2019 PRCA Media Guide - Awards

John Justin Committeeperson of the Year

Justin Boots, in recognizing the hundreds of thousands of hours of work that rodeo committee members around the country donate to putting on their local rodeos, has long made a practice of honoring 125 outstanding volunteers around the country through its John Justin Standard of the West program. PRCA rodeos vote on the recipient of Justin’s national award for a committeeperson whose dedication represents the deeds of those thousands of volunteers. In 2018 that award went Jerry Shepherd of the Ute Stampede in Nephi, Utah. Winners of the John Justin Committeeperson of the Year Award include: 1990 Philip Diehl, Pawhuska Elks Rodeo, Pawhuska, Okla. 1991 Cletus Schenk, Red River PRCA Rodeo, Wichita Falls, Texas 1992 Duane Mahlum, Wolf Point (Mont.) Wild Horse Stampede 1993 Homer Carter, Omak (Wash.) Stampede 1994 Hal Littrell, Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo, Colorado Springs, Colo. 1995 Jack W. Saulls, Moses Lake (Wash.) Roundup Rodeo 1996 Leslie Bartschi, Pocatello (Idaho) Frontier Rodeo 1997 Ed Thiele, Omak (Wash.) Stampede 1998 Ken MacRae, Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo 1999 Bud Monroe, Heart O’Texas Rodeo, Waco, Texas 2000 Darrel Stromer, Oregon Trail Rodeo, Hastings, Neb. 2001 Kathy Fraser, Corn Palace Stampede, Mitchell, S.D. 2002 Vern Carpenter, Snake River Stampede, Nampa, Idaho 2003 Steve Coleman, St. Paul (Ore.) Rodeo 2004 Mike Lucke, Reno (Nev.) Rodeo 2005 Ronnie Parks, Heart o’Texas Fair and Rodeo (Waco) 2006 Lee Graves, Deke Latham Memorial Rodeo (Kaycee, Wyo.) 2007 Joel Smith, Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo 2008 Jim Thompson, Deke Latham Memorial Rodeo (Kaycee, Wyo.) 2009 Russell Erben, Comal County Fair and Rodeo (New Braunfels, Texas) 2010 DeLois Thompson, Marshall (Texas) Pro Rodeo 2011 Julie Graber, Kansas’Largest Night Rodeo (Pretty Prairie) 2012 TomWeinman, Kansas’Biggest Rodeo (Phillipsburg) 2013 Steve Alder, Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo 2014 Bill Stephens, Crossett (Ark.) Riding Club PRCA Rodeo 2015 Mike Mathis, Lufkin (Texas) PRCA Rodeo 2016 Steve Heathman, Coulee City (Wash.) Last Stand Rodeo 2017 Steven Money, Spanish Fork (Utah) Fiesta Days Rodeo 2018 Jerry Shepherd, Ute Stampede, Nephi, Utah

Jerry Shepherd, an all-purpose member of the Ute Stampede in Nephi, Utah, received the PRCA’s John Justin Committeeman of the Year in 2018. “This is quite the deal to be recognized with this honor,” Shepherd said. “I can’t believe that so many people thought that much of what I did. I really appreciate this.” Shepherd, who qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 2004 as a bull rider, has been a member of the Ute Stampede Rodeo committee for three years. “Since I joined the committee I have tried to do whatever is needed to help, but I do like focusing on the production of the rodeo,”he said.“I got into it to make the rodeo better for the cowboys. I entered that rodeo during my whole career and it was good, but every rodeo can be better.” Shepherd, who finished ninth in the 2004 world standings, acknowledged joining the rodeo committee gave him a different perspective. “It was a big eye-opener, seeing the other side of things,” Shepherd said. I went there with the attitude that I knew everything about rodeo, but I had no idea how much work goes into putting on a rodeo.”

PRCA AWARDS

Courtesy photo of Jerry Shepherd

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2019 PRCA MEDIA GUIDE