News Since the Last Newsletter Cowboy Poetry at the BAR-D Ranch www.CowboyPoetry.com

Will Stearns, died March 26, 2013

With much sadness, we learned of the death of third-generation Wyoming horseman, cowboy and storyteller Will Stearns. He died Tuesday, March 26, 2013, after a long hospital stay.

Will was the South Dakota State Champion All Around Cowboy, Saddle Bronc Rider, and Bulldogger in 1958; won the Saddle Bronc Riding Average at the Old Timer’s National Finals in Amarillo, Texas, in 1985; qualified for the Senior Pro National Finals in Reno, and won the Bronc Riding Average there again in 1994 at the age of 54; was the 50+ NSPRA World Champion Bronc Rider in 1995, and the Canadian Senior Pro Rodeo Association 50+ Bronc Riding Champion that same year; made the high-marked saddle bronc ride of the entire 1995 NSPRA Finals (all ages), in the last go-‘round; made the high-point ride of the entire NSPRA ’95 year at East Helena; and, repeated the Canadian championship in 1996, at the age of 56 and was runner-up to the NSPRA World Champion Bronc Rider that year. Find more about Will at www.doublespearranch.com/bill-stearns.html.

National Cowgirl Hall of Fame honoree, poet, writer, and rodeo historian Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns was married to Will. Their friend, columnist and cartoonist Jan Swan Wood wrote, via Rhonda, that "...Our cowboy has ridden home to be with his Lord and Savior. Will went home at 4:10 this morning, with his beloved wife, brother Joe and treasured children Shelly and Cody at his bedside. Also joining them at his bedside were Bob the dog and cats Alice and Bart. The peace and acceptance of this next phase of his journey was a balm to the spirit of those with him and an assurance that all is well." Bob has his own fame as a yodeling dog.

There will be a celebration of life for Will Stearns on Saturday, March 30, in Newcastle. It "...begins with food and fellowship at noon at Weston County Senior Services in Newcastle, at 627 Pine St (turn north at Decker’s Food Center). The service will begin at 1:30 pm in the same venue. Interment will follow at the old Fort Lee Cemetery near Black Thunder Creek, south of Highway 450 on Bruce Road (used to be the Clareton Road)."

You can write to Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns at: 1159 Hwy 450, Newcastle, WY 82701 or email her.

William A. “Bill” Stearns crossed the Great Divide from his home range in Northeastern Wyoming on Passover, March 26th 2013—just two weeks short of his 73rd birthday.

Following the tradition of his parents Billy and Evelyn (Dailey) Stearns, the 3rd-generation Wyoming cowboy grew up on a horse, making pony tracks over a 75-100-mile circle where the Stearns family had holdings at the edge of the Black Hills near the Wyoming/South Dakota border.

Working as an outside cowboy across more than six decades in the livestock industry, Bill rode hundreds of horses thousands of miles in several states, earning a reputation as one of the best in handling cattle, horses and country.

He played polo in the US and Canada, trained polo ponies and trained race horses. In recent years he did a lot of day-work across Wyoming’s Thunder Basin Grasslands.

Bill was South Dakota State Champion All Around Cowboy, Saddle Bronc Rider, and Bulldogger in 1958, and competed at the National High School Rodeo in Sulphur, Louisiana; later doing some college rodeoing from SDSU in Brookings and Sheridan Junior College in WY.

A 60’s bronc riding champion in the Northwest Ranch Cowboys Association, Bill rode PRCA on a permit, won the Kansas State Rodeo Association Bronc Riding Finals in 1983 and competed in the NARC Finals in Texas.
At the Old Timer’s National Finals in Amarillo, Texas, in 1985 Bill won the Saddle Bronc Riding Average, repeating the feat in 1994. He was the 50+ NSPRA World Champion Bronc Rider in 1995 and the Canadian Senior Pro Rodeo Association 50+ Bronc Riding Champion that same year; repeating the Canadian championship in 1996 as well as Runner-Up to the NSPRA World Champion Bronc Rider that year.

Bill’s true passion was helping young men acquire prowess in saddle bronc riding, and he was always willing to teach, with the help of his souped-up bucking machine. A memorial in his name will provide Rodeo School Scholarships to deserving Wyoming and South Dakota High School Rodeo participants.

Bill’s wife Rhonda, daughter and son-in-law Shelly Stearns and Brian Anderson, son and daughter-in-law Cody and Rachel Stearns, grandchildren Mackenzie, Andrew, Liam and Ava Stearns, brother Joe (Kate) Stearns and sister Carol Mc Inerney are left to mourn his passing. His Celebration of Life starts at noon Saturday, March 30th at Weston County Senior Services in Newcastle, Wyoming.

Worden Funeral Directors of Newcastle are in charge of arrangements.

Updated 3/29

Howard Norskog, 1933-2013

We were saddened to receive news (via Smoke Wade) of the death of popular Idaho poet and songwriter Howard Norskog, on January 18, 2013.

Howard Norskog's Lost River Tales book tells:

Howard Norskog was born in Gebo, Wyoming in 1933. He was raised in Cody, Wyoming. He served in the Korean War at age sixteen, made the rodeo circuits as a bull rider for eleven years, raced motorcycles for twelve years, and coached amateur boxing most of his life.

Howard started writing Cowboy Poetry in 1948, and Christian Cowboy Poetry in 1994.

Howard has ballads in these books as well as others. Cowboy Poetry, a Gathering, Cowboy Poets of Idaho, and New Cowboy Poets, A Gathering. He has been featured several times in Elko, Nevada, representing both Wyoming and Idaho. He has been on radio coast-to-coast and featured in newspapers, magazines, and TV both in the United States and Canada. He has published four books and made four recordings.

His research into frontier lore and legend is the basis for his unique blend of history and fiction.

He was the recipient of the Cowboy Poets of Idaho Silver Quill Award in 1997 and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1999.

Find more in our feature here.

Howard Norskog's friend Dave Wahl shared this poem:

HOWARD
an Encomium for Howard Norskog

Many folks can tell a story.
Very few can make it rhyme.
And yet, my friend, You did it all,
You were with us, for a time.

You told of rugged ranch-life,
And the hardiness it takes,
How the canyon country beckons,
Out on the Salmon River Breaks.

Your words have painted pictures,
I recall them now as then,
I remember things that never happened,
I recall places I've not been.

Memories of hard, but good times
Still light my mind inside.
I'm so thankful that you passed my way:
It has been a wondrous ride.

D. Wahl
January 20, 2013

Updated 1/28

George Gund III, 1937-3013

Philanthropist George Gund III died June 15, 2013. Hal Cannon, Founding Director of the Western Folklife Center, home of the National
Cowboy Poetry Gathering, has a blog entry that honors George Gund's memory, here.

The longest serving board member of the Western Folklife Center, George Gund bought the Pioneer Hotel, now the home of the Western
Folklife Center, on the organization's behalf. Hal Cannon writes, "In recognition of all he did to create a home for the organization, we named the G Three Bar Theater after his brand." He goes on the give a warm look at an exceptional man.

George Gund was also the chairman of the San Francisco Film Society and former co-owner of the San Jose Sharks. An article here in the San Francisco Chronicle tells, "Mr. Gund was a board member of the Cleveland Film Festival, a founder of the Cleveland Cinematheque, a trustee of the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, and a trustee of the Sundance Institute. He served on other boards, including the National Museum of the American Indian, the George Gustav Heye Center in New York City, the Musical Arts Foundation (Cleveland Orchestra) and the Western Folklife Center in Elko, Nev. He was also a member of the Sierra Club National Advisory Board.

Posted 1/18

Joseph H. Dobrowski 1906-2013
photo by Jeri Dobrowski

Joseph H. Dobrowski, father of Rob Dobrowski and father-in-law of Jeri Dobrowski, died Jan. 7, 2013, at 106 years, 11 months, and 7 days. Joe was recognized by the Montana Council on Aging as the oldest living resident in the state, a distinction that delighted him.

Joe will be buried at St. Philips, Montana, laid to rest amongst his parents, brothers, wife, infant son, aunts, and uncles. The rural cemetery is in close proximity to the Custer Trail, the route General George Custer and his men rode on their way from Fort Lincoln to Little Bighorn.

Rob and Jeri make their home on the Wibaux County, Montana home place that Joe purchased as a bachelor in 1928. He and his wife, Teresa, were married for 76 years. She preceded him in death in 2010.

This photo is of three generations of Dobrowski's: Jennifer Dobrowski Rogers, her grandfather Joe Dobrowski, and her father Rob Dobrowski. The picture was taken in 2006 when Joe Dobrowski was 100, Rob Dobrowski was 50, and Jennifer Dobrowski Rogers was 25.

photo by Jeri Dobrowski

Find an extended obituary about his remarkable life here. Jeri Dobrowski has an album of photos at her site, here.

[photos courtesy of Jeri Dobrowski; photo at top of Joe Dobrowski at age 105]

Updated 1/14

Janice Coggin 1937-2013

With sadness, we learned of the death of Janice Coggin, on January 9, 2013.

Janice and her husband Mason published some of the first collections of classic cowboy poetry through their Cowboy Miner Productions.

After her husband's death, Janice Coggin added contemporary writers to their list. Among the writers that Cowboy Miner published are classic poets Badger Clark, Bruce Kiskaddon, Henry Herbert Knibbs, and D.J. O'Malley; and contemporary poets Chris Isaacs, the late Larry McWhorter, the late Sunny Hancock, Linda Kirkpatrick, Dee Strickland Johnson, Jane Morton, DW Groethe, Michael Whitaker, and others. Janice Coggin was known for helping poets afford publication, often extending generous arrangements to them.

Chris Isaacs comments, "We lost a good friend of cowboy poetry with the passing of Janice Coggin of Cowboy Miner Publishing. She helped a lot of us get our work in front of the public and will be missed."

Jane Morton adds, "I would like to acknowledge Janice Coggin's contribution to cowboy and western poetry. She was a pioneer in her field. Through the books she published, she has preserved and promoted classic and contemporary poems. Without Janice those poems would probably be lying around stored in an old notebook or yellowing in stacks of old newspapers or magazines. Her books will help preserve the western lifestyle and culture for future generations."

Updated 1/11

Paul and Shannan Harris family
With the deepest sadness, we learned of the tragic deaths of Paul Harris's father, David Harris, and the death of the youngest daughter of Paul and Shannan Harris, Maci Harris, age 10, in an automobile accident on January 1, 2013. A two-month-old boy in another car was also killed in the accident.

There are news accounts, including those here, here and here.

Paul, his mother, and son Caleb, 10, were hospitalized. All are expected to recover from their injuries. Caleb suffered a broken left femur, a broken right heel, and facial fractures. Paul had fractured ribs and a bruised lung.

Paul and Caleb were released from the hospital on January 4. Caleb was scheduled for additional facial surgery on January 7.

Find a Facebook page about Caleb and his recovery here.

David Harris was the much-loved Senior Pastor of the Oak Park Baptist Church of Little Rock Arkansas for over 35 years. The memorial service for David Harris and Maci Harris will be held at 1:00 PM Wednesday, January 9th, at Geyer Springs First Baptist Church located at 12400 Interstate 30, Little Rock, AR 72210. Arrangements will be handled by Dial & Dudley Funeral Home located in Bryant, Arkansas.

There is a "helping hands" site for the family here, which includes information about how you can hellp with the family's medical costs.

[Thank you to Linda Kirkpatrick for the first news.]

Updated 1/7

Rod McQueary, 1951-2012

The cowboy poetry world mourns the loss of poet, rancher, and Marine veteran Rod McQueary, who died December 29, 2012.