|
|
A letter from Fan Club member Alice Gore October 23, 2006 Chris LeDoux was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK on October 22, 2006, along with other rodeo personalities. I would rank this museum at the top of all cowboy and western museums in the country. Check them out at www.nationalcowboymuseum.org. My sister and rodeo buddy, Dorothy Bishop and I attended Sunday’s program. Rob Fair had informed me of the event in early October. I made reservations the next day after checking with Dorothy if she would go as my guest. We had reservations and tickets to attend the working cowboy rodeo finals in Amarillo, TX in November. Both of these trips would require one or two nights away from home. We also had tickets to the Ft. Worth rodeo in January. But, when I heard from Rob about the induction, I knew I had to attend. This would be one of the final tributes I could pay a man I think of so highly. I was fortunate to be able to attend the 2005 induction of Chris in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs. That was a 1400+ mile trip. Surely I could get up the road to Okalahoma City, some 178 miles away. October 21 & 22, 2006 was Rodeo Weekend at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The Rodeo Historical Society produces this event every year. Saturday night consisted of a benefit auction/awards dinner that raised $43,000 for various rodeo programming, charities, etc. At his venue, Cotton Rosser was presented with the 2006 Ben Johnson Award, Jerry Frazier was presented the Lucas Memorial Award, and Ty Murrey was inducted into the Rodeo Hall of Fame for his 7-time PRCA All-Around World championships. Gary S. Pratt provided the evenings entertainment. Sunday was the Rodeo Hall of Fame 2006 induction ceremony/brunch for George Elliott, Marie “Ma” Gibson, Carl Dossey, Chris LeDoux, Mel Hyland, Alvin Nelson, Vernon “Dude” Smith, and Dan Taylor. These eight individuals represented rodeo from rough stockers to stock contractors. Dorothy and I felt this was a great honor for Chris to be inducted into this particular rodeo hall. We regretted that Chris’ family was unable to attend. It was a moving experience to hear the rodeo histories of each inductee. Larry Mahan, World Champion rodeo great, and Bill Smith, accepted the induction medal for Chris. Mr. Mahan gave a good acceptance speech. Clem McSpadden, long time rodeo announcer, was Master of Ceremonies. Mr. McSpadden had a wealth of rodeo stories to tell of most of the inductees. He related the events surrounding Chris’ winning the world in bareback in ’76 and what a rough horse Stormy Weather was to ride. The staff at the Nationl Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum treated each of us like VIP’s. There were many VIP’s in the crowd of 312 on Sunday – rodeo champions, rodeo judges, stock contractors, supporting sponsors and ranchers, along with rodeo families and just plain fans. The brunch was extensive in selection as well as delicious. Dress code was everything from Wranglers and cowboy shirts to expensive leather jackets and high-dollar boots. I spotted on red bandana hanging out of the rear pocket of a pair of Wranglers. I wore my black wool and red leather fan club jacket. Chris had signed the left sleeve in ’95. A DVD is available of the 2005 induction from the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame in Colorada Springs at www.prorodeohalloffame.com. In several weeks, a DVD or tape will be available of this 2006 induction from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. These are “must have” items for any serious Chris LeDoux fan. Let Capital Records hear form you regarding Chris’s latest CD, The Ultimate Collection. Ask them for a DVD set of Chris’ musical videos. Let Capital Records know of your interest. Let’s keep this train rolling and keep Chris’ music coming – but hey, you need to buy a ticket (i.e. a CD) to make it worth Capital’s time and money to to this. Any of Chris’ CD’s or items for the fan club store would make great Christmas and/or birthday presents. Introduce a friend to some of the best, if not the best, western music ever written. Buy two CD’s for yourself – one for playing and one for keeping. God, please take care of our cowboy and watch over this family.
|
