10 | November 2016 Texas Longhorn TraiLs

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The TLBAA special awards will be presented Friday evening, January 13, 2017 as a part of Texas Longhorn Weekend. Nominators pro-vided background information on each nom-inee. All active TLBAA members in good standing are encouraged to vote for one fellow breeder in each of the categories for the special honors. Votes can be emailed to awards@tlbaa.org. If unable to email you may fax to the TLBAA office, and it will be forward-ed to the awards committee. Deadline for votes: December 20th, 2016, 5pm CST, no late ballots will be accepted. Only the official ballot with member name and TLBAA # included will be accepted.

Dave Evans Breederof the Year Award

Nancy DunnKnown for her positive pro-

motion of the longhorn breed. She is a sterling example of what others hope to become in cattle and as a person. With dedication to her breeding pro-gram, she has been recognized as she dominates futurities and topping sales. Visiting her ranch validates the quality of her

breeding program. She is a responsible breeder and a fine example of a Longhorn ambassador. She is well deserving of this award.

Tom SmithHe is devoted to the breed

with an extreme passion for making the next generation better than the previous. He is known as a participator. He has been breeding Texas Long-horns for over 21 years. He has put together some of the best and biggest horned cattle in the

industry. He has sold elite herd sires that have helped shape many programs, as well as his total package fe-males that have made an impact on the total animal. His excellent breeding speaks for itself that is why he is highly recommended for this award.

Jack Phillips AwardKevin & Laury Rooker

It seems that the Rook-ers are always taking the re-sponsibility of running cat-tle shows. It doesn’t matter where they are needed, they always seem to be available to do the job asked of them.

Joe SedlacekJoe Sedlacek has impacted the

Longhorn industry with his steer and bull program, but he has also been an inspiration to many with his “ok let’s do it” attitude. He is known to work tireless hours. He helps any breeder, new or veter-an, whether it’s helping to haul to

and/or from sales, providing helpful tips, or assisting on how to do something.

He is always asking shows where more entries are needed and assists in getting them. He hosts a satellite measurement each year and gives a calf away. He also feeds everyone that attends, knowing that most are just locals.

Joe has helped so many people, but most of all new breeders to get a good start. He just seems to want our breed to get a little further down the old dusty trail be-ing led by a big horned steer with his bell on. That is why Joe should be the recipient of this award.

Lana HightowerLana Hightower of G&L Cat-

tle Company, Van, Texas, has been active in multiple leader-ship roles in the TLBAA as an At-Large Director on the national level for many years, Division 7 Regional Director for nine years, and locally at the ETLA affiliate

for twenty years. Lana has dedicated countless hours to the direction and leadership of the ETLA affiliate. She has organized, coordinated, and set-up the an-nual ETLA world-qualifying show at the East Texas State Fair in Tyler, Texas for twenty years! Also, she organized and hosted general membership meetings, classes, and parties for the benefit of the ETLA mem-bership throughout the years!

Ever the cowgirl wearing her favorite western hat and boots, you can always spot Lana in any crowd! Lana is a highly respected judge and sought-after Longhorn expert, trained and qualified to judge both TLBAA and ITLA shows! Each year for the World Show, Lana has composed and read the names of TLBAA members no longer with us, and to honor the lives of those who touched so many in the longhorn family.

TLBAA Special Awards Nominations

More Nominees on pgs. 12 & 14 Ballot on pg. 13

John T. & Betty BakerJohn T. and Betty Baker have

been members for many years, but not just paying members. John helped serve in the early days of the TLBAA, helping es-tablish many programs. He also was a Chairman, active in the industry and is still a source of knowledge for many concern-ing the Texas Longhorn breed.

Their Sunrise Showmanship Camp just celebrated its 20th year running, investing in the youth on a personal level. Not only have the Bakers been an asset in the past, but continue to help guide the association for the fu-ture.

Maudeen Marks (deceased)Maudeen Martha Marks was

a lifetime member of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Associa-tion, actively ranching in Barker and Bandera. Maudeen was a flamboyant ambassador to the Longhorn breed. Ranching in Bandera, Texas (the Cowboy Capitol of the World), only added mystique to Maudeen’s promo-

tion of our breed. In the early days of the TLBAA she volunteered as a publicity director, writing articles and promoting association events. She was also one of the original founders of the Texas Longhorn Breeders Gulf Coast Association. Through her active involvement with the TLBCGA and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Organization, the first “Gathering” Sale was held at their venue. This would eventually lead to other Longhorn events being held at the Rodeo. Her legacy lives on through trail rides prior to the Rodeo, a cowgirl spirit and volunteerism. The TLBGCA still carries the torch with their annual sales. This makes Maudeen very worthy of the Elmer Parker Lifetime Award.

Red McCombsI do not know the year that

Red McCombs first became a TL-BAA member but the impact he has had in the industry has been far greater than the 20 years I have been in the business. Back in the good ole days. Red was in-volved in syndicating Classic for 1 Million dollars. He has owned, bred, produced, and marketed

many great animals over the years. Even today as Red is getting on in years he still has a strong handle on keep-ing a great herd of Texas Longhorns going.

Wes WatsonMr. Wes Watson of Garvin,

Oklahoma, has lived the spirit of this award described as a lifetime of devotion to the Texas Long-horn breed and its breeders. Wes began his Longhorn journey in the 1950’s, before most of us were born! For the past sixty years, he has pioneered the study of the breed and their characteristic

traits. He and his son, Wesley, have worked to preserve the best traits in their herd through artificial insemina-tion, collecting bulls, flushing cows. Watson also part-nered with other breeders to successfully clone his Watson 101 steer, and at the time, set a world record of 110 inches of total horn! Wes Watson loves horns with twist! His son described his father’s work and his focus on preserving traditional Texas Longhorn corkscrew horns since the 50’s. He stated, “The true corkscrew horn is becoming obsolete.” “It is the only trait that is truly unique to the Longhorn breed.” The Watson cattle with twist horns are highly desired by breeders from across the nation!

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ELMER PARKER LIFETIME AWARD

More Nominees on pgs. 10 & 14 Ballot on pg. 13

*** PLEASE NOTE*** If you want an individual to win, then you must vote. For votes to count, they must be returned ON THE OFFICIAL BALLOT available on pg. ?? and online at www.tlbaa.org. It MUST include your name and membership number. If you are unsure of the status of your membership please call the TLBAA office at 817-625-6241.

Mark GillilandTo say this man has made

a forceful prescence is an un-derstatement. He has engaged as a buyer of wonderful cattle through an assortment of sales, as well as privte treaty. He vis-its other ranches when he has time available to further his knowledge and look for ways to improve his own operation. Hi

website is very helpful, not only with Longhorn cattle, but with the history of the Tall Grass Prairie and the Flint Hills of Kansas. For the last three years he has put together a set of animals that are nearing 100 breeding head. Mark has formulated a game plan on stacking pedigrees that will propel him to the top of the industry in animals produced that we, the consumer, would love to have in our pasture. He is very hospitable and has been host for the HSC in 2015 & 2016.

Randy, Billy & Laura HolsonThese two families be-

came very involved in show-ing Longhorns. They bring as many as 12 or more each show and the Holson girls (Clara, Caroline, Ashlynn & Caitlin)

show them. Each year they seem to give more by con-tributing their time and efforts to showing cattle.

Chris & Brandi LindseyChris and Brandi Lindsey

of Laurel, Mississippi, are new breeders who traveled to all the Longhorn sales, shows, and futurities they could attend. It was a gru-eling 10 hour drive to most shows. In 2016, they won TLBAA Hall of Fame awards

for the many championships they have won. The Lind-sey’s revitalized the Dixie Texas Longhorn Breeders As-sociation Affiliate in 2015, and hosted the first world-qualifying show that had been held in the Deep South region in many years! Brandi and Chris worked hard to set up the Mississippi show, revised their affiliate by-laws, and learned the ropes for hosting a qualify-ing show. It was a great success, and they were excel-lent hosts! They served BBQ from their family-owned restaurant, breakfast, lunch, and an evening banquet! Brandi and Chris added to their family this year with their second child, a little southern belle! They hosted the second annual DTLA Show in September 2016, an-other fun success!

Kathy PalladiniI would like to nominate

Kathy Palladini for the Rising Star Award. She has started a very focused breeding program that has incorporated some out-standing individuals that are very predictable producers. She has studied the breed and has selected these animals with a firm plan to go forward in the

endeavor. We have been very impressed with her de-termination to only bring what she wants into her pro-gram.

Justin HenryIn just a few short years, Jus-

tin has acquired a really nice set of cattle. His enthusiasm for the breed is contagious. He can be seen on many weekends travel-ing up and down the East Coast attending sales and shows.

James & Paula WilkinsIt wasn’t a rising star that hit

the TLBAA, it was a storm! James and Paula Wilkins of JP Ranch, Ben Wheeler Texas hit the Texas Longhorn business like a wild tornado. James and Paula pur-chased a few longhorn cows and really liked having them around, liked their versatility, and the po-tential contributions they would

have on their small ranch. They started breeding and showing cattle and within two short years started pro-ducing champions. Their bulls have been champions in futurities, Horn Showcase and the TLBAA show cir-cuit. James (formerly a Duck Dynasty look-a-like) and Paula, like to buy cattle. Together, they have partici-pated in about every aspect of the TLBAA. They have bought and sold cattle at most of the longhorn sales throughout the country, have shown both haltered and non-haltered cattle, have supported the TLBT youth by donating heifers and awards and allowing them to show their cattle in the youth classes, and in June they were a part of the ETLA longhorn herd tour. On second thought, James and Paula are Rising Stars, and a couple that Mel Raley would have enjoyed swappin’ longhorn tales with.

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MEL RALEY RISING STAR AWARD

More Nominees on pgs. 10 & 12 Ballot on pg. 13