Rodeo Clown Reunion 2004

BEHIND THE CHUTES AND ELSEWHERE

By: Gail Hughbanks Woerner

     I spent rodeo week in Big Spring, Texas, recently at the invitation of Quail Dobbs, one of the local ramrods of the rodeo committee.  Quail is nationally known as being one of the best rodeo clowns in the business up until his retirement a few years ago.  He only retired from rodeo because now he spends his days as Justice of the Peace at Coahoma, a few miles east of Big Spring.   It is not unusual for Quail to be invited to marry cowboys and cowgirls he’s met while going down the ‘rodeo road’, which has got to be one of the most rewarding part of his new career.

     The rodeo committee chose the theme “RODEO CLOWNS – THE COWBOYS HERO” for this year’s rodeo and Quail was kind enough to invite me to come to this delightful West Texas historic town and sell a few books.  My FEARLESS FUNNYMEN, THE HISTORY OF THE RODEO CLOWN was a big seller.

     Historically Big Spring was an early day crossroads for the railroad and cattle drives.  The spring, flowing from a deep chasm in limestone rock into a reservoir of some fifty feet in depth, provided water so necessary for man and beast, but so absent in many places in the west made the locale an important stopping place.  The present day population is around 25,000 and is primarily surrounded by ranches.  It also has a large Veterans Administration Hospital, an oil refinery, a rail yard,  and nearby wind turbines called the Big Spring Wind Power Project which generates enough electricity to power 7,300 homes a year.

     Big Spring Rodeo, celebrating their 71^st annual event, featured Jerry Diaz, Cherri Extraordinaire, at each rodeo performance.  His expertise at horsemanship, as he performed on two beautifully trained stallions, and manipulation of the maguey rope,  left the audience in awe.  His authentic clothing, saddle and trappings on his mounts, were of the highest quality.     Diaz is a fourth generation Cherri.  His father, Peep, trained horses for the Presidente of Mexico, in earlier years.  Fortunately he is keeping the art and the history of the Charro alive by his performances across the United States. 

     Another featured celebrity was Lacy Billingsly, Miss Rodeo Texas, who was in Big Spring at her final appearance as Texas royalty.  The new Miss Rodeo Texas was to be crowned the following week.  Miss Billingsly is a beautiful young woman and an excellent representative of the state, and the world of cowgirls.  She is a barrel racer, has an engaging  presentation and is charming to all her fans – never leaving until the last autograph is signed.

     And, of course, Rick Young, the ‘Agin’ Cajun’ barrelman who is loved and adored by one and all.  As I watched him throughout the week visit with children and adults at functions held at the Heritage Museum, the Library, on the radio, and the VA Hospital, and perform and  keep the audience laughing during each rodeo performance, it is evident he has a passion for what he does and receives as much enjoyment as he gives the audience.

     The rodeo announcer, Mike Mathis, from Lufkin, Texas, gave up being a major officer in banking to announce rodeos over fifteen years ago.  He does it all horseback and never misses a beat.  He knows the rodeo business, as he was a roughstock competitor in his youth, and keeps the audience totally informed at all times.

     It was a delightful week, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching these professionals, as well as the cowboys and cowgirls that competed, but what made my visit a special treat were the people of Big Spring that I met.  Skipper Driver , President of the Rodeo Committee, who is third generation to perform these duties; Nancy Raney and Tammy Schrecengost at the Heritage Museum who assisted me with my books and provided much about the history of the area; Linda Berry who invited me to share her rodeo box and watch each performance while introducing me to many local people; Lenita and Martin Fryar who visited with me about rodeo history and even allowed me to take some of the books from their personal library home with me to read and research; the children of the New Hope Church School and the ‘Mothers Day Out’ program at the United Methodist Church who gave me hugs and made me feel so welcome.  I truly felt ‘at home’ in Big Spring.

     If you have the opportunity to go to Big Spring, or travel through on your way to your destination stop and say hello.  I will guarantee you will welcomed.

Big Spring’s World Champion Calf Roper

Toots Mansfield was born in Bandera TX in 1914, May 15.  His dad had a ranch near Bandera, but died when Toots was only four years old.  When old enough he helped his mother run the ranch.  When he graduated from school he went to work for his uncle, Ed Mansfield, and began roping – anything and everything in his way.  In 1937 he went to work for Juan Salinas of Encinal, Texas, and his real education in ‘how to rope’ began in all seriousness.  Salinas and his brother, Tony, saw that Mansfield was mounted on good horses, including a bay gelding, Honey Boy.  The Salinas Brothers took  50% of Manfield’s winnings for four years.  It was truly a winning team, in fact, Mansfield won his first World Champion Calf Roping title in 1939 and followed it with Championships in 1940, ’41, ’43, ’45, 48 and 50.  He won the Madison Square Garden calf roping seven times, 1940, ’42, ’43, ’45, ’46, ’47 and 1948.

In roping Mansfield was considered on of the very best of all time on the ground.  In roping Mansfield had an inordinate amount of consistency and plenty of speed plus he seldom made a mistake.  He always dismounted close to his horse and would grab the rope as a guideline either to the calf’s foreleg or flank.  He was limber, loose-jointed, with immense hands and never seemed to have a problem picking a calf up and laying it down.    He rode many horses during his long roping career but his first horse, Honey Boy, he considered to ‘have it all’.  “ He had speed, calf sense, good break from the box and a good stop,” said the roper.  Other horses he rode were Old Roan, Pelota, Smokey, Old Quaker, Grey Eagle and Tinker T.

In the mid-1950s he started the first rodeo school in his home town of Big Spring, Texas.  It was held for young ropers, in the fall, and lasted thirty days, costing around $300.  The eager ropers who came to Mansfield’s school had to be serious about the business of roping as he trained them daily, eight hours a day.  They were all sporting very painful hands after awhile due to all the roping and tying.  But they learned the sport.  In addition to his roping expertise Mansfield became President of the Rodeo Cowboy’s Association in 1945 when the Cowboy Turtle Association changed it’s name.  He held that leadership role for the next six years.  He passed away December 16, 1998, after experiencing a stroke.  He was survived by his wife, Mary Nell, and daughter, Deane Kelly.