OCTOBER 1998 VOLUME VI NO. 4 THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO TABLETABLE OFOF CONTENTSCONTENTS MAGAZINE COMMITTEE OFFICER IN CHARGE A Message From the President.......................................................... 1 J. Grover Kelley Features CHAIRMAN 1998 Financial Report .................................................................... 2 Bill Booher VICE CHAIRMAN Until We Meet Again ..................................................................... 4 Bill Bludworth RITE on Track — One Year Later................................................. 6 EDITORIAL BOARD Teresa Ehrman Cattle Call ...................................................................................... 8 Kenneth C. Moursund Jr. Peter A. Ruman A “Capitol” Experience .............................................................. 10 Marshall R. Smith III Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Project .............................................. 12 Constance White Todd Zucker Spiked Heels — of a Sort ............................................................. 14 COPY EDITOR Committee Spotlights Larry Levy Houston Metro Go Texan ............................................................ 16 PHOTO EDITOR Charlotte Howard Communications - Editorial......................................................... 18 REPORTERS Show News and Updates Nancy Burch Gina Covell More Dollars for Show Scholars.................................................... 19 John Crapitto Tracy Cruse Third-Year Committee Chairmen Profiles ................................... 20 Sue Cruver Rodeo Round-Up .......................................................................... 21 Cheryl Dorsett-Kennedy Stephanie Earthman Calendar of Events ............................................................ Back Cover Susan Emfinger Freeman Gregory Linda Henson Whitney Horton Ann Jacobs Melissa Manning MAGAZINE The Cover: Dedicated to Judy Johnston Merrell the memory of Roy Rogers, Gordon Richardson II the cover is the original art- Beverly Rosenbaum work from his and wife Dale Evans’ 1950 and 1957 Rhonda Rubin Houston Fat Stock Show Pat Scherrieb appearances. Ken Scott Susan Williams Leslie Worsham PHOTOGRAPHER Sam Pierson Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo DESIGN/LAYOUT Clarke & McClure EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LIFETIME MEMBERS - OFFICERS HLSR STAFF MAGAZINE Joseph T. Ainsworth, M.D. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Mike Blasingame MANAGEMENT COORDINATORS Jim Bloodworth Douglas B. Marshall Ken Caldwell Leroy Shafer Don A. Buckalew Clayton Underwood Brady F. Carruth Suzy Brown John H. Causey P. Michael Wells John L. Ebeling PRODUCTION EDITOR J.M. Clepper Carolyn Faulk Johnnie Westerhaus Dick Graves CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD Charles W. Grant STAFF COORDINATOR/EDITOR Hal Hillman Don D. Jordan Red Griffin Samantha Fewox Don D. Jordan J.P. “Hap” Hunnicutt III H. Stuart Lang Jr. PRESIDENT Robert C. “Bob” Hux Louis M. Pearce Jr. Jim Bloodworth J. Grover Kelley MAGAZINE John O. Smith Dan Lehane, M.D. Volume VI, No. 4, is published by the Tommie Vaughn FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Edward B. Schulz Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. James M. Windham Jr. P. Michael Wells R.H. “Steve” Stevens Copyright 1998 Letters and comments should be sent to: Marketing Department, Houston Livestock GENERAL MANAGER Show and Rodeo, P. O. Box 20070, Houston, Texas 77225-0070 Dan A. Gattis A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT The recent first hint of fall made me reflect on what has • After careful review of public feedback, the Show has been a busy and historic summer for the Houston Livestock reverted back to a 7 p.m. start for weeknight performances, Show and Rodeo. We have accomplished a great deal since kicking off with the grand entry followed by the rodeo events singer John Michael Montgomery walked off the Astrodome and then the star concert. stage last March to conclude the 1998 Show. And as we close in • Our ticket turnback program has been improved to pro- on 1999, there’s still much work to be done. vide Show patrons a quick and efficient way to “give back” their As you will see on the following pages, we enjoyed yet unused tickets for charitable credit. Tickets can now be turned another successful year in 1998, with record Show revenues of back to the ticket office in person, via fax, or telephone, prior to more than $41 million. For the third consecutive year, the net the performance. These tickets can then be awarded to charita- from Show operations, which is critical to the success of our ble organizations or can be resold. educational programs, exceeded $13 million. Some of these decisions will affect the Show immediately, And although we have much in which to take pride, busi- while others may not be seen for many years. Regardless, each ness experience tells us that we can never afford to become will have a profound effect on the future of the Houston complacent. Livestock Show and Rodeo. Despite being a premier charity, the Houston Livestock It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is upon us and Show and Rodeo is not exempt from the harsh realities of the that also means that the 1999 Show is just around the corner. business world today. We must continue to improve our prod- Our volunteer force of more than 12,000 is already in full oper- uct, explore new markets and opportunities, and build and ation preparing for another record year. create innovative programs. Now that we’ve looked back on a hectic summer season, it’s Thanks to the outstanding leadership team that guides our time to set our sights on February and gear up for Showtime! organization, we are doing all of these things…and then some. While summer is a slow time for many businesses, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was busy gearing up for the future. Consider the following: • We have spent the past year in negotiations on the pro- posed new stadium, which will be located adjacent to the Jim Bloodworth Astrodome. The stadium construction, of course, is contingent President on Houston being awarded an NFL franchise. But the Show’s commitment toward construction and maintenance of the new stadium is a major investment in our future. • We announced an unprecedented increase of $2.25 mil- lion in the Show’s annual commitment to Texas youth and edu- cation. This increase will raise the Show’s educational commit- ment in 1999 to a phenomenal $7,725,000! We are adding 180 four-year, $10,000 scholarships to the existing program and establishing a $1 million program to assist students with extreme financial need in the Houston area. Further details can be found elsewhere in this issue. • Harris County has agreed to build a new exposition build- ing, which will house the livestock show as well as provide office space and meeting facilities for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. This facility will be located just east of the Astrodome in the existing parking lot. Construction is project- ed to begin in October 1999. • Additional parking will be provided in new lots which will be located just west of Kirby Drive, directly across from the Astrodome. Construction is scheduled to begin immediately after the 1999 Show, with completion in time for the 2000 Show. 1 1998 FINANCIAL REPORT FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (For the Year Ending April 30) 19 97 19 98 Show Revenue $38,450,431 $41,017,245 Show Expense $25,103,925 $27,933,275 Net from Show Operations *$13,346,506 *$13,083,970 *Net from Show Operations does not include net investments income of $3,537,545 and $6,547,931 for 1997 and 1998, respectively, and is before contributions to Youth and Educational Programs. YOUTH AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS (For the Year Ending April 30) 19 97 1998 Junior Show Distributions *2 $3,990,503 $4,164,943 Scholarships FFA 500,000 500,000 4-H 500,000 500,000 Metropolitan 1,170,000 1,200,000 Area Go Texan 292,500 312,500 Go Tejano Hispanic 310,000 300,000 School Art 69,565 115,575 Junior College 15,000 Texas Christian University Ranch Management 10,000 10,000 Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine 24,000 24,000 Graduate Assistantships 360,000 360,000 Endowments to colleges and universities 275,000 341,000 Research and other programs 960,692 980,981 Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence (RITE) 924,925 Total Programs $8,477,260 $9,733,924 *2 Includes guaranteed and additional premiums, and calf scramble and school art awards 2 EXPENSE BREAKDOWN Operations includes all manpower and other direct operating cost of the rodeo, calf scramble, livestock and horse shows, carnival, commer- cial exhibits, parade, championship bar-b-que, hospitality clubs, publi- cations and broadcasting areas, membership office and numerous Go Texan events held throughout the year. General and Administrative costs include all costs for the year- round operations of the general manager’s; accounting; agricultural exhibits and competition; logistics and service support; marketing, information systems and presentations; and operations departments. 3 By Nancy Burch For those who grew up during the 1950s and ’60s, the image of the smiling cowboy in the white hat, wearing boots decorated with eagles and riding the magnificent golden Palomino, is indelibly imprinted in their minds. Roy Rogers and his beautiful horse, Trigger, are symbols of a kinder, gentler era when good always tri- umphed over evil, and the day ended with a song by the campfire. Rogers’ death in July 1998 brought back fond memories for those fortunate enough to have seen him perform at the Houston Fat Stock Show back in the “Coliseum days.” With the announcement, “Ladies and gentlemen, the King of the Cowboys — Roy Rogers,” the