By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Honoring cowboys is a Texas tradition. This year’s 2nd annual Galveston County Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame Induction and Scholarship Banquet furthered the Texas tradition by recognizing eight of Galveston County’s rodeo cowboys on Sunday.
Attendees were excited to gather once again an in honor of cowboys and the room was alive with the chatter of their exactment along with zydeco and country music playing the energy was unstoppable. That was until Living legend Harold Cash came to the podium.
The room went quiet, heads were bowed and hats held in hands as Harold Cash read the cowboy’s prayer. After the cowboy prayer he lead the audience in a patriotic reading honoring everyone who has served in the United States Military, which included several cowboys and cowgirls in attendance.
Cowboys just ride horses and bulls, care for livestock, win buckles and get inducted into halls of fame. But there is more to them than just the fun of being a cowboy, they also take care of their community, and the banquet was a time to demonstrate how they care for the community. Brittany Alvarez & Zoila Brooksand were both awarded $500 scholarships to further their education. Both young ladies are pursuing careers in the healthcare industry and were very appreciative of the cowboy’s scholarship award.
As the inductee’s names were called out, hooting and hollering from their families and fans almost drowned out the Maser of Ceremonies words. But Reverand Christopher Carter was able to keep his voice audible and wove the families’ exactment into his presentation.
Here are the inductees with a short excerpt from the bios written by family members.
Nathaniel Allen: known as ‘Bull of The Woods’ Nathanial was an outstanding Cowboy in the rodeo circuit and was truly a legend in his community. Nathaniel was especially admired for his gift with horses, he was a little rambunctious himself but always gentle, patient and skilled in the way he trained his horses to perform for a crowd leaving audiences in disbelief.
Eric “Sleepy” Boykins: Eric loved his lifestyle. It wasn’t the thrill of winning but the thrill of the ride the hat tip & wave to the local onlookers that he loved the most. He was also a winner with the community. Eric would always lend a hand to his family and friends or his mechanical advice if someone needed it.
Charlie Davis: Charlie & his brother Elijah were riding before they were old enough to reach a saddle. They would put the bridle on the horse and pull the horse up to a bucket or a porch and climb on & the rest would be history, there was no stopping them. Charlie rode horses at least five to seven days a week. There were more Horses parked in the front yard than cars. He won numerous buckles and trophies as a rodeo cowboy.
Elija Davis: Growing up in the country Elija developed a love for the Western way of life. He spent much of his lifetime riding horses and accompanying his father to rodeos where his passion for horses and cowboys continued to grow. He won numerous buckles, trophies and saddles for his continued participation in the arena.
Scott Kelley: Scott’s exceptional expertise and dedication made him one of the best-known cattlemen in the area – always smiling and happily doing what he loved. He was responsible for essential operations such as separating cows from calves, castrating, branding, and earmarking calves, along with running cows through the chute, for vaccinations and treatments, ensuring the overall health and well-being of the herd. Additionally, Mr. Kelley was known for his exceptional skills on horseback – efficiently managing cattle.
Clary Milburn: Clary had a love for horses and rodeos. His passion led him to training horses. He moved on to win numerous awards, ribbons and trophies for the awesome performances and skills that the horses he trained displayed. He knew all the horses he trained by name. Clary served on the Houston Livestock Trade Committee. He often said, “Being out on the tracks and farms with the horses running free is the best stress reliever and feeling a man could ever ask for.”
James ‘Pat’ Patterson:, Mr. Pat was a name that was heard in almost every arena, in just about every state that held team roping’s. He was always ready to travel to the next roping and always willing to rope with anyone that would ask him. He never turned anyone down for a run. There are literally hundreds of people that can attest to Pat always being a guaranteed run for them or giving them their first ever run at a jackpot when nobody else would enter with them, and maybe even the catalyst that got them started roping. Today, at 93 years old, he may not ride or rope anymore, but the man under the cowboy hat known primarily as Mr. Pat is still and will always be a cowboy.
Osbe Sherwood: Osbe roped locally and regionally. Where there was rodeo entertainment, and competition, you could hear the onlookers saying, “there goes another one of them SHERWOOD Boys”. If you ask Osbe Sherwood to share his roping experience with younger ropers, he will say, “If you love doing something, be the best at it.”Osbe lives according to the words of Hebrew 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Sherwood and Patterson accepted their awards in person. The other cowboys have gone on to ride the arenas of heaven; their families accepted their award.
After all the awards were given, the excitement and decibel level in the room returned to it pre ceremony level, then Harold Cash stepped in front of the podium and retold his legendary rodeo history and the room once again became silent. He recalled the first time he rode a bull, he asked the people around him what to do. “Put your hand in the air and ride,” they said. Then someone opened the gate and he rode.
“Everything I accomplished was because someone opened a gate for me,” said Cash.
Opening the gate for the banquet to be held were individuals and organizations. The Harold Cash Living Legend Rodeo and Charity board of directors wants to be sure everyone who helped make the event happen, know their support is greatly appreciated! Amoco, Texas Farm Bureau Insurance Company, Cash car Clinic, Greater St. Matthews Baptist Church and Curtis Galloway helped with sponsoring tables and generous cash donations.
The committee is looking forward to next year’s awards banquet and to the Harold Cash Living Legend Rodeo 2027, the date for the rodeo will be announced soon. Harold Cash Living Legend Rodeo and Charity is a 503c3 and if you would like to support their future events and scholarships please reach out to Harold Cash at 409-750-1400.
