking care of Bud. I went from traveling with other cowboys, splitting costs, to a gas-guzzling living quarters/pickup trailer, but I enjoyed every minute of it.”

During her turn at the podium Jimmie said, “We have so many wonderful memories and have made so many great friends through the sport of rodeo. I want to thank the Rodeo Historical Society for putting us in and nominating us as a couple because that really means so much to both of us, and it makes it that much more special because I’ve always had the love and support of Bud since we’ve been married.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MUNROE FAMILY

T

aken individually, both Dan O. “Bud” and Jimmie Gibbs Munroe would be in the Rodeo Hall of Fame on their own merit. Both are collegiate and world rodeo champions, and both have continued to dedicate their lives to furthering the sport of rodeo.

— Dan O. “Bud” Munroe

“I was here 35 years ago when my grandfather, Zack Miller, and his brothers in the 101 Ranch and Show were recognized and put into this Museum,” she said. “I just thought at the time how much it would have meant to them to have known they were recognized in this beautiful Museum right here in Oklahoma where their history and the ranch was.

And then, 35 years later, for Bud and I to be inducted, I never even dreamed that was a possibility,” said Jimmie.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

15

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

Jimmie and Bud Munroe

Wick Peth

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“I enjoyed the hell out of fighting bulls. That was one thing that just made me giggle on the inside was when I’d run around one of them big, bad bulls and get away with it.”

A

pioneer in modern bullfighting, 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Wick Peth’s career in the arena extended amazingly from 1949 to 1985. Though he began his rodeo career as a steer wrestler and bull rider, and along with his father and brothers was a rodeo stock contractor as well, Peth began rodeo clowning as a test of his athletic prowess. He soon noted, however, that he would be better prepared as a bullfighter — and thus better able to protect riders — if he did not have to clown earlier in the show. He told rodeo producers, “You don’t need another funny guy; you need a bullfighter.”

And most agreed.

Though his father promised to purchase bulls, Peth joked that on Christmas morning he came downstairs and looked around the Christmas tree but did not see any bulls. Thankfully for the young Peth, and for the sport of bull riding, the bulls arrived soon after in a boxcar at the local railroad station. Thus began his love affair with bullfighting.

“I started to fight bulls when I was young, a late teenager, and really loved it, you know. It was something that I kind of excelled at,” Peth said at his induction into the Rodeo Hall of Fame. “I was kind of a half-funny man, I was wanting to pull tricks on people, and it wound up that I became a bullfighter.”

For Peth, physical toughness — being able to shake off numerous hits from angry bulls night after night — was an undeniable part of his longevity in rodeo. But his mental toughness both in and out of the arena played no less a role.

“I didn’t worry about things like [some] bullfighters,” Peth said in his induction speech. “I’ve heard wives say when a bullfighter leaves the truck or wherever he’s getting dressed, ‘Be careful honey, don’t take too many chances.’ Well, you better get rid of that ‘honey’ because if you don’t take chances, you’re not going to be fighting bulls for very long.”

It is this pure love for the sport that has made Peth an icon of rodeo, and all these years later, it seems he is still as thankful as he was as a young man on Christmas morning for the chance to fight bulls.

“I just had more fun,” he said, “I’d like to thank all of you rodeo fans and all the people who were involved in this great doing here. It’s just wonderful.”

He worked eight National Finals Rodeos and was selected as an alternate several times more, and worked almost all of the other big rodeos throughout the United States.

At his induction into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, Peth related that when he was a young man his father bought cattle for Peth’s brothers to rope and bulldog, but no bulls. One day before Christmas he told his father, “It would sure be nice if we had some bulls.”

16

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF WICK PETH

Peth was one of the first bullfighters to don gear that allowed for faster movement. He focused on studying both the bull and the rider, foregoing props and clown makeup in favor of physical and mental fitness.

His performances were aimed at not only entertaining the crowd, but also at “turning back the bull” to ensure higher scores for riders, and distracting the bulls once the riders were off.

Walt Linderman

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“This is Dad’s induction, but it’s my guess he would want to dedicate it to the past, present, and future cowboys who he might have played a part toward their success in going down the road.”

–Jay Linderman, son of 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Walt Linderman

T

hough Walt Linderman passed away in May 2005, his influence in rodeo is still being felt to this day. And, with his induction into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, it promises to live on for future generations.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF LINDERMAN FAMILY

Born in Red Lodge, Montana, into a ranching and rodeoing family that included world champion brothers Bill and Bud Linderman, Walt took his first forays into rodeo while working ranches in Montana and Wyoming. By 1957, Linderman was competing in saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, and steer wrestling. He competed in all three events until 1961 when he stopped competing in saddle bronc. In 1968, he stopped competing in bareback riding but continued steer wrestling until an injury in 1977 forced him to stop competing. During that time, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling nine times, winning the NFR steer wrestling average in 1967, reserve world champion three times, and third in the world standings twice. In addition, Linderman won steer wrestling, bareback riding, and all-around championships at most major rodeos throughout the country.

According to his son, Jay, Linderman’s greatest legacy perhaps is all of those individuals he helped toward their own rodeo championships. In his induction speech on behalf of his father, Jay pointed out that Linderman hazed for four world championship steer wrestlers and five NFR average championships.

Linderman also owned one of the all-time greatest steerwrestling horses ever known, Scottie, who carried three different cowboys to four world championships, including 2016 Ben Johnson Memorial Award winner Jack Roddy in 1966 and 1968. Scottie was also rode to six NFR average titles, a College National Finals Rodeo championship, and a national high school title.

“What stands far above everything else is the hundreds of steer wrestling students who attended his annual steer wrestling schools,” said Jay in his father’s induction speech. Linderman pioneered the rise of steer wrestling schools across the United States, passing his skill and knowledge on to a new generation of champions including the older brother of 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Inductee Ote Berry. “These students,” said Jay, “went on to win world’s championships, NFR averages, National Collegiate championships and national high school championships, and many more regional and national rodeo crowns too numerous to count.”

Joined by Linderman’s wife, Dorothy, and daughter, Vicki, Jay Linderman told the 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame crowd, “On behalf of my dad and the three of us, we would like to thank everyone who played a part in making this special moment happen. This induction is certainly about a rodeo cowboy … but it is much more than that. This induction is about the epitome of being a rodeo cowboy. Dad fit the bill: rough, tough, honest, a man of his word, he’d give you the shirt off his back or the butt-chewing of your life, whatever was needed,” said Jay. “Thanks Dad.”

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

17

Amberley Snyder

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“There have been obstacles in my life that I didn’t even imagine to have happen. I’m sure there have been obstacles in your lives that you didn’t imagine to have happen either. But we all have the choice to turn those obstacles into blessings and see what comes of them.” leave my wheelchair in the trailer and my horse becomes my legs.”

Since the accident, in March 2015 Snyder competed in the world’s richest one-day rodeo, The American, in Dallas, Texas, as the fan’s exemption. She also competes in breakaway roping and barrel racing on the Utah State University Rodeo Team, ending the season fifth in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Born in California and raised in Utah, Snyder began riding horses at age 3 and competing in rodeo at age 7. She was the 2009 National Little Britches Association Finals and World All-Around Cowgirl and the Utah State Future Farmers of America President. In 2010, while driving from Utah to a new “dream job” at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver, she was involved in a rollover accident that ejected her from her vehicle. She was paralyzed from the waist down.

18

Of course, no one who knows Snyder expected her to give up on her dream of riding after her accident. It is just not in her constitution to back down from a challenge — a trait, she says, she was taught by her family at a young age.

A 3-year-old Amberley at the Ortega equestrian center in California.

For someone who loves riding and rodeo as much as Snyder, being paralyzed was, obviously, a crushing blow. Yet, while some would have given up and sunk into selfpity — especially after doctors said riding a horse would be impossible, as Snyder’s doctors said — she refused to give up, and pushed herself to someday ride again.

“Rodeo is just my passion. I tell people it’s not what I do, it’s a part of who I am,” said Snyder. “Even though going through an accident like this, getting back to riding was just something I was going to do. It wasn’t if I was going to do it; it was when … You know, to get on that horse now means even more because it’s the place where I get to be like everyone else. I get to

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

“My family is competitive, very competitive.

My dad was a Major League Baseball player for 8 1/2 years, so it runs in our blood to be good at what we do,” said Snyder. “That’s definitely been one thing I’ve learned from

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF AMBERLEY SNYDER

Indeed, more than most people, 2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award recipient Amberley Snyder knows what it means to overcome diversity, and, literally, get back on the horse.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF AMBERLEY SNYDER

“M

y grandmother, Tad Lucas, would have really liked Amberley Snyder,” said Kelly Riley at the presentation of the 2016 Tad Lucas Memorial Award during the Rodeo Hall of Fame induction ceremony October 1. “They share many characteristics, among which is recognizing diversity is not a stopping point, it’s a starting point. It just means you have to figure out a way to get on your horse and get down the road, and get in there ready to compete, which is more important than any obstacle that gets in your way. Tad and Amberley are kindred spirits, bonded by the sport and life that they both love.”

Surrounded by buckles and saddles from 2009 NLBRA Finals World titles.

my family as a background: if you really want to do something, be willing to work hard. My mom always tells us hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. So, we’ve always learned that if we want to be good at something we have to be willing to work hard to do it.”

This willingness to work a little harder than the other person, to face the toughest challenges head-on without backing down, is, as Riley noted, what makes Snyder and Tad Lucas kindred spirits, and what makes Snyder a perfect candidate for the Tad Lucas Memorial Award.

Known as “Rodeo’s First Lady,” Lucas was an original, and rode rough stock and performed in the rodeo arena more fearlessly than anyone else, man or woman.

Known far and wide not only for her great talent, but also her indomitable spirit, courage, and compassion, Lucas’ namesake award recognizes an outstanding Western woman who is a champion in her field of work and demonstrates the same creative spirit, zeal, and Western values that Lucas exhibited throughout her life.

“The Tad Lucas Memorial Award was established in 1990 — the year that she died — and is an endowed award … It meant so much to her, the Rodeo Historical Society. She helped put it together, and so we wanted to do something that we thought she would like,” said Mitzi Lucas Riley, daughter of Tad Lucas and mother of

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF AMBERLEY SNYDER

“Now, I’ll tell you, no one had asked me that before and here was a tiny little second-grader asking me that huge question,” said Snyder. “Sitting in front of all those elementary age kids, the first thing I wanted to say was, ‘Yes. Absolutely.

Why would I want to spend any time in a wheelchair?’ But before I replied to them, I thought about the good things. I thought about the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, the opportunities I’ve been given because of this silly chair. So I replied to that group of kids, ‘No. I’m a true believer in everything happens for a reason and there’s a reason I’m in this chair and I’m going to serve that purpose …’

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREN ANDERSON

Running barrels at the Sharon Camarillo Classic in Reno, Nevada.

Listening to Snyder’s acceptance speech, it is clear why she was chosen as the latest in a long line of exceptional women to be honored with the Tad Lucas Memorial Award. As she related in her remarks, several years ago she was asked to speak about her injury and recovery at an elementary school. As she fielded various questions from the assembled children, a second-grader in the front row raised his hand patiently. When called upon by Snyder, the student asked her, “If you could go back to that day and change it, would you?”

“I’ve been really blessed to have this opportunity tonight and I want to thank Pat and Kelly Riley as well as Mitzi and Tad Lucas for, honestly, paving the way for people like me who, even though we’re not in the most ideal situation, we’re a little different than everyone else around us,” she said. “We can still have the strength to overcome and to pave the way for not only ourselves, but also the people behind us.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ED REEL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SPRINGER

Kelly Riley. “We knew [each year’s recipient] would have to be a special woman, and we’re real picky. I think we get the cream of the crop … we’ve had competitors, we’ve had journalism, we’ve had photographers, we had a saddlemaker, it’s been very diverse. They’ve all had that same love of rodeo, their sport, and want to promote it.”

Right: The top three images of breakway, barrels and poles are from before Amberley’s accident. The bottom three are all after — from physical therapy, to chair, to mounted.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

19

Rodeo Historical Society

Jack Roddy

F

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF JACK RODDY

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

“A cowboy’s been lucky if he’s had three things: A good horse, a good dog, and a good wife. I’ve had two good dogs, I’ve had two great horses ... and I’ve got the greatest wife in the world, that takes care of the ranch when I’m gone. Without her I couldn’t be here.”

or two-time World Champion Steer Wrestler Jack Roddy, receiving the 2016 Ben Johnson Memorial Award is a “tremendous honor.”

Clem McSpadden and Jack Roddy during the NFR in Oklahoma City.

He should know.

Not only was Roddy instrumental, along with Cecil Jones, in establishing the Ben Johnson Memorial Award, he was a personal friend of Johnson, whom Roddy calls “the epitome, to me, of what a cowboy should be.”

Born in San Francisco in 1937, Roddy was raised on the family ranch near Colma, California, growing up roping and riding with his father’s friends in the rodeo business. He competed in his first rodeo at age 14, winning $90 in the wild horse race.

In 1956, he joined the Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) and competed throughout the country in every rodeo event. As a member of the rodeo team at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, the lanky 6-foot, 5-inch Roddy became the 1959 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Steer Wrestling Champion and All-Around Cowboy.

ambassador for the sport of rodeo, and has continued to abide by the principles that Ben Johnson himself epitomized. Roddy has served on the Board of Directors of the PRCA and the Rodeo Historical Society (RHS), and in 1997 he was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Roddy and his wife, Donna, run cattle and raise Quarter Horses at their ranch in Brentwood, California, where they created a golf course, Roddy Ranch Golf, where they hosted the first (and only) RHS Golf Tournament. Roddy is a leader in the California cattle industry, and a member of the Rancheros Visitadores, and is involved in numerous charitable events across the United States.

In 1962, Roddy — having added weight to his height — qualified for his first of many trips to the National Finals Rodeo.

In 1966 he won his first World Steer Wrestling Championship, in the process setting a record for total earnings in that event. Two years later, in 1968, Roddy again won the Steer Wrestling World Championship.

Since winning his championships, Roddy has continued to serve as an unparalleled Jim Shoulders and Jack Roddy share a laugh.

20

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Perhaps this is why Roddy is so deserving of the Ben Johnson Memorial Award; when the spotlight is shining upon him, he is eager to share it with a host of others. Not coincidentally, this is a characteristic Roddy shares with the award’s namesake, Ben Johnson.

Ben Johnson was both a Team Roping World Champion in 1953 and an Academy Award-winning actor in 1971 for his role in the film The Last Picture Show. Despite his now-famous line when accepting the Oscar — “This couldn’t have happened to a nicer feller” — Johnson was known by all as a down-to-earth cowboy who, through his Ben Johnson Pro Celebrity Team Roping Competition, was a dedicated supporter of children’s charities.

Since 1998, the Ben Johnson Memorial Award has been presented to a living person who has been involved in the rodeo industry for a number of years and has contributed to the growth and betterment of professional rodeo. Involvement with youth and/or community activities is also a prerequisite for the honor. And, like Ben Johnson, the recipient must be someone who creates a positive image for rodeo and the Western lifestyle.

Champion All-Around cowboy for the 1959 Pendleton, Oregon, rodeo.

“I’ve had a long rodeo career, and I have a lot of guests here tonight. I’d like to introduce all of them, they had a big influence on me and what I did. I’ve known some of them for 65 years,” Roddy said when accepting the Ben Johnson Memorial Award. After congratulating all of the evening’s other honorees, he went on to introduce the individuals attending with him – including Gilbert Aguirre, Mike Cervi, Billy Minick, Mel Potter, and Cotton Rosser – who are longtime friends and, like Roddy, greats in their own right.

Like the aforementioned Cervi, Minick, Potter, and Rosser, other past winners of the Ben Johnson Memorial Award include such rodeo luminaries as Joe Beaver, Larry Mahan, Clem McSpadden, and Jim Shoulders.

And now, the list of recipients includes Jack Roddy, one of the individuals responsible for the establishment of this award.

“To say this is an honor is an understatement,” Roddy said in his acceptance speech.

Honestly, it could not have happened to a nicer feller.

Jack Roddy bareback on Albuquerque in Tucson, Arizona, 1962.

Jack Roddy with 1966 RCA World Champion Steer Wrestling saddle and buckle in Denver, Colorado.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

21

Rodeo Historical Society

New RHS Board Member Kelly Riley PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF KELLY RILEY

Born December 31, 1948, in Fort Worth, Texas, as a youth, Riley traveled the country to rodeos in which his father was competing, including Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Snake River Stampede, and the Boulder Pow Wow.

T

he newest member of the Rodeo Historical Society (RHS) Board of Directors, Kelly Riley, has roots that run deep in the sport of rodeo. A past RHS President, he is the grandson of pioneer cowgirl Tad Lucas and the son of champion calf roper Lanham Riley and trick rider Mitzi Lucas Riley.

Riley attended Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, where he was president of the rodeo club and competed in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. After graduating in 1972 with a degree in economics, he spent his time rodeoing while working part time for his father’s world-renowned Paint and Quarter Horse operation. In

D

uring the 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame Weekend, September 30 – October 1, 2016, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the Rodeo Historical Society (RHS) Board of Directors voted to appoint Andee Lamoreaux as the new RHS Coordinator.

Lamoreaux has been a cowgirl all of her life. She has more than 25 years of experience in business development, marketing, and sales, having worked with such professional sports organizations as the Professional Bull Riders, American Bucking Bull, and Cowboy Mounted Shooting.

22

Her specialties include event planning and production, marketing, sponsorship sales, and social media. She has the ability to build brand awareness that results in growth and increased membership. In short, she can get the job done.

Lamoreaux is currently the office manager for Tee Cross Ranches, LLC and works directly with the Robert Norris family in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She lives on a small ranch in Southern Colorado with her husband, Richard, the 2009 U.S. and Canadian Senior Pro World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider, and son, Hadley.

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

New RHS Coordinator Andee Lamoreaux

1977 he was hired as the in-house manager for the Winston Rodeo Awards Program, and in the early 1980s he helped launch the Winston Rodeo Series.

In 1986, Riley was named manager of the Winston NASCAR Racing Series, and in 1987 he took over the Camel GT Program.

He then returned to Texas as the event marketing manager for Justin Brands, including Justin Boots, Tony Llama, and Nocona.

He retired from Justin in 2015.

During his time as president of the RHS, a more robust fundraising platform was established.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Rodeo Rebels

I

n 1948, the rodeo team at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, skipped class for two days to participate in the first annual Cameron Aggie Club’s Intercollegiate Rodeo.

otice fro

es ent Jam y Presid b U S O m

The students were Buddy Reger, Clem McSpadden, Larry Kilgore, Leo Roberts, Harold Emery, Turner

Fifty years later, OSU President James Halligan held a special ceremony to pardon the seven cowboys of their unexcused absences from class during that rodeo. Their exemplary athletic representation of the university was reason enough to pardon the men and clear their academic records.

This story is preserved in the Ed Apple Oklahoma State University Rodeo Participants Collection in the Donald C. & Elizabeth M. Dickinson Research Center. Apple was a commissioner for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and brought the story of these rodeo rebels to the attention of President Halligan.

IMAGES COURTESY OF DICKINSON RESEARCH CENTER

ardon N Official P .

98.035.6

n, 1998.

a E. Hallig

The men left campus, without being excused from their classes, and traveled to Lawton, where the rodeo was held at the Lawton Rangers’ LO Ranch Arena.

Meadors, and Chuck Dancer. Team members competed in every category against 12 other college teams, and went back to Stillwater as the victors.

Kilgore was named “outstanding cowboy” and received a specially made cowboy hat at the event.

The five living members of the 1948 OSU rodeo team in 1998 receiving an official pardon from the university. From left to right: Larry Kilgore, Clem McSpadden, Leo Roberts, Turner Meadors, and Harold Emory. 98.035.2.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

23

Rodeo Historical Society

Crossing Paths with Crossings Artists

By Blaine Smith

achievement as to preserve and promote the profession, in the traditional sense ach fall, the National Cowboy & of (Frederic) Remington and (Charles) Western Heritage Museum hosts Russell. An Active Member must specialize in cowboy, Indian, pioneer, an amazing lineup of talent cattle, horse, and/or wild game subjects, unparalleled in the world of Western as related to the American West.” art. Cowboy Crossings brings together two distinct groups of Western artists, The Traditional Cowboy Arts considered foremost in their respective Association (TCAA) is constructed of a disciplines, into one single exhibition handful of select artists who specialize and sale. in one of the four traditional cowboy arts: saddlemaking, bit and spur making, The Cowboy Artists of America (CAA) silversmithing, and rawhide braiding. was founded 51 years ago by Western Dedicated to preserving the four artists Joe Beeler, Charlie Dye, Johnny traditional cowboy arts mentioned, the Hampton, and George Phippen.

TCAA’s mission is also to promote these Specializing in painting, drawing, and traditional crafts in representing the sculpture, and with membership by cowboy culture of the North American invitation only, the group’s mission is to West. Aside from the group’s annual “authentically preserve and perpetuate exhibition and sale, now in its 18th year, the culture of Western life in fine art.” the TCAA membership is dedicated According to the group’s bylaws, active to passing on to the next generation membership in the Cowboy Artists these traditional cowboy arts through is limited to “professional, fine-art fellowships, workshops, and emerging artists, making a living from their art; artist competitions. whose work is of sufficient quality and

On October 14 – 15, 2016, when the CAA joined the TCAA for Cowboy Crossings Opening Weekend at the Museum, the Western art world once again sat up and took notice. By all accounts the opening sale was a success, with more than $1 million in artwork sold. As the CAA exhibit remains on display until November 27 and the TCAA exhibit remained on view through December 31, post-opening weekend sales promise to be significant as well.

Cowboy culture runs deep within both of these prestigious organizations. The Ketchpen sat down with one artist from each group — Teal Blake of the CAA and Troy West of the TCAA — to discover how growing up in the West continues to influence the work that each artist creates. Both also discussed how the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum remains central to preserving and interpreting for a diverse audience the evolving history and cultures of the American West.

JERRY HYMER PHOTOGRAPHY

E

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY TROY WEST

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY TEAL BLAKE

Teal Blake, a member of the Cowboy Artists of America (CAA), and Troy West, a member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA), are two of the artists who have made the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum’s annual Cowboy Crossings one of the nation’s premier Western art exhibitions.

The 2016 class photo of the presenting artists from both TCAA and CAA

24

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JENNIFER DENISON

Teal Blake: Growing up in Charlie Russell Country own horses, and travels to the various ranches in the spring and fall to help with branding.

W

hen you grow up in “Charles Russell country” along the eastern slope of the Montana Rockies with a renowned Western artist as a father, reading Will James books, visiting the C.M. Russell Museum, and helping out on ranches, some might say it is preordained that you’ll become a Western artist.

For CA Teal Blake, it would certainly seem that way.

Born in Helena, Montana, in 1978, Blake spent his formative years 70 miles north in the ranching community of Augusta, Montana. “That’s Charlie Russell country up there,” he said.

Blake grew up literally in the studio of his father, artist Buckeye Blake, who himself has a connection to the National Cowboy Museum — a bronze sculpture

by Buckeye Blake of early female rodeo contestant Fannie Sperry Steele resides in the Museum’s permanent collection.

my piece by my horses,” he said. “My brush strokes vary, and I tend to do a choppy brush stroke on a lot of things, and it can be noticed.”

“I flunked all of my art classes in college,” he said. “I’ve done some more contemporary pieces and tried some other styles, but I think because of how I was raised and what I was raised around gave me more of an appreciation for [Western art] and why I wanted to do it.

“I am a giant Maynard Dixon fan,” said Blake. “I love all of the others, Will James and Russell and Frederic Remington, but I still think Dixon is my favorite.”

Known for his watercolors of working cowboys and the ranching life, Blake’s work is recognizable by its portrayal of the authentic West: cowboys who are not always clean shaven, clothes not always pressed and starched, and horses’ manes not always long and flowing. “I’ve had a lot of people tell me they know it was

When asked what he hopes viewers take away from his work, said Blake, “I hope that it is the authenticity of it, that it is portraying the West correctly, that people can look at that and be able to understand that it’s a true image of how it is and what is happening.”

Blake has painted professionally since 2005. Yet, even as a child, he was aware of the Cowboy Artists of America and the caliber of art produced by the members of this vaunted group. “Ever since I was probably old enough to notice anything, I was getting Western Horseman and The American Quarter Horse Journal when I was little, and I traveled around with my father to art shows,” he said. “I was always noticing [CAA artists’] work. And over the years you come to know what good art is and

For Blake, growing up in this environment was all the art education he needed. As far as inspiration, he remains on the payroll of several big ranches in Texas, where he lives today. He has his

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

“We’d go to the Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana,” said Blake, “I read all of the Will James books. And, it’s a ranching community, so I grew up going to ranches and helping, riding horses, watching my father paint, and staring at all of the Charlie Russell paintings. It kind of stemmed from there.”

Teal Blake and Jessica Stenebo enjoy the 2016 Artists Dinner held at The Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

25

Rodeo Historical Society

what mediocre art is, I guess, and not that you become jaded, but you become partial … so it seemed that more often than not, the best Western artists were in [the CAA]. I really liked what it stood for and how it was started. I feel there’s a really strong base, and I really wanted to be a part of that.”

last year, I can see a big difference in my work. So I think it really helps you rise and get better, and when you’re surrounded by people who are very talented, it tends to sink in a little bit.”

At the 2014 Cowboy Crossings, this lifelong goal of Blake’s came to fruition: the CAA asked that he become a member. For the young artist, not only was the moment a realization of a dream, but also the impetus to push himself even further.

In 2015, at the first CAA annual sale and exhibition in which he was a member, Blake was awarded the Silver Medal in the Water Soluble category for his watercolor Headed for the Oxbow. This past October, at the 2016 CAA exhibition, Blake won the Gold Medal for Water Solubles for his watercolor Amongst the Cottonwoods.

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Blake about being invited to join the CAA. “We’re all our own worst critics, especially artists I think, so it was hard for me to understand at that point that they were asking me to be in, because, to me, I didn’t know if my work was ready. I was very excited to be with these guys, and at the time I was the youngest, and so it was an honor to be brought into their group — I still feel like I have pretty big shoes to fill.

“My induction year, that very night at the hotel room I went back and started sketching my pieces for the next year’s show,” he said. “It really pushed me.

I swear within a couple of months I could see my work improve 50%. It was incredible. And even this year from

Indeed, it seems Blake’s fears of being unable to fill the shoes of his CAA colleagues was unfounded. “It’s a good group of people, it’s pretty incredible” said Blake of the bonds within the group. “That’s another thing that I really appreciate is once you’re in there, it’s a brotherhood.

I’ve known some of those guys a long time, some I haven’t known for very long, but once you’re in there they treat everyone the same and it is great camaraderie.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY TEAL BLAKE

“It’s very much like the ranches I work at,” he said. “Cowboys are a pretty closeknit group, and so it’s really nice. There’s a lot of support.”

Regarding the National Cowboy Museum, Blake said he has a fondness for this institution where his life was changed forever when he was asked to join the CAA. Teal and his son, Luca, enjoy a tour through the Museum's galleries during opening weekend.

26

“I’ve been coming to this Museum since I was little, and [it has] one of

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

2016 CAA Gold Medal in Water Solubles, Amongst The Cottonwoods, Watercolor, 16" x 9 1/2" by Teal Blake

my father’s bronzes in the permanent collection,” he said, “so anything that supports this stuff, the real West and how it really is, is just few and far between anymore, so it’s nice to have.”

As for Cowboy Crossings, “This event is such a great event, it really is,” said Blake. “When I came [to Crossings] for my first time, I guess four years ago now, I was quite set back. I thought I better get home and get to work on that easel because this is going to be a tough deal.”

For Blake, it seems there is no limit to what he might achieve in the world of Western art. Those with a fondness for Western culture should count themselves lucky to have such a talented ambassador helping the National Cowboy Museum preserve the spirit and rich heritage of the West today and for future generations.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MK CREATIONS OF NACOGDOCHES, TX

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

This is a family picture taken in June 2016 at West’s son’s wedding. Left to right, oldest son Josh, his wife, Kayla, holding their daughter Griffyn. Sonin-law Cody Sowell next to his wife, daughter Hope. Wife Kim, standing next to the groom, Shane, and his bride Micah, along with West, daughterin-law Gabrielle, son Chase, and their daughter Codi Grace.

The Funny Thing That Happened to Troy West on the Way to the Rodeo

A

s a young man, Traditional Cowboy Arts Association (TCAA) saddlemaker Troy West knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up: a rodeo cowboy.

Born in Carthage, Texas, in 1958, West was the third of four boys who spent their youth playing cowboys and Indians and riding horses. On Saturday nights were two rodeos to choose from within a 10-mile radius of the West home; Troy and his brothers grew up immersed in the rodeo life.

“When we went to rodeos we all started riding bulls, junior bulls, and I won one buckle in bull riding, but I didn’t see a great future in bull riding. I wanted to rope,” said West. “I saved my money as a kid and bought my first calf-roping horse. I roped in the Little Britches Rodeo, then roped in high school rodeo, and then roped in college rodeo. That’s what I wanted to do. I ate it, slept it,

walked it, and talked it. [Rodeo] is what I wanted to do for sure.”

Yet, a funny thing happened on West’s way to rodeo stardom – he fell in love with saddlemaking. As a child, West remembers his mother taking him and his siblings to the library. On one visit, West was shown a video of a custom saddlemaker’s shop. “I thought that was way cool,” he said. West, however, remained enamored with rodeo. As will happen, his true life’s passion did not reveal itself until a number of years later, and then only by happenstance.

West was not aware, he said, that saddlemaking schools even existed.

That is, until one of his older brothers decided upon graduation from high school that he wanted to attend a saddlemaking school. West’s mom and dad encouraged him to accompany his older brother. As West was artistically inclined — his art teacher encouraged

him to pursue scholarships to art schools — attending the saddlemaking school revealed a pursuit that allowed him to combine his artistic abilities with his love of horses and rodeo. “It tripped my trigger,” West said about attending the saddlemaking school.

From then on he was hooked.

“Even though it was a saddlemaking school they hired a saddlemaker out of his shop to come teach,” said West.

“He wasn’t a teacher hired to teach, he was a saddlemaker hired to teach saddlemaking. I didn’t even know it at the time but he taught us some very good principles of saddlemaking.

After I got out of school I changed some of those ways; I did them a little differently, but eventually went back to the most traditional ways.”

For West, the idea of tradition has always stood at the center of the work he produces. “A lot of what we do is

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

27

Rodeo Historical Society

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF TROY WEST

King — I was actually friends with Don King before he passed away — and so those guys are just giants in our world of saddlemaking. Being part of that group is just a huge blessing to me. They genuinely do work hard to keep these traditions alive. They’re putting their money where their mouth is.”

Troy West at the Regional Finals in Mauriceville, Texas, May 1977 with a time of 10:2.

largely based on tradition because those early saddlemakers not only made saddles that were functional, but also very beautiful. Very strong eye appeal.

I still look at those photographs and glean those traditional images in my brain because they’re beautiful lines and forms. So we do stick a lot to the traditional styles and shapes of those old saddles.”

West also cites as major influences the saddles produced by Billy Cook, TCAA saddlemakers Don King and Chuck Stormes, and last, but certainly not least, the roping saddles made by Howard Council. “Even though [Council] wasn’t as artistic as any of those other guys that I’ve named, he really filled a huge niche because half the calf ropers at the NFR were riding his saddles, so he was a very famous saddlemaker in the world of calfropers,” he said of 28

Council who received the Chester A. Reynolds Award from the National Cowboy Museum in 2011.

Building from this foundation of tradition, West embarked on his career as a saddlemaker, establishing a shop in Azle, Texas, from which he continues to collaborate with his clients in producing saddles that fit them both physically and aesthetically. In time, along with the customers came the accolades. Five times West has won Best of Show at the Boot and Saddlemaker Roundup in Wichita Falls, Texas, and in 2014 he received the Will Rogers Award for Saddlemaker of the Year from the Academy of Western Artists.

In 2014 West was also asked to become a TCAA member. “I’d say becoming a TCAA member is one of the highlights of my saddlemaking career, if not the highlight,” he said.

“Because it’s a great group of guys, like Chuck Stormes, who I have looked up to for many years, Mehl Lawson, Dale Harwood, and Don

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

While tradition is central to each of the four cowboy arts that the TCAA strives to preserve — saddlemaking, bit and spur making, silversmithing, and rawhide braiding — according to West, the group not only encourages its members to expand their capabilities in their chosen art form, but also pushes them to expand their horizons beyond what they might consider their niche.

For instance, at the 2016 Cowboy Crossings at the National Cowboy Museum, one of the pieces West brought to the exhibition was a Fender Telecaster guitar covered in carved and stitched leather.

“Being in the TCAA, what they want us to do is be creative, be unique. Of course I’m going to build a saddle that is hopefully exciting and new, but they also want us to build some other items,” said West. “So being in the TCAA lets us be really creative and think outside the box. Doing that guitar was a totally different project for me, but it was a lot

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARLA CAIN

West’s 2016 saddle is fully carved with flowers set among intertwining scrolls. The dramatic carving is set off by a dyed background complemented by a padded seat made of elephant hide. The beautiful, bright-cut sterling silver conchas are the handiwork of Scott Hardy.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

is, for me, a homerun out of the park. … It’s just so well done. There’s just nothing that I know of done so expertly, from the display of the art to the whole room to the whole setup, the lunches and the dinner that night, it is just run extremely well, and it is a great, great group of people.”

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF TROY WEST

All told, helping to keep Western tradition alive is not just a job for West; it is a dream come true, even if it’s not the rodeo dream he had as a kid.

to participate in the annual Cowboy Crossings exhibition and sale along with members of the Cowboy Artists of America, an event that, in West’s opinion, is unequaled in the world of Western art.

“I started saddlemaking when I was 18 and I’m about to turn 58 in December, which will be 40 years. I still love it and I still have a passion to build saddles – it is fun to get out in the shop. I think one of the best parts is being creative,” he said.

“I get to do design work, I get to design a tree, I get to build that thing and watch it come together. I get to fit the leather to that tree, I get to lay out tooling patterns that are different from any other. And that whole creative process, it is still fun, it is still exciting, and it is still something I’m very passionate about. It is a great job for me.”

“What a blast!” he said. “I don’t know of anything that is done on a higher-quality skill level than Cowboy Crossings. It’s a first-class, premier event.

The CA art and the TCAA art together

Blaine Smith works in the Traffic & Graphics Department at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. His love of history and museums was spawned by his grandfather, who owns his own museum in southeast Colorado.

West pencils a tooling pattern for a fender on vellum. He then transfers the drawn pattern onto the leather. He usually spends 8-9 hours a day in either his tree shop or his saddle shop located right next door. TCAA projects can demand a more rigorous 12-14 hours per day.

of fun. I really enjoyed it. And so the TCAA does encourage us to be creative — the goal is to do something creative, hopefully no one has ever seen before, or never seen it done that way before, so they’re a strong motivating factor — I probably would have never covered a guitar [in leather] had I not been in the TCAA and had such a creative outlet.”

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

Being a TCAA member the past two years has allowed West the opportunity

During the 2016 Cowboy Crossings sale and exhibition West visits with mentor Chuck Stormes and event sponsors Deborah and Kraig Kirshner.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

29

Rodeo Historical Society

30

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Pinyon Duster ($299)

‘49er Jacket ($189)

Big Valley Cardigan ($249)

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

31

Rodeo Historical Society

Jim Wilkes on a High Stepping Steer, Tucumcari, New Mexico, Rodeo, 1919. Image by Doubleday-Foster Photo Company; McCarroll Family Trust Collection, RC2006.076.059.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DICKINSON RESEARCH CENTER

Arena Safety: Then and Now

H

orsemen and ranch workers understand the everyday perils of working closely with unpredictable animals weighing from 500 to 1,500 pounds. Yet competing at top speed with them, or going headto-head with the roughest stock to be found, changes the odds considerably.

It is no surprise that rodeo is widely considered America’s most dangerous sport. It may always remain so, but over the past 25 years changes in attitude and equipment have reduced injuries among contestants.

Early rodeo contestants usually wore the typical clothing and hats found on nearby ranches. The town committee of 32

Prescott, Arizona, organized an annual rodeo in 1888 and soon established a rule that “no cowboy will be entered who is not willing to wear his big hat and boots at all times.” In time, other rodeo committees agreed that folks buying rodeo tickets expected to see heroics in the arena performed by flamboyant Western cowboys and cowgirls.

Tex Austin’s World Championship Rodeo at Chicago, 1920, was an open contest allowing anyone with the entrance fee to compete, although this rodeo had drawn many of the premier rodeo performers.

A linotype operator from a local newspaper, Ralph Pelky, was brave enough to test his skill on a saddle bronc only to be kicked in the head.

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

TAMMIE WEBSTER PHOTOGRAPHY

By Don Reeves

Learning safety first, a young participant gets sage advice from bull fighter Frank Newsom just before the chute gate opens.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

with Lane’s parents, Clyde and Elsie Frost, to host the Lane Frost Memorial Christian Bull Riding and Bull Fighting School at the Frost Ranch in Lane, Oklahoma.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY NATIONAL FILM PRESERVATION FOUNDATION

When asked about their family’s efforts to promote rodeo safety at these schools, Elsie Frost stated, “If my son would have lived, he would have been promoting the use of helmets in any rodeo event.”

She went on to say, “We both feel that if Lane had worn a protective vest he would still be here.”

Ralph Pelky, saddle bronc contestant at Tex Austin’s World Championship Rodeo at Chicago, 1920, was undeterred by his head injuries. Still image from silent film, Cowboy Jazz (1920).

Champion bull rider Cody Lambert, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) vice president and livestock director, was a traveling companion of Lane Frost. Elsie recalled that well before Frost’s injury Lambert’s mother had prompted him to check into protective vests like those worn by his brother, a jockey in the racehorse industry.

He appeared a couple of days later with his head bandaged to “try’em again” — only to earn another trip to the hospital.

By the 1920s some contestants began to arrive at the rodeo arena wearing clothing that did not reflect the classic image of the West. Some bulldoggers competed wearing leather football helmets in an effort to protect themselves from the beating dealt by the large steers turned out in that era.

Many tragic arena-related injuries and deaths have occurred in the past, yet the fatal injury of 1987 World Champion bull rider Lane Frost at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo touched the nation in a special way.

For more than 10 years, Mike Lee and Frank Newsom have worked closely

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAROLYN SEELEN

This safety trend did not last as rodeo producers knew the public wished to see rough and ready cowboys pitting their unprotected bodies against broncs and bulls.

Jack Kerscher in Steer Wrestling. Charles Simpson (1885-1971), 1924, Drawing pencil and crayon/ board, Gift of Charles M. Bennett, 1980.05.10. Kersher, wearing a football helmet used in steer wrestling, posed for Simpson behind the chutes as a competitor in Tex Austin’s 1924 rodeo held in Wembley Stadium in London.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

33

Rodeo Historical Society

A few years after Frost’s death, Lambert did alter a jockey vest, and wore it on the outside of his clothing when riding bulls. Other bull riders began to take interest when they saw how it protected Lambert in the arena.

That first prototype in 1993 has spawned numerous styles of protective vests including the current version: the Lambert Master Pro Vest by Ride Right.

This vest, utilizing modern-day ballistic materials, spreads energy from the impact to a larger area so that more of the shockabsorbing foam material can minimize any possible blunt force trauma.

TAMMIE WEBSTER PHOTOGRAPHY

This vest also includes features like breakaway shoulder straps, adjustable straps at the sides, and tabs on the back for contestant numbers. Many of today’s rough stock riders also ride with a protective vest and often add padded collars that minimize neck extension and head bounce.

Because of the need for flexibility, modern vests do not offer the protection of rigid armor.

Unfortunately, a bull’s hoof landing directly on an unconscious rider lying on the arena floor has a devastating impact force that could exceed 10,000 pounds. Development of these new style riding vests offers much better protection from glancing blows.

For more than 10 years, 2004 World Champion Mike Lee and Dickies DuraBullfighter Frank Newsom each have dedicated three days in the summer to the Lane Frost Memorial Christian Bull Riding and Bull Fighting School hosted every June by Clyde and Elsie Frost. With a cap of 30 students total, attendees are able to practice their respective sport in the arena built by Lane decades ago.

The rough stock helmets currently available are made of high-impact composite material, yet still lightweight enough to prevent added neck strain as the rider’s head is thrown about.

TAMMIE WEBSTER PHOTOGRAPHY

The new stainless steel wire masks can withstand crushing blows and extend lower for additional neck protection.

With husband Clyde at her side, Elsie Frost gives her testimony with the students as they gather to share the evening meal.

34

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Many helmet shells are equipped with reinforced crowns, dual-density cell foam padding, and floating earflaps, offering more complete protection than the leather football helmet adapted for use in Tex Austin’s day.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Resistol Ridesafe headgear shown in production at the Hatco production facility in Garland, Texas. Resistol’s hat construction incorporates safety features both inside and outside of the hat itself.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY RESISTOL’S RIDESAFE HAT

Resistol has combined good looks with safety by producing a version of protective headwear that combines the style of a Western felt hat enhanced with materials that provide increased safety for the contestant.

According to Resistol’s website, “This headgear liner is fabricated from expanded polystyrene and is designed to absorb the shock of an impact by partial destruction of the shell and liner.

Following an impact, this damage may not be visible to the user. If subjected to a severe blow, the headgear should be destroyed.”

emphatically concluded that “we have to increase our efforts to give them the tools needed to improve their safety.”

Rodeo athletes often return to the arena without treatment in an attempt to compete year-round. For 35 years the Justin Sportsmedicine Team has aided injured rodeo competitors.

The concept of the traveling medical

support team was developed in 1980

by Dr. J Pat Evans and Don Andrews; the team began helping cowboys and cowgirls in earnest during the 1981 season. They recognized rodeo athletes have no “off season” in which to recuperate.

Rick Foster, Director of the Justin Sportsmedicine Team, said, “Technical and educational improvements, along

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY FORT WORTH STOCK SHOW & RODEO

Randy Bernard, former CEO of the PBR organization and NCWHM Board Member, is a strong proponent of protective headgear and the protective vest, noted the “difficulty in building exposure and a brand for the great contestants if they get hurt and can’t compete due to injuries.”

“It is imperative that rodeo stars are billed as superstars and can build their own brands. Rodeo needs to do everything possible to continue to work on the safety of every athlete,” Bernard remarked.

“About one out of 14 bull rides results in an injury,” said Bernard. He

Jake Barnes, 2016 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee, wearing Resistol Ridesafe headwear while team roping at the January/February 2016 Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. This was the first rodeo Barnes competed in since sustaining a traumatic head injury while roping in December 2015.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

35

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF RIDE RIGHT

Rodeo Historical Society

The Lambert Master Pro Vest by Ride Right utilizes modern-day ballistic materials to help protect bull riders in the arena.

with better physical fitness among the contestants, has significantly improved arena safety.” The goal of their highly trained medical team, affirmed by Foster, “is to return them to the arena as safely and quickly as possible.”

The BullTek NexGen helmet by Ride Right is made of composite material, offering high-impact protection in a lightweight package.

You may have also noticed that foam “crash pads” are becoming more popular, providing more protection from the steel arena poles and bucking chutes. Though it may never be possible to keep all rodeo hands out of harm’s

way, the arena is changing — positive changes designed to help protect lives and prolong rodeo careers.

Don Reeves is the Museum's McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture/Rodeo Curator.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DICKINSON RESEARCH CENTER

Charles Simpson, A Mishap — Steer Wrestling, 1924, Opaque watercolor on paper, 22" x 30" NCM Gift of Charles M. Bennett, 1980.5.02.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Defending CTEC Champion and Fasest Average record holder: Paul David Tierney

The California Crew Supporting: Agriculture, Farming, Dairy, Almonds & Cattle

Lazye.com |

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

37

Rodeo Historical Society

ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE DICKINSON RESEARCH CENTER

NATIONAL COWBOY & WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM®

brother of Fred Dorenkamp, who, along with his wife, Norma, owned Dorenkamp Rodeo Company from 1950 – 1993, Dorenkamp competed as a PRCA steer wrestler from 1965 through the mid-1970s.

FRED CONDO II Fred “Matthew” Condo II, a PRCA Gold Card member, died May 31, 2016, at age 75.

Dorenkamp is survived by his wife; daughters, Judy Dorenkamp, and Janet Lundy and her husband Forrest; a brother, Fred Dorenkamp, and his wife, Norma; a sister, Agnes Harper, and her husband, Jim; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Born February 5, 1941, in Dothan, Alabama, he lived in Arcadia, Florida, for 60 years after moving with his family from Chattahoochee, Florida.

A six-time “All Florida Champion,” he was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend.

Condo is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jacqueline Duncan Condo; daughter, Sorrel Pickle, and her husband, Wayne; grandchildren, Pacyn M. Pickle and Paysleigh Grace Pickle; and sister, Debbie Carlton, and her husband, Doyle.

NORMAN EUGENE DORENKAMP Norman Eugene Dorenkamp, a former PRCA steer wrestler and member of the famed Dorenkamp rodeo family, died September 4, 2016, at his home in Holly, Colorado. He was 73.

Born October 14, 1942, Dorenkamp graduated from Holly High School in 1960. In 1961 he married Jean Kalma.

The couple raised three children and enjoyed ranching and farming. The 38

two windmills upon which he would tightrope walk.

A tie-down roper in the Cowboys’ Turtle Association, Douthitt also participated in steer wrestling, wild cow milking, and, occasionally, steer roping, winning or placing in most major rodeos throughout the United States. Beginning in 1951, Douthitt performed as a PRCA specialty rope act, which he was active in until 1970.

Douthitt also served a three-year stint in the Marines, appeared as a spokesman and model for Lee jeans, worked as an extra and horse wrangler on various movie sets, and returned to the rodeo arena later in life to participate in team roping.

Douthitt is survived by his wife of 60 years, Jane, a former PRCA secretary; daughter, April Dugger; grandsons, Drew and Jack Dugger; and sisters, Effie Jo and Rachel.

BUFF DOUTHITT

MYRON ETIENNE

Buff Douthitt, a 2001 inductee into the Rodeo Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, died September 4, 2016, at age 91.

Myron “Doc” Etienne, a founding member and the first president of the Animal Welfare Council, died September 10, 2016, in Carmel, California. He was 92.

Born October 29, 1924, in Haggerman, New Mexico, Douthitt was raised on a 60,000-acre ranch outside of Roswell, New Mexico.

There, he acquired a love of horses and roping, and discovered a hidden talent that would resurface later in his life — acrobatics. As he told the Santa Fe New Mexican in 2013, the ranch had two windmills 150 feet apart. As a boy, he strung a rope between the

Born in Pasadena, California, on May 19, 1924, Etienne served five years at sea with the Merchant Marines before earning a law degree from the University of California’s Hastings College of Law. Recognized as one of California’s premier trial lawyers, Etienne was a senior partner at the law firm of Noland, Hamerly, Etienne, & Hoss, where he worked from 19532011. He generously donated pro bono

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

Rodeo Historical Society

legal counsel to an array of public charities, including the Hidden Valley Music Seminars and the Monterey County Fair.

A 2001 inductee into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame and a 2010 inductee into the California Rodeo Salinas Hall of Fame, Etienne was a past president and 40-year board member of California Rodeo Salinas. As part of the PRCA Rodeo Information Foundation, and through the Animal Welfare Council, Etienne was instrumental in establishing the PRCA’s proactive stance toward animal welfare issues.

Etienne is survived by his wife of 40 years, Charlene; sons, Victor and Dirk; six grandchildren and a grandchild on the way.

CAROL EUGENE FULLER Carol Eugene “Red” Fuller, a PRCA competitor, announcer, and Gold Card member, died August 3, 2016, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at age 87.

A lifelong cowboy, Fuller was born September 11, 1928, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A graduate of Bagley High School in Tahlequah, Fuller worked at the Hollister Ranch along the Pacific Coast in California and the 1,000 Acres Ranch in Stony Creek, New York, before purchasing his own property in Gideon, Oklahoma, in 1958.

Fuller was a longtime announcer for the PRCA and the Green Country Junior Rodeo Association. He retired from the USDA where he worked in the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service. He is survived by a son, Dusty, and his wife, Tecla; daughter, Debbie Caughman, and her husband, Nathan; three grandchildren, Cody Caughman, Kylea Caughman, and Jenna Hack; and a great-grandchild, Hollis Hack.

MYRL MCARTHUR GOODWIN

LESTER ARTHUR GORE

Myrl McArthur Goodwin, a PRCA Gold Card member and lifelong rodeo athlete, died September 10, 2016, in Canyon, Texas, at age 79.

Lester Arthur “Les” Gore, the eighthranked PRCA bareback rider in 1965 and a stock contractor for the first National Finals Rodeo, died June 1, 2016, in an accident at Wheatland, Wyoming. He was 91.

Born February 22, 1937, in Canon City, Colorado, Goodwin received a basketball scholarship to New Mexico State University. He later transferred to Idaho State University, where he was named the basketball team’s Player of the Year.

He was also a member of the school’s rodeo team where he won the College Tie Down Calf Roping Championship.

Goodwin later took up steer roping, winning buckles at Pendleton and Cheyenne. He also won senior steer roping championships in 1992, 1998, and 2000, and in 1993 was ranked 16th in the PRCA Steer Roping Standings.

After teaching and coaching basketball in Pocatello, Idaho, Goodwin moved to Grand Junction, Colorado, in 1976, becoming a real estate broker in Colorado and, eventually, Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. In 1992 he moved to Canyon, Texas, where he continued selling real estate and roping competitively until recent years.

Goodwin is survived by his wife, Pam; grandson, Gunner Goodwin Hartsell; a stepson, Lee Upton; a stepgrandson and two stepgranddaughters; and several nephews and cousins.

Born March 26, 1925, in Marshall, Wyoming, Gore served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Two days after being honorably discharged from the service, he began his rodeo career at the University of Wyoming. For the rest of his life, Gore would remain involved in rodeo, either as a contractor or competitor, and ranching. In 1949, he won the Amateur Bronc Riding at Cheyenne Frontier Days; the following year, he purchased his RCA card and went on to compete at Calgary, Madison Square Garden, Boston, San Francisco, Fort Worth, Tucson, and Dallas. He first qualified for the NFR in 1963 but was unable to compete due to injuries. At the 1965 NFR he won the first round in bareback riding and placed in another three, but was injured in the seventh, finishing tied for eighth place.

Gore was instrumental in starting the National Old Timers Rodeo Association (NOTRA) in 1979, winning numerous bareback, steer wrestling, and all-around titles. He was also active as a judge for numerous PRCA, NOTRA, college, and high school rodeos, including the National High School Finals. In 1949, he formed Summit Rodeo with Pete Burns and Jim R. White, providing stock for the first NFR in 1950. He was inducted into the NOTRA Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2014.

Gore is survived by his wife, Kathleen; daughters, Linda Martin and her husband, Tom, Lorie Christy, and Debbie Kersting; sons, Larry and wife, Marian, and Mark and his wife, Connie; six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

39

Rodeo Historical Society

FRANCIS WILLIAMS HEWES JR. Francis Williams “Punch” Hewes Jr., a PRCA Gold Card member, died May 28, 2016, in Sterling, Colorado.

He was 78.

BILL HARLAN Bill Harlan, the producer and promoter of the first two National Finals Steer Ropings (NFSR) and a six-time qualifier for the NFSR himself, died August 13, 2016, in Boerne, Texas. He was 83.

Raised on a ranch in McLean, Texas, Harlan was a third-generation roper who was a member of the New Mexico State University rodeo team.

After college, he joined the RCA and embarked on a 38-year professional rodeo career that included winning the steer roping at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1958 and qualifying for the NFSR in 1960 – 1962, 1964 – 1965, and 1970.

In 1960, he finished third in the steer roping world standings.

Born April 29, 1938, in Denver, Colorado, Hewes participated in all rodeo events, but excelled at steer wrestling in particular. An avid welder and inventor, most notably the portable dipping vat for cattle, he was also a private pilot. Hewes was half-owner and operator of Hews & Hewes Land and Cattle Company, where he raised cattle and champion Quarter Horses and established a successful gravel pit operation.

Hewes is survived by his sisters, Cindy Wright and Joanne Hewes; daughters, Alisa Estrada and her husband, David, and Kelly Tachera and her husband, Wayne; sons, Ben and his wife, Kelley, Nathan, and Frank and his wife, Jeffie; and five grandchildren.

When the National Finals Steer Roping was commissioned, Harlan took on the task of producing and promoting the inaugural event in 1959, as well as the second-annual NFSR in 1960 in Clayton, New Mexico, an hour from his home at the time in Bueyeros, New Mexico.

A PRCA Gold Card member, Harlan is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joyce; a son, Monte, and his wife, Sherry; a daughter, Shawn; three grandsons and a granddaughter.

After marrying Elizabeth “Petey” Cleghorn in 1960, Lewis helped operate the family ranch near Dell City and raise his family. After retiring from ranching, Lewis moved to Carlsbad where he began a second career as a truck driver. He is survived by his wife; brother, Austin; children, Stacy Green and George Gonzalez, Janice Lucas and husband, Berry, Kerry Lewis and wife, Christi; eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

TOMMY LUCIA Tommy Lucia, a 2015 Rodeo Hall of Fame inductee at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, died June 1, 2016, in Weatherford, Texas, on his 75th birthday.

WAYNE LEWIS Wayne Lewis, who finished 11th in the 1959 bull riding standings, died March 4, 2016, in Midland, Texas, at age 81.

Born February 16, 1935, in Carlsbad, New Mexico, Lewis grew up on the family ranch where he developed a fondness for riding the milk pen calves.

After graduating high school in Dell City, Texas, he began riding bulls professionally, which he did for seven years. Lewis’ standout year was 1959.

That year he won the bull riding at the

40

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo and clinched a fourth-place finish at the National Western Stock Show & Rodeo in Denver. Qualifying for the 1959 National Finals Rodeo, he finished the year 11th in the bull riding standings and sixth in the average.

THE KETCHPEN | AUTUMN/WINTER 2016

The PRCA Entertainer of the Year from 2003 – 2005, Lucia was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on June 1, 1941. He began his career in rodeo at age 15 riding bulls and bareback horses. But it was when he filled in for a rodeo clown who was injured that he found his true calling as an entertainer.

Though he quit clowning in 1984, Lucia continued to amaze crowds with his animal act that included a swayback horse named Glory along with Whiplash, a monkey who dressed as a cowboy and rode atop a dog.

Rodeo Historical Society

A graduate of Billings Senior High School, Parker qualified for the NFR in team roping in 1979 and 1982 and in tie-down roping in 1980. In 1979, when he won Rookie of the Year honors, he roped with David Motes to finish second in the average at the NFR. He finished that year 11th in the world standings. The following year, he finished fifth in the tie-down roping average at the NFR, finishing the season 10th in the world standings. He again qualified for the NFR in 1982, roping with heeler Brad Smith. The duo placed in three rounds and finished 14th in the average.

Stewart owned stock yards in Cloverdale, British Columbia, and Dillon, Montana, and also worked as an auctioneer.

Memorial Gifts & Honorariums   

BILL PARKER Bill Parker, a three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier and 1979 PRCA Team Roping Rookie of the Year, died June 23, 2016, in Huntley, Montana. He was 62.

Born in Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada, on July 18, 1930, as a young man Stewart worked ranches in British Columbia. He enjoyed calf roping and team roping, riding saddle broncs, and showing cutting horses. In addition to his affiliation with the PRCA, he was a Gold Card member of the Canadian Professional Rodeo Association.



BUD STEWART Bud Stewart, a renowned rodeo announcer and PRCA Gold Card member, died May 22, 2016, in Powder River, Oregon, at age 85.



The only cowboy from Montana to qualify for the NFR in both tie-down and team roping, Parker is also the only tie-down roper from Montana to make the top-five world standings. He won multiple championships in the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit (MPRC) and Northern Rodeo Association (NRA), including being the MPRC year-end team-roping champion in 1979 and tie-down champion in 1984, as well as the MPRC Finals all-around and team-roping champion in 1980.

Though he retired from rodeo in 1993, Parker returned to the arena in 2010, eventually qualifying for the 2012 NRA Finals with his nephew, Delon Parker.

In 2015, while competing part time, he finished 159th in the world standings.

Parker is survived by his wife, Jann.



In addition to his PRCA Entertainer of the Year honors, Lucia was also named Act of the Year for the Texas Circuit four times. He performed as the opening act at the National Finals Rodeo five times and was a barrelman at the NFR in 1973. He also performed his act for the NBA playoffs, Major League Baseball, and was featured in various television commercials over the years. Lucia is survived by his sons, Tommy Joe, and his wife, Donna, Josh, and his wife, Bobbie, Dominic, and his wife, Marisa, and Anthony; daughters, Poppy Cedillio and Lonna Vopat; and 14 grandchildren.

The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum® is supported through memberships and private and corporate donations. Thank you to these donors who have designated memorials and honorarium gifts to the Rodeo Historical Society.

In Memory of...

Jim Charles Flying U Rodeo Hal Cooper Tom Caccia Keith Davis Scott Davis Dr. James K. DeVore Mr. & Mrs. Don C. Boulton Robert Gaskell Stephanie Fagan Andrew B. Hawkins Terry Hawkins Duane Howard Larry Howard Nancy Klein Marvin Klein John & Nell Lindsey Rita Boyle Betty Mandery Flying U Rodeo Duane Miller F & J Investments Duane Miller Hoel’s Indian Shop Duane Miller Clancy Pendergast Alvin Nelson Barbara Wood Alvin Nelson Leahray & John Wroten Page Schwarte Flying U Rodeo Carl Bradley Steagall Mr. and Mrs. Cliff Teinert Kenneth D. Turner LaWalta Turner

Honorariums...

Flying U Rodeo Cotton Rosser Fred Heine Douglas Hickman Peter Hoffman Gary Derrick VR Hylton Bucky Eckols

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

41

Landscape of Giving Rodeo Historical Society membership and donations make it possible for the organization to fulfill its mission to preserve and promote the history of rodeo.

Donations of $250 or more are recognized on the Donor Wall at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Thank you to these 2016 donors.

$10,000 and Above Mr. Bobby Norris, Colorado RFD-TV San Antonio Rose Palace $5,000-$9,999 Mr. and Mrs. Mike Ingram Justin Brands, Inc. $1,000-$4,999 Ms. Elizabeth P. Richards Cowboy Reunion Mr. & Mrs. Jack Roddy Mr. Mike Cervi Patterson of Bowie Mrs. George A. Muckleroy Ms. Donna McSpadden Mr. Marvin A. Klein Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Nelson

Thank You! To all those who generously donated items or services for both the 2016 RHS Live and Silent Auctions Arbuckle Trail Rides Baxter Black Bill Kamp's Meat Market Bill McRoberts Billy Cook Bison Shop Bob Feist Bobby Norris Boot Barn Boyd Gaming Bryan Painter Charlie 1 Horse Hat Company Choctaw Casino Resorts Christie Camarillo Clark-Beals Ranch Cotton Rosser Cowboy Images Cowboys & Indians Magazine Diann Schwerdfeger Donna McSpadden Double D Ranchwear Early Attic Four “C” Art & Ranch Enterprises, LLC

$500-$999 Ms. Brenda Michael Mr. Larry Howard Mr. and Mrs. Jack Henderson

*As of 10/24/2016 Representative Don Armes 2016 RHS Auctioneer

Gil's Clothing & Denim Bar Gist Silversmiths Hazel's Fashion Wagon Interstate Equine LLC J Tucker McCoy Jim Ryan Lazy E Arena Marvin Holmes Family Montana Silversmiths Mountain Boomer Boutique Mustang Brewing Company Nadine Levin National Saddlery Oklahoma Shirt Company On A Whim Paint 'N Cheers LLC Paul Moore Remington Park Renaissance Waterford Hotel Resistol Hats Rocki Gorman Sharon Shoulders Southwest Veterinary Hospital Stetson The Petroleum Club of Oklahoma City Tony Lama Tres Rios Silver Veach Saddlery Company, Inc. Wayne Baize Weatherby WF Young Wrangler YETI Coolers

AUTUMN/WINTER 2016 | THE KETCHPEN

42

Rodeo Hall of Fame Application for Nomination The Rodeo Historical Society (RHS) is a support group of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum that helps in its mission to preserve the history of rodeo. The Rodeo Hall of Fame is dedicated to honoring and memorializing the great performers in rodeo and its related professions. Induction into this prestigious hall of fame is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on an honoree.

The RHS Board of Directors reviews each applicant throughly and annually selects a slate of nominees. RHS members vote by secret ballot to determine inductees into the Rodeo Hall of Fame, which are held each fall. Applications must be received at the National Cowboy Museum by December 31 to be considered for the coming year’s nomination slate. Applications will be held and considered for three years. After this time, the application will be returned to the submitter. Returned applications may be resubmitted with updates and additional materials.

Application Procedure Applications must include the following: • • • • •

• • • • •

Nomination Letter (submit at least one letter) Detailed biography, including rodeo accomplishments Completed Application Form; be as detailed as possible A minimum of two photographs these will be scanned and returned Applicant must be at least 50 years of age

Incomplete applications will be returned and not considered for nomination. Be as detailed as possible. Use the following criteria as a guide when completing your application materials: Affiliation (RCA/PRCA, WRPA/GRA, etc.); significant participation in rodeo on the national level; training of others; respected by peers; character; giving back to rodeo; war service: projects the image of living “The Western Way.” Attach additional pages as needed.

Applicant Information Name of Applicant: ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Address of Applicant (if living):__________________________________________________________________________________ City/Town/Zip:_______________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: (__________)___________________________________________________________________________________ E-mail: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date of Birth:_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Place of Birth:_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date of Death (if deceased):_____________________________________________________________________________________ Parent’s Name:________________________________________________________________________________________________ Spouse’s Name:_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Children’s Name(s):___________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Occupation: __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Participated in the Following Rodeo Events: __________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What Years did Applicant Rodeo? __________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rodeo Hall of Fame Application and Nomination Major Rodeos Entered (List no more than 10)_________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rodeo Organizations/AfďŹ liation: ________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Gold Card Member?

Yes ______________ No ______________________

Card #_________________________________

Rodeo Titles/Honors __________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Civic Organizations/AfďŹ liation: _________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Other Pertinent and Interesting Information:______________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of Person Making Application:_____________________________________________________________________________ Relationship to Applicant: ______________________________________________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip:________________________________________________________________________________________________ Phone: (__________)___________________________________________________________________________________________ E-mail:______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date of Application___________________________________________________________________________________________

Return to:

Rodeo Historical Society Nomination Committee National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum 1700 Northeast 63rd Street Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73111 (405) 478-2250

Additional forms can be downloaded at nationalcowboymuseum.org/rodeo Additional forms can be downloaded at www.LoveRodeo.org