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The
Fall schedule in the rodeo world is chocked full of
exciting events in addition to the rodeos you can
attend. We
know they are full of excitement each and every
performance. The
extra added attractions I’m referring to, such as
inductions in to various Halls of Fame, the Dean Smith
Celebrity Rodeo, etc..
I feel like a competitor going ‘down the
road’ to all these events but I enjoy each and every
minute, and the information I get to share with you is
always the ‘icing on the cake’.
The
National
Cowboy & Western
Heritage
Museum
, in
Oklahoma City
,
OK
, held the
Rodeo Historical Society induction, October 23rd and
24th, and honored some very deserving
cowboys and cowgirls.
Jim Shoulders, with sixteen World
Championships, was presented the Ben Johnson Award and
Judy Dearing, who has coordinated the Rodeo Historical
Society from the Hall since the late 1980s, received
the Tad Lucas Award.
Rodeo Hall of Fame Deceased Inductees were:
Tillie Baldwin, born in 1888 in
Norway
, came to the
U. S.
at age 14 and became a hairdresser, met Will Rogers
and he let her ride horses, hired her, later she
performed as a lady bronc rider, bulldogger and as a
trick rider. John
Hatley, called Big John, from
Uvalde
,
Texas
, played pro football for Chicago Bears and St Louis
Cardinals but his heart was in rodeo.
A bulldogger and a ‘gentle giant’ he began
the Rodeo Cowboy Alumni Association, which gathers the
rodeo people of yesterday and gives young people
scholarships yearly.
Jim Tescher, of
North Dakota
, a saddle bronc rider, who won the average at the
first National Finals Rodeo in 1959.
He was responsible for starting the Matched
Bucking for Home on The Range, a children’s home, in
North Dakota
, which continues to get top cowboys to attend and
compete, from the
Dakotas
and surrounding states, regardless of their hectic
schedules. Tex
Slocum, was a bronc rider with a twenty-five year
career including stints with the Texas Kid Wild West
Show, George Adams Wild West and Hagenbeck Wallace
Circus. He
worked with Hoot Gibson, Tom Mix and Captain Tom
Hickman. The
Rodeo Hall of Fame Living Inductees were: Tom Hadley,
bulldogger, and later rodeo announcer for many years.
He announced the first college rodeo in 1947
and continued to announce most of the large rodeos
across the country.
Lynn Sheppard, a calf roper, from Globe,
Arizona
, who also worked for rodeo producers, Leo Cremer,
Kohrs, and others.
He had some outstanding roping times and broke
records. Leon
Adams, Roman rider and contract performer for many
years. Began
his career by standing on the backs of two old work
horses, of his dads, barefooted, when just a
‘button’. He
was hired to entertain at a nearby rodeo, paid $5.00
and was bit by the rodeo bug, and as they say “the
rest is history”.
He has performed all over the world with his
vast array of acts including horses and Brahma bulls.
His wife, Vicki, also performs.
Rick Young, called the ‘Ragin’ Cajun’, a
rodeo clown from Tick Faw,
Louisiana
. His
career has lasted almost a half a century, and he’s
changed his title to “the Agin’ Cajun’.
He has appeared at the
Sikeston
,
Missouri
, annual rodeo for forty-six years.
Still a great laugh-getter and still going
strong. June
Ivory, spent
her life
in rodeo,
as a competitor, secretary, timer, quadrille
performer, flag bearer, etc.
It would take too long to list all her
experience in the world of rodeo.
June, and deceased husband, Buster Ivory, truly
lived rodeo their entire lives doing whatever asked to
do “in the name of rodeo”.
As Donna McSpadden presented June’s
credentials she stated, “Rodeo was June’s baby.”
June passed away November 9th..
A few days later I attended the induction to
the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame in
Fort Worth
. Five
deserving women were honored.
Gail Davis, who died in 1997, was in 32
feature films, worked with Roy Rogers, Gene Autry and
many other western stars..
Her daughter, Terry, said she had a heart of
gold but could be stern and was always able to laugh
and cry simultaneously.
Wantha Davis, was a jockey when women
didn’t weren’t allowed.
She won over one thousand races at quarter
horse tracks, fairs, etc.
Her application to race a major tracks was
denied as there was no dressing room for female
jockeys. She
beat several top male jockeys at matched races.
She was a true pioneer for women jockeys.
She lives in
Austin
,
TX
, now and finished a 10K race at age 82.
She said she loves anyone who “talks
horse”. Connie
Griffith, trick rider, died in 1998 in a tragic
accident while trick riding at a rodeo.
She was married to Dick Griffith early day
trick rider and World Champion Bull Rider, who was her
first instructor in learning
to trick ride. She
had a passion for it and never wanted to do anything
but perform. She
and son, Tad Griffith, performed at the Excalibur
Hotel’s “Magic Merlin Dinner Show” for eight
years. Son,
Tad and grandson Gallatin, accepted the honor for her.
I knew Connie and visited with her many times.
I once asked her how she kept in shape to do
all those phenomenal tricks requiring such strength
and agility. She
was in her mid-fifties at the time.
She laughed and said,
“Nothing, I just clean stalls”.
Sherri Mell, has won more than 100 world
and national rodeo and horse show competition titles,
and has competed in 24 consecutive Women’s National
Finals rodeos and 21 World Championship Appaloosa
horse shows. She
said that as a kid she and friends would always play
‘Roy Rogers & Dale Evans’ – and she was
always Roy Rogers! Mary Jo Milner won her first
National Cutting Horse Association Non Pro World
Championship in 1981.
Over the past 32 years she has amassed a career
records of championships, reserve championships and top-ten
finishes that is unmatched by any NCHA
non-professional rider – male or female.
The Dean Smith Celebrity Rodeo moved to
Abilene
,
Texas
, this year, and
was embraced by the city.
The event was kicked off by a gala with music
and auction items and tons of entertainment.
It was crowded and everyone was decked out in
their cowboy finery, it was hard to tell who were the
celebrities. Some
that attended were:
Ernest Borgnine, Alex Cord, Robert Carradine,
Dale Berry, Peter Brown, Kenny Call, Larry Mahan, L.
Q. Jones, Steve Kanaly, Marty Kove, Dale Robertson,
Buck Taylor, Clint Walker, Leon Coffee, Tuffy &
Roy Cooper, Debbie Garrison, Lynn Anderson, Jerry
Long, Monty Henson, Rex Allen, Jr., Johnny Western,
Red Steagall, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Montie Montana, Jr.,
Trevor Brazile, Stran Smith, just to name a few.
They entertained with either their singing
ability, their roping or cutting ability, or their
special talents such as trick roping.
Gene McLaughlin performed his trick roping, as
well as his ability to team rope.
Gene and his brother, Don, began trick roping
72 years ago as three and five year old juvenile
ropers. They
performed at all the big rodeos of the era and were
claimed as the World
Champion Juvenile Ropers in their day.
Today Gene continues his career and uniquely he
trick ropes while ice skating!!
Dean Smith and wife, Debbie, did a tremendous
job, as did all the celebrities that attended.
As a spectator I can say it was an action
packed three days with something happening in the
rodeo arena, or the stage area from morning, into the
night. The
proceeds went to the John Wayne Cancer Institute,
formed in 1991, in
California
and the Cancer Services Network, Inc., in
Abilene
. *Please
note: I
didn’t name every celebrity that attended.
God bless them all for giving of their time to
such a worthwhile cause.
Be sure and try to attend the next one
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