The La Plata Archuleta Cattlemen had their annual banquet on April 26. The highlight of the evening is the naming of the Cattleman of the Year. This year's honoree, selected by a committee including Davin Montoya, Tom Compton and Wayne Buck, was Jerry McCaw, who was quick to note that his wife of 47 years, Lora, should have her name on the plaque, too.
McCaw's family had written a wonderful piece about him and his life as a hardworking rancher. Three generations were there in force to cheer on the clan's patriarch.
The cattlemen also took time to acknowledge two of their own who have become players on the national stage. Patti Buck is the president of the American National Cattlewomen, and Brice Lee is the president of the National Public Lands Council.
Buck said she got frustrated that almost all country music was about cowboys and cattlemen, but the cattlewomen are out there working hard, too. So she wrote some lyrics and Andy Janowsky wrote the music then sang lead on the recording. The song premiered at the banquet, and a lot of people went home with CDs or DVDs.
The banquet takes a large group of people to pull this off every year. This year's committee included Mae Morley, Ned and Barbara Jefferies, Trish and Larry Corman, Sandy Young, Sharon Nossaman, Debbie Wilhelm, Jake Nossaman, Norma Conley, Mary Green, Melody Semler, Gary and Peggy Beebe, Wayne and Patti Buck, Gary Evert, Kyle Beebe, Tom Compton, Shirley Engler and Emma Shock.