ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 21, 2018

PASSAGES

OF 2018

JUNE HOLEMAN 6/11/1943 – 8/3/2018

RUSSELL (RUSTY) L. STUART 1/22/1961 – 11/24/2017 Stuart was a bullfighter and rodeo judge. He enjoyed driving hours to rodeos, spending time in the arenas, fighting bulls, running gates and sorting cattle. HARRY TOMPKINS 10/5/1927 – 6/29/2018 A ProRodeo Hall of Famer, Tompkins won five bull riding world titles (1948-50, ’52, ’60) a bareback riding title (1952) and two all-around crowns (1952, ’60). In 1946, at 19 years old, Tompkins prepared to pull his first bull rope alongside the pros at Madison Square Garden because of a special rodeo promotion where area wranglers – sponsored by the dude ranches which regularly employed them – had a chance to try their luck. By 1948, he was atop the rodeo world, winning the first of three consecutive bull riding championships. He was inducted into the Hall Turner, a PRCA Gold Card member, was instrumental in the Chief Joseph (Ore.) Days arena rebuild in 1967-68 and served as CJD rodeo chairman and rodeo chute boss for more than 15 years. He served as the stage coach chairman for 10 years. LEROY WALTON 8/3/1966 – 3/8/2018 Walton was a PRCA bareback rider from 1989- 96. During his rodeo career, he qualified for the Columbia River Circuit Finals multiple times. JAMES BERT (JIM) WILLUWEIT 11/10/1945 – 1/11/2018 Willuweit competed in the National Finals Rodeo in 1969 as a bareback rider, finishing 11th in the average. Following his time in the Army, while enrolled at Black Hills State University, Willuweit was the 1968 regional champion bareback rider and reserve champion bull rider and was crowned the College National Rodeo Finals reserve champion bareback rider. ANIMALS Against All Odds Flying U Rodeo lost one of its top bucking horses, Against All Odds. The multi-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo saddle bronc horse passed away June 7 after a two-year battle with cancer. He was 13. He most recently competed at the Wrangler NFR in 2015. According to a post on Flying U Rodeo Company’s Facebook page, it was estimated that cowboys won more than $300,000 on Against All Odds over his career. with the 1979 inaugural class. DAVID SHERMAN TURNER 1/18/1940 – 5/3/2018

down roper and steer wrestler fromColorado. Peila, who joined the Cowboys’ Turtle Association, mainly competed in bareback riding and bull riding. He also judged rodeos. FRED J. PETERSEN 5/11/1933 – 8/12/2018 Petersen was a PRCA saddle bronc rider and Gold Card member. He was a member of the South Dakota National Guard from 1952-54 before serving in the U.S. Army in 1954-56. He raised cattle all his life. He was a saddle bronc rider in rodeos for 12 years. Plaugher, a 1990 ProRodeo Hall of Famer, was one of the sport’s most unique characters. He first made his name in rodeo in 1946 when he was crowned all-around champion at the prestigious Madison Square Garden rodeo in New York City, finishing fourth in the steer wrestling world standings. That year, he also filled in as a bullfighter at a rodeo. He did it so well that in 1982, at the age of 60, he was named PRCA Clown of the Year. Plaugher also finished second in the world standings in 1958, seventh in 1953, fourth in ’55, third in ’57 and ninth in ’59. BEN C. REYNOLDS 12/9/1942 – 11/3/2018 Reynolds was a PRCA tie-down roper, team roper and steer roper, who was born in Las Vegas, N.M., before growing up inWyoming. He roped in Denver, Houston, Fort Worth, Texas, Cheyenne, Wyo., Phoenix and Pendleton, Ore. Reynolds’ rodeo career spanned five decades and two centuries. Bob A. Robinson 5/13/1933 – 12/16/2017 Robinson, a 2006 ProRodeo Hall of Fame steer wrestler, joined the PRCA in 1958 and competed at both ends of the arena as a steer wrestler and saddle bronc rider. He competed in saddle bronc riding at the NFR in 1959 and ’60. In 1960, he also made it in steer wrestling, winning that world title and finishing runner-up in the all-around. In 1980, Robinson became one of the first pro officials for the PRCA. In September 1982, he became the PRCA’s director of rodeo administration and was instrumental in moving the NFR fromOklahoma City, Okla., to Las Vegas in 1985. JOHN JAMES SUMERLIN 1/11/1944 – 1/24/2018 Sumerlin, who served in the Air Force, was a PRCA saddle bronc rider, bull rider and rodeo judge. Initially, he got on saddle broncs but changed that to riding bulls. In later years, he took up team roping and judging rodeos. WILBUR PLAUGHER 3/13/1922 – 1/2/2018

At the age of 62, Holeman, of Arcadia, Neb., became the oldest barrel racer to compete at the Wrangler NFR in 2005. She held the record until 2016, when Mary Burger qualified at the age of 68. Holeman continued to compete until just a few

weeks before her passing. JOHN ERWIN HOMM 2/1/1949 – 11/4/2018

Homm, a former PRCAmember, was born in Burlington, Colo. He grew up on the Homm Ranch on the Republican River north of Burlington. Homm’s true passion was horses. He spent much of his free time studying horse bloodlines and the breeding of registered American Quarter Horses. Howington was a PRCA bullfighter, barrelman and specialty act, starting at age 15 in 1955 and retiring in 1994. He worked in 41 states and three Canadian provinces. He was the barrelman at the National Finals Rodeo in 1970 and was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. ROBERT (BOB) L. LEMOINE 11/3/1927 – 3/24/2018 LeMoine was the last remaining original member of the Spooner Rodeo and had been involved for the past 64 years. At age 15, LeMoine got a job at Baker Farm inMadge and by 16, he was a herdsman. He farmed his entire life in the Spooner area. Lewis, a former PRCA stock contractor, lived his life as a cowboy and ambassador to the sport. He was a rodeo stock contractor and producer for more than 50 years. He was an original founder of the Louisiana Rodeo Cowboys Association, where he served two separate terms as president and many years as stock contractor director on the board. GREG MATHIS 7/18/1972 – 11/8/2018 Mathis, a prominent St. George (Utah) business- man, was the chairman of the Dixie Roundup Rodeo in St. George, Utah. ROBERT (BOB) JAMES MAYO 6/15/1944 – 5/26/2018 Mayo qualified for the National Finals Rodeo in bareback riding six times (1966-71). His best finish in the world standings was third in 1967 and 1968. JOHN (JACK) MICHAEL PEILA JR. 9/28/1924 – 9/23/2018 Peila was a PRCA bareback rider, bull rider, tie- WRIGHT HOWINGTON 2/20/1940 – 1/10/2018 W.T. (SONNY) LEWIS 1/17/1932 – 7/17/2018

ProRodeo Sports News 12/21/2018

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