IN MEMORY HENRY Hansard “HANK” STONE Yolo County cattle rancher and beloved CCA member Henry “Hank” Stone passed away April 24, after a brief illness. Stone was born in Merced, but grew up in San Francisco and Salinas. His father was the regional manager for Golden State Creamery. After graduating from Salinas High School, Stone attended HANK STONE California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he honed his livestock judging skills and was a member of the winning Collegiate Livestock Judging team at Cow Palace in 1951. In the 1960s he was Superintendent of the Intercollegiate Judging Contest at the Cow Palace. He also judged sheep and cattle at many county fairs throughout Northern California, including the State Fair. Stone served as a meat inspector during the Korean War, then married Suzanne Storm and moved to Fort Bragg, where he worked as a ranch manager. He tried the sheep business in Lockeford briefly before becoming an ag lender at Crocker Bank in Sacramento. Eventually his family settled in Woodland, where he managed the Woodland Production Credit Association and Federal Land Bank. In the 1970s, Stone left banking to become the business manager for Anderson Farms in Davis. His position led to the formation of Yolo Land & Cattle Co., which evolved into a partnership with his two sons. In the early 2000s, Stone retired from day-to-day management, and focused on another passion, beef genetics. He developed a successful purebred Angus herd, and twice received the Top Consignor Award Ronald James Albaugh Ronald Albaugh passed away April 9, 2014. Born March 12, 1940 in Alturas to Ed and Orma Albaugh, Ron had deep roots in California pioneer heritage. He grew up on the Frosty Acres Ranch in Adin and graduated from Adin High School with a class of nine students. He went on to attend California State University, Chico, and also served two years in the United States Army. Albaugh married LaVern Hencratt on May 8, 1965 and they raised two sons, Mark and Norris. Ron was a member of the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association. He was awarded the American Shorthhorn Association’s Seedstock Producer of the Year Award
at the Cal Poly Bull Test. In recent years, Stone also enjoyed hosting visitors at the ranch. A graduate of Class I of the California Agricultural Leadership Program, Hank served on numerous statewide boards including the California Cattlemen’s Association, and the California FFA Foundation. He was Past President of both the Yolo County Cattlemen’s & Woolgrowers Assn., and the California Beef Cattle Improvement Association (CBCIA). He served on many local boards and was also an advisor for both the UC Davis and Cal Poly Animal Science Departments. He was named Commercial Producer of the Year by CBCIA, and also received their Horizons Award. In 2008, he was named the California Livestock Man of the Year by the California Chamber of Commerce, presented at the Cow Palace Grand National Rodeo. Well-known as an auctioneer, Stone offered his self-taught skills at over a dozen different Junior Livestock auctions in Northern California, including the Yolo County Spring Show and Yolo County Fair. Over a 40-year span, he sold thousands of 4-H and FFA animals, and continued to auction at charity events after he retired. Stone’s family is setting up a memorial fund with the Yolo County Fair, to pay for improvements to the livestock auction building. Tax-deductible donations can be made to: Yolo County Heritage Foundation, c/o Henry Stone Livestock Facilities Fund, 1125 East St., Woodland, CA 95776. Donations can also be made to the California Rangeland Trust, 1225 H Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. Hank is survived by his wife Suzanne, sons Scott and Casey, their wives Karen and Angela, and grandchildren; Austin, Carson, Keeley, and Wilson. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carol and Marea Stone, his stepmother Georgie, and his oldest son David. A celebration of Hank’s life was held on May 30, , at the Yolo land & Cattle Co. ranch headquarters near Esparto.
and the Dual Purpose Breeder of the Year from the Milking Shorthorn Society. He also placed first in the Great Western Livestock Judging Contest. Ron was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Dale. He is survived by LaVern, his wife of 49 years; sister, Jean (Bob) Walker of Rough and Ready; sisters-in-law Barbara Albaugh Adin; and Marie Haley, Redding; Children Mark (Teresa) Albaugh, Cottonwood; Norris (Suzie) Albaugh, Fallon, Nev.; grandchildren, Ann and Ben DeGroot of Springfield, S.D.; Carrie and Chad Bidwell of Alturas; Helen, Wilhelmina and Waldo Albaugh of Fallon, Nev.; great-granddaughter, Madison Bidwell of Alturas; and numerous nieces and nephews
WEdding Bells Lohse and Danekas Matthew Lohse and Mercedes Danekas were married February 22, 2014, at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphy’s California. Matthew is the son of August and Donna Lohse of Orland and Mercedes is the daughter of James and Sherry Danekas of Wilton. The bride is a graduate of the University of California, Davis and works with her family at JDA, Inc. publishing the Western Cowman magazine and working within the beef industry. The groom is a graduate of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and manages vineyards in the Delta and Lodi regions. The newlyweds reside in Wilton.
June 2014 California Cattleman 53