Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame adds more cowboys

Five cowboys were inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame at Boot Hill Museum on Sept. 20 for their roles in keeping Kansas traditions alive and upholding the "Code of the West" through honest ways and clean living. 
    Brent Harris, a Boot Hill employee, said he was privileged to be at the ceremony and be in the company of this year's Hall of Fame inductees. 
    "It is such an honor to have real working cowboys here," he said.
    Harris said the Hall of Fame began in 2002 to honor those who have preserved and advanced the cowboy lifestyle.
    "This was designed to give recognition to people who have contributed significantly to the cowboy way," he said. "It should be our goal to keep the West alive. Young people need to learn about the history of the cowboy and know about people that work in the industry."
    Don Goodnight was the first person to be inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2002 as a cowboy historian. Other inductees include Johnny Western, the cowboy entertainer of 2004, and award-winning journalist and producer Bill Kurtis, who was inducted in 2007 as a cowboy historian.
    Any organization or individual can nominate someone, living or deceased, to be inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Each year the committee meets to select five people to be honored.
    Qualified candidates are those who have made significant contributions to the Western heritage lifestyle and preservation of the cowboy culture. They also should possess integrity, honesty and self-sufficiency as well as achieve statewide historic significance, according to Boot Hill Museum's Web site.
    Nomination forms may be requested through the museum. Forms must be received by April 1, for induction consideration for that calendar year.
    The Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame 2009 inductees are:
    • Asher Crowley from Leoti was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a working cowboy for his 102 years of dedication to rodeos and the state of Kansas.
    Crowley was born on the Chromo Ranch near Pagosa Springs, Colo., on July 17, 1904. He began riding horseback at 2 years old, competed in his first rodeo at 16 and began roping competitions at 18.
    Although Crowley got an early start on his career, many of his accomplishments came after the traditional age of retirement. In 1966, he began working for Hi Plains Feedlot (later Caprock Industries), where he worked until retiring in 1997 at the age of 92.
    Crowley won many awards, including the IFCA World Championship Team Roping in 1984 and the Whimp Hughes Memorial "The Top Hand Award" in 1988 and 1995. He also had the fastest time of 47 teams in the celebrity team toping at the Beef Empire Days in Garden City.
    Crowley held memberships in the Leoti Rodeo & Horse Show Club, Leoti Rough Riders, the Wichita County Roping Club, the Wichita County Rodeo Club, Wichita County Fair Board and Parade Committee and the International Feedlot Cowboys Association.
    Crowley was also dedicated to his family. He was married to his wife Myrtle for 80 years until his death on May 22, 2007. He also had a son and daughter.
    • Don Rowlinson from Studley was named the cowboy historian for 2008. He was born in Sheridan County in 1950 as a fourth-generation Kansas cowboy, where he spent much of his childhood at his father's feed store. 
    Rowlinson attended Colby Community College, the Western State College of Colorado and Kansas State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology with an emphasis in archaeology.
    Rowlinson began working for the Kansas State Historical Society in 1973. In 1976, he received a master's degree in education from K-State and became a project archaeologist for the historical society until 1980, when he became the first state public archaeologist for Kansas. Rowlinson is now a site curator at the Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site.
    Rowlinson is a member of the Friends of Cottonwood Ranch and the Morland Community Foundation. He also coordinates the Annual Sheep Dog Trials, the barbecue contest, Christmas at Cottonwood and the Cottonwood Ranch Trail Ride.
    Rowlinson and his wife, Mellanie Nossaman, who also studied archaeology at Kansas State, have a son.
    • The cowboy entertainer of 2008, Marion "Mac" McLain from Sun City, was born in Nebraska on May 13, 1889.
    McLain first worked as a farmer and stockman before owning McLain's Roundup, which was the world's largest independently owned rodeo at the time, running from 1922 to 1939 in Sun City. During this time, the rodeo arena hosted many local contestants and world champions including Bob Crosby, Irby Mundy, Everette Shaw, Dick Truitt and Bud Hampton.
    McLain was involved in founding the Cowboy Turtle Association in response to unfair treatment of rodeo contestants. The CTA later became the Rodeo Cowboys Association, which was the predecessor of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
    McLain married Ruth Lillian Massey from Sun City, and the couple had two sons and a daughter. McLain passed away in Greensburg on Aug. 21, 1972, at the age of 83.
    • The rodeo cowboy of the year, John McBeth from Andover, was honored for his contributions to the sport of rodeo.
    McBeth was born Oct. 2, 1940, in Kingman. He attended Hutchinson Junior College before going to McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., on a rodeo scholarship.
    McBeth began his rodeo career in 1956 as an amateur and retired in 1988. Starting in 1965, he qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 10 consecutive times and again in 1978.         In 1974, he was the PRCA World Champion Saddle Bronc Rider and was also a rodeo judge and commentator. He is a member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, the Senior Pro Rodeo and the Rodeo Historical Society.
    McBeth married Francie Brewer in 1962. They have two sons and five grandchildren.
    McBeth now operates a bronc riding school, conducted mostly in Oneida, S.D. Some of his students include Derek Clark, Marty Jasndreau, Monte Melvin, Larry Jordan, and Matt and Joe Reed.
    Many of his graduates have qualified for the NFR. Three of his students, Robert Etbauer, Billy Etbauer and Tom Reeves, have eight world titles among them.
    • Alfred Barby from Meade was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the cattleman/rancher for 2008.
    Barby was born in Oklahoma in 1915. He graduated from Dodge City Commercial Business College, then worked for Robbins Ranch Company as a foreman and bookkeeper for 15 years.
    Barby purchased the W Long Ranch south of Meade and joined his family's ranching operations. In 1971, he bought part of a ranch near Ashland and ran as many as 2,000 head of cattle on more than 30,000 acres.
    Barby's first wife, Dorothy Allen, passed away. In 1958, he married Gwenda Lea Wheeler. He also had two sons and a daughter.
    He was a member of many organizations, including the Kansas Livestock Association, the Texas Southwest Cattle Raisers Association, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, the Meade County Fair Board and the American and Kansas Hereford Associations.
    Barby served on the Kansas Livestock Association board of directors. He received the Meade County Western Heritage Award in 1999 and the KLA Cattleman of the Century Award.
    Gwenda died Dec. 4, 2001, in Meade. Barby passed away Oct. 2, 2005, in Laverne, Okla., at the age of 90, leaving behind a legacy that will be remembered by many.

Reach Cherise Forno at (620) 408-9931 or e-mail her at cherise.forno@dodgeglobe.com.