Gene Peach’s photography titled, Making a Hand:  Images of New Mexico Ranch Children,  is on exhibit at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.  Peach, who resides in Santa Fe, has a unique look at his subjects and captures this in his work.  He feels the children, on the ranch or at a rodeo, are truly the future of the West.  The exhibit will continue through June 15, 2003.

            John Shellheart, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, paints rodeo clowns.  The talented artist just won an area contest and his painting of Quail Dobbs, was chosen to be the cover of the Cheyenne/Laramie telephone book. Dobbs was a long-time barrelman at Cheyenne Frontier Days and recently retired from the business.

            The Cowboy Reunion, a gathering of yesterdays champions and competitors, held during the National Finals Rodeo, in Las Vegas, is a very pleasant memory.  Among those attending were ten members of the Cowboy Turtle Association.  Please note; the Turtle Association (the first organization of cowboys which developed in to the PRCA) only existed from 1936 until 1945, when the group changed the name to Rodeo Cowboy Association.  The oldest attendee was Holloway Grace, age 95, from California.  Bart Clennon, age 92, of Tucson, AZ, also attended.

            Congratulations to the new 2003 Miss Rodeo America, Lori Bortner of McCook, Nebraska.  She will have a busy, fun-filled year representing rodeo.

            Hats are off to all the new World Champions!  The All-Around Cowboy title went to Trevor Brazile, a first class roper from Anson, Texas.  But the competition between he and roughstock rider, Jessie Bail, of Camp Crook, SD,  was not determined until the final  round of the NFR.  

            The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame located at Northside, in Fort Worth, Texas, is holding their 2003 Spirit of Texas Awards on January 10^th.  The Honorees are Guy Allen, George Strait, Neal & Kay Gay and Fred Whitfield.  Congratulations!

The National Cowgirl Hall of Fame inducted four new Honorees to their twenty-first century state-of-the-art museum last weekend. At the induction luncheon each table was decorated by a local company or individual and it is always a great surprise to see how each table is decorated. Some are wild and funky, while some are creatively ingenious, while still others are simply elegant. Not only do they have an elaborate centerpieces, but the placemats, and sometimes even the chair covers coordinate. You must see it to believe what creative people can do.

Polly Burson, newly inducted Honoree, was featured on Saturday at the Hall when she gave a talk on her life as a stunt woman in Hollywood, working on movies such as Perils of Pauline and True Grit, plus her life as a trick rider in rodeos and Wild West shows.

The Cowboy Reunion, held in Las Vegas, during the last weekend of National Finals is still available to anyone who is interested in rodeo and wants to mingle with yesterday’s champions and top cowboys and cowgirls. The Excalibur is the hotel and when making reservations call 1-800-937-7777. For more information contact June Ivory before Dec. 1st at 1-806-669-7708.

Jim & Sharon Shoulders’ daughter, Marcie, went to Maine and went hunting with her husband’s aunt, after she entered Marcie’s name in a lottery draw and won. Marcie, who had never hunted, ‘bagged’ a moose! Officials think it may be a state record, 885 lbs., 62” rack, and rough score of 203 in Boone & Crockett.

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame, according to Executive Director, Pat Hildebrand, will hold their New World Champion Exhibition at the Hall in Colorado Springs, CO, on January 14th. The honorees, winners of each event in this year’s upcoming National Finals Rodeo, will receive their World Champion belt buckles and sign autographs and meet with their public. Plan to be there this special event. It is open to the public.

Warren & Donna Melvin, of Holabird, SD, were honored as “The Ranch Cowboy Family”, at the Casey Tibbs Foundation’s 13th annual dinner on November 16th, in Pierre, SD. Warren was raised on the family ranch, and Donna was the daughter, of Bill & Reva Maher, producers of the Diamond M Rodeo Company. Warren rode in all rough stock events and steer wrestled in the 1950s, and Donna performed a horse act at rodeos. They have both been very active in 4H rodeos in the area. Their children, Monty, Michel Lea and Marty all excelled in rodeo and they all represent a true ranch cowboy family. Others honored at this event to raise money for the Casey Tibbs Foundation were South Dakotans Lonnie Hall, Theresa Humphry, Ivan Teigen and Duane Reichert, all well-known rodeo greats.

J. W. Stoker, was featured in a recent Dallas Morning News article by Michael E. Young. Stoker has been performing trick riding and roping for rodeo audiences and western-related venues for sixty-three years. In 1939 when Stoker first performed professionally, at age 11, he said, “Rodeo was all about entertainment.” Today rodeo is a sport and performers such as Stoker aren’t used as often as they once were, but that hasn’t diminished his zeal for his talent and ability to entertain. He still keeps quite busy at rodeos and wild west shows and seldom has to travel far from his Weatherford, Texas, home. Nearing 75 years of age he says, “If you keep active, you’ll keep.”