ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2019

PASSAGES OF 2019

JAMES OWEN APLAN 5/17/1931-12/26/2018 The former PRCA rodeo clown from Piedmont, S.D., received many accolades. Among them was being inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame in 1998. He and his wife, Peggy, also donated collections, loans and gifts to museums, including the ProRodeo Hall of Fame.

oriented Honeycutt family. She was the daughter of ProRodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor Walt Alsbaugh and his wife, Alice. Honeycutt and her husband, Roy, ran the Honeycutt Rodeo Company for more than 40 years.

his ever-present smile and willingness to help.

JAMES (JIM) EDWARD DAVIS 9/20/1943-3/7/2019

The California native was involved with the Redding (Calif.) Rodeo Association for years. He was an avid horseman with a love for the Western ways.

ELIZABETH ANN (LIZ) KESLER 6/10/1926-9/3/2019

CECIL ELLIS 7/9/1924-2/1/2019

Kesler, the wife of late ProRodeo Hall of Fame stock contractor Reg Kesler, loved rodeo and the people in it. Reg and Liz were instrumental in starting the PRCA Circuit Finals in 1987 in Pocatello, Idaho. Among her many accolades, Liz received the American Cowboy Culture Award as Pioneer Woman at the Cowboy Symposium.

JAMES (JIM) BARR 7/30/1923-5/28/2019 A former member of the Cowboys’ Turtle

Though his profession was owning Ellis Glass & Mirror, Ellis’s passion was as a rodeo clown and bullfighter. He clowned all over Texas plus other states.

Association, Barr was a Gold Card member, No. 508. The Kansas native competed in bareback riding and bull riding and was a PRCA announcer.

DR. J. PAT EVANS 8/5/1930-7/22/2019

CLOIS RENNY BRIDGES 3/19/1932-3/8/2019

DREW THOMAS KNOWLES 9/28/28/1982-7/27/2019

The rodeo and sports world lost a legend and pioneer when Dr. J. Pat Evans passed away. Evans was one of the founders of Justin Sportsmedicine and a ProRodeo Hall of Famer. He envisioned the Justin Sportsmedicince Program and worked to get it started. Before that, there had been nothing organized for providing medical care to rodeo athletes. The Justin Sportsmedicine Program was initiated at the 1980 National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City, and Evans, along with Don Andrews, was a driving force in making it happen. The Texas cowboy was a two-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier in steer wrestling, reaching the NFR in 1968 and 1970. In 1968 he finished 10th in the world standings, while in 1970 he finished fourth despite suffering a knee injury in Round 7 of the NFR. EDWARD RAYMOND GALEMBA 4/29/1940-5/15/2019

A former PRCAmember, Bridges served in the Army from 1949-52, during the KoreanWar. He competed at various rodeo events throughout his life, becoming the 2018 Cowboy Legacy Honoree. He team roped into his early 80s. JACK RANDOLPH (RANDY) BURCHETT 8/13/1940-4/11/2019 The PRCA Gold Card member was a PRCA team roper and steer roper. The Oklahoman worked as a pipeline inspector until retirement.

Knowles was listed as a former PRCA steer wrestler, tie-down roper, team roper and steer roper. He was also the younger brother of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo-qualifying steer wrestler Trevor Knoles.

JEFFERY BLAKESTON KNOWLES 10/24/1951-12/23/2018

Knowles was the father of Wrangler National Finals Rodeo steer wrestler Trevor Knowles and uncle to Wrangler NFR steer wrestler Blake Knowles.

ELAINE M. KRAMER 6/23/1935-4/8/2019

DANNY CARL CARRICO 9/27/1937-4/23/2019

Kramer was an international rodeo star. She learned to Roman Ride at the White Horse Ranch in Naper, Neb. She became an RCAmember and went on to a career that landed her in the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame.

A PRCA Gold Card member, Carrico attended Don McLaughlin’s roping school in the early 1960s and went on to compete in tie-down roping in the PRCA.

BETTY ROSE COOPER 1/6/1931-8/21/2019

CODY NELSON LAWRENCE 4/17/1991-2/15/2019

NORMAN GATLIN 10/5/1935-1/13/2019

Cooper was the mother of eight-time PRCA world champion Roy Cooper. She rodeoed at Cameron University. She loved her family, ranching and outdoors.

Lawrence was a PRCA tie-down roper from San Antonio. Lawrence graduated from Jourdanton (Texas) High School and attended Texas A&M Kingsville on a rodeo scholarship.

Gatlin was a PRCA Gold Card member and Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame Inductee. He won numerous saddles, trophies and belt buckles at rodeos around the U.S.

DEB COPENHAVER 1/21/1925-2/6/2019

RONALD (RUSTY) MARTIN 9/19/1944-8/11/2019

RUSH LEON HERRINGTON 1/11/1937-1/7/2019

A ProRodeo Hall of Famer and two-time saddle bronc riding world champion, Copenhaver is considered one of the greatest bronc riders to come from the Pacific Northwest. Known as a “thinking” rider, Copenhaver started the style of the “dehorned” saddle, now required in saddle bronc riding competition. Copenhaver began breaking horses and exercising racehorses as a young boy. He enlisted in the Navy Seabees at 17 and spent two years in North Africa during WorldWar II. The Washington native won back to-back titles in 1955 and 1956 and was runner-up to Casey Tibbs in 1951, 1953 and 1954. He also served on the PRCA Board of Directors from 1986-89.

Martin was a former timed-event PRCA cowboy, specializing in steer roping. The Oklahoma native owned and operated the Rafter R Ranch and was the director of the National Livestock Commission from 1987-2019.

A PRCA Gold Card member, Herrington qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in steer wrestling in 1974. He finished 10th in the world standings that season. He was a founding member of the Anderson County Youth Livestock Association, where he served as president for 40-plus years. The Idaho native was a three-time qualifier for the National Finals Rodeo in bareback riding. He made the Finals in 1960, ’65 and ’66. He finished 10th in 1960, 13th in ’65 and 15th in ’66. Hobdey continued to rodeo for 60 years and was influential in forming the Idaho Cowboy Association. VIRGINIA PEARL HONEYCUTT 7/17/1942-12/1/2018 Honeycutt was the longtime matriarch of the rodeo- DARYL JOE HOBDEY 5/24/1932-7/15/2019

JAMES JOSEPH MARTINS 6/9/1931-11/19/2019

This California cowboy was a PRCA team roper who won two PRCA Gold CardWorld Championships as a heeler and twice won the California Rodeo Gold Card Team Roping and the Oakdale Rodeo once.

CLYDE A. (AL) MCKEE 1/14/1943-3/17/2019

JAMES (JIM) T. CROFF 3/22/1957-8/31/2019

The former PRCAmember competed at the National High School Finals Rodeo in 1960. McKee enjoyed ranching and traded cattle fromCalifornia to Texas and visited sale barns across the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Croff was the president of the Montana Circuit for the previous 28 years. The Geyser, Mont., resident also was a saddle bronc rider in the PRCA and rode bulls. Croff was outgoing and friendly and was known for

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