2022 Hall of Fame Program

Class of 2022

The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Dandies For more than 50 years, hundreds of young women have volunteered countless hours to serve as the official Good Will Ambassadors of “The Daddy of Em’ All.” The Dandies had their inaugural year in 1970 and became an outstanding mounted drill team. Arlene Kensinger and then Chairman E.O. Davis created the group to get the young ladies of the community involved in the Rodeo, performing drills before every performance. Since Arlene’s retirement, there have been two other Directors of the Dandies: Diane Humphrey, who took over for Arlene in 1997, and Michelle Hess, who became the Director when Diane retired in 2013.

Since their inception, the traditions of the Dandies have remained the same. They perform at every rodeo, carrying the sponsor’s banners in the opening serpentine and during the event as individual riders and as a team in coordinated arena drills.

Dandies appear in every parade, pancake breakfast, and at the performances of the Thunderbirds and the Challenge Rodeo.

The original Dandies were a team of 12 high school girls. They provided their own clothing, horses, and equipment and only traveled on the local level. Today, the Dandies are a team with 14 members who wear sponsored clothing and travel to rodeos throughout the western U.S. The Dandies assist every part of CFD by fundraising and offering help where they can.

Beyond the extensive responsibilities of every Dandy, they are required to provide for and maintain their own horses. They attend practices, events, and performances during the entire year. Many former Dandies continue to volunteer and some of their daughters have since become Dandies themselves, perpetuating a 50-plus year tradition. Since 1970, there have been an estimated 800 Dandies. The Dandies’ dedication to CFD is clear and their reputation is far reaching. They are a force to be reckoned with and are valuable contributors to CFD and the western way of life.

The Establishing HEELs The founding of the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ volunteer organization, the HEELs, is part of Cheyenne Frontier Days™ legend. During the disastrous losses and economic hardships of the 1930s, a group of men decided to help make the event viable by volunteering their time to take over the duties of formerly paid contractors. After the 1935 show, the group of men who had volunteered their time gathered after a long celebration. They griped on the lack of appreciation given to them by the General Committee, yet agreed that if they didn’t help, they would be a bunch of “heels.” The term stuck and since then, the group has called themselves HEELs. With the HEELs fully engaged during the rest of the 1930s and 1940s, Cheyenne Frontier Days™ weathered several challenging years. Throughout it all, the HEELs maintained the professionalism and tradition of the rodeo. Since their first official meeting on March 29, 1936, the HEELs have grown to include volunteers from every committee.

The Establishing HEELs are those individuals who became members under the original organizational bylaws and helped this prestigious organization grow, which has helped CFD immensely and has ensured its continuance to the present day. These members undoubtedly played a role in keeping Frontier Days alive through two troublesome decades.

The Establishing HEELs: John H. Bell Frank H. Bell C.A. Black Judge T. Blake Kennedy James “Buck” Buchanan William F. DeVere W. Robert Dubois Francis W. Fitch William G. Haas

Paul R. Hansen Charles W. Hirsig Fred “Beanie” Hirsig Rudy J. Hofmann Cal Holliday Al Kay Joe D. Lawler Col. Douglas McEnery Barney McGary

John J. McInerney F.B. McVicar Al Mooney Dorsey Morris Dr. W.K. Mylar Mort Nisbet Judge John C. Pickett Frederick H. “Bunk” Porter, Sr. Dan E. Rees

Edward T. Storey Emmett Storey George F. Storey James A. Storey Sr. Harry Taylor Ira “Townie” Townsend A.W. “Art” Trout James H. Walton D.E. “Woody” Woodson

Fr. Joe Geders In 1985, Father Joe Geders came to Cheyenne to assist at St. Mary’s Cathedral during the summer. Parish member Will Kallal, the Contestants Chairman, invited him to a “behind the scenes” tour of the rodeo. Impressed with the spirit and effort of the volunteers, Fr. Joe expressed his desire to become a volunteer himself. Fr. Joe joined the committee in 1986.

During his early days at CFD, the Contestants Committee consisted of a small group of members who rotated through a number of work positions during the week, and Fr. Joe was happy to do the same. He policed contestant areas and ran the arena gates. He assisted officials, bullfighters, and the barrel men. Fr. Joe also shared his love of cooking by organizing the cooks for the Committee’s lunches, preparing many of the meals himself. Eventually, Fr. Joe was recruited to work in the strippin’ chutes, taking equipment off of the animals. Today, he works behind the bucking chutes, operating the slide gates. Fr. Joe was inducted into the HEELs in 2002.

Being a man of the cloth, Fr. Joe has joined volunteers and rodeo participants in prayer. When stock contractor Harry Vold arrived at CFD each year, he and Fr. Joe would pray together for the safety of the cowboys and everyone in the arena.

Outside of Frontier Days, Fr. Joe has returned to Cheyenne for the funerals and memorial services of volunteers. In recent years, the General Committee has asked Fr. Joe to offer a prayer at the beginning of each rodeo. While volunteering for CFD, the demands of Fr. Joe’s calling have taken him away to Chicago, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Jackson, Wyoming; and even Rome. He currently serves in Perryville, Missouri. No matter where his assignments take him, Fr. Joe has made it a point to continue returning to Cheyenne almost every single year to volunteer for CFD.

Billy Evans Hunting Horse & The Southern Plains Intertribal Dancers Billy Evans Hunting Horse was born on October 10, 1930 in a teepee in southwest Oklahoma into a traditional Kiowa family. His grandfathers and grandmothers bestowed a Kiowa name upon him when he was a baby: Dóñ:gyà:áñ:gyà, which translates into English as “He Who Sits In The Middle,” because they could see that one day, Billy would become a great leader.

In 1980, Indians Committee Chairman Bill Stone asked Billy to bring the Southern Plains Indian Dancers to participate in Cheyenne Frontier Days™ at the Indian Village and share their cultural dances. The Southern Plains dancers came from the Kiowa, Comanche, Apache, Caddo, Wichita, Delaware, Choctaw, Omaha, Cheyenne and other tribes indigenous to the Southern Plains of America.

The performers came from various backgrounds, but all enjoyed dancing in their traditional regalia and sharing their cultural heritage, especially for Billy. The Southern Plains Intertribal Dancers performed at CFD until 1997.

To improve the experience of his dancers and their guests, Billy frequently consulted with the chairmen and members of the Indians Committee to improve the Indian Village, sharing his vision of a more livable and profitable park destination. The presence of Billy’s work, insight, and dedication can be seen today in the Village’s design.

When not entertaining audiences, Billy served as the seven-term elected Tribal Chairman of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. Billy was the only Native American Tribal Chairman to win a landmark case in the U.S. Supreme Court which strengthened sovereignty among federally recognized Indian Tribes across the United States. Billy peacefully passed away in August 2014.

Wyoming was home to the Kiowa people many moons ago and it was homecoming for Billy Evans Hunting Horse and the Southern Plains Intertribal Dancers to perform and live for one full week in teepees on the grounds where their forefathers had once danced.

Rick Keslar Born in Cheyenne, Rick Keslar and his family have long been involved with Cheyenne Frontier Days™. Rick’s grandfather brought teams of draft horses from the family homestead near Hillsdale for pulling wagons in the parades and Rick’s father worked as a special policeman at Frontier Park. In the 1960s, Rick helped clean the stands with the Boy Scouts every morning before the rodeo.

Later in the 1970s, Rick sold Pepsi in the stands during the performances.

In 1979, Rick joined the Tickets Committee.

He worked in all areas that the Committee was responsible for, including the west and east-side stands, the companion pass office, gate sales, disability services, and the ticket assistance window. Bob Weaver chose Rick to be his coordinator and was later named Tickets Assistant and eventually Lead Assistant. In 1992, Rick was elected to the HEELs. Rick was chosen as Tickets Chairman by Phil VanHorn in 1996 for the 1997 Cheyenne Frontier Days™. During his tenure, along with other members of the General Committee, Rick worked to establish an online presence and introduced the first ever virtual CFD ticket sales. As a member, and later chairman of the CFD marketing subcommittee, Rick helped oversee the position’s development and the hiring of a marketing manager. Rick was instrumental in replacing the old highway advertising on the park with a new neon sign and message board that currently sits as a Frontier Days icon off of Interstate 25.

After completing his term on the General Committee, Rick served on the Buckle Club Board, finishing his term as President. He was then elected to the CFD Board of Directors, serving as Secretary-Treasurer, Vice Chairman, and Chairman.

Rick joined the first CFD Hall of Fame Steering Committee in 2002, helping to lay the foundation for the instituition. Rick designed the Hall of Fame logo that is still used today and has produced the video presentation portion of nearly every Induction Ceremony. Rick served on the CFD Western Art Show Committee for several years and has served as a Sponsor Host.

Maj. William Lewis Pitcher William Lewis Pitcher was a long-time officer of Fort D. A. Russell, having first been stationed at the post in 1872 as a Second Lieutenant of Company F of the United States 8th Infantry Regiment, later being promoted to the rank of Captain.

Captain Pitcher was placed in command of Fort D. A. Russell while the general of the fort was away on maneuvers in August 1897.

The first Frontier Committee approached Pitcher to see if the Army would join in the first celebration. Pitcher promised that the 8th Infantry would be present to do a demonstration camp, skirmish drills, and a sham battle after the rodeo to entertain guests. He did not seek permission from his superiors to use Army assets at the first Frontier Day, but as the commanding officer in charge, he spared no effort to help the community make the event grand.

Shortly before the celebration was to commence, a detachment of soldiers, including Pitcher, was ordered to St. Michael’s, Alaska. The first Frontier Committee and the community feared that he would not be present to help with the celebration. However, Pitcher was able to remain at Fort D. A. Russell and under his command, the 8th Infantry performed brilliantly. After the event, the first Frontier Committee dressed in their finest tuxedos and rode out to Fort D. A. Russell in fancy carriages pulled by steers to say “thank you” to Captain Pitcher.

The very next year, the Army continued its participation in CFD with a unit of artillery riding in the parade. Unfortunately, fate would keep the U.S. 8th Infantry and Captain Pitcher from ever returning to CFD as both were reassigned elsewhere. Pitcher later attained the rank of Major in the U.S. 4th Infantry.

He died on October 24, 1930. Since the initial support to CFD that Captain Pitcher and the 8th Infantry contributed, the involvement of the United States Military in CFD has only continued to increase. Today, Cheyenne Frontier Days™ would not be complete without the contributions of all branches of the Armed Services, the continuing legacy of Pitcher’s 1897 decision.

Roger A. Schreiner Roger A. Schreiner’s involvement with CFD started in 1958 when he and members of his family joined the Cheyenne Saddle Tramps. He helped carry the flags of all 50 states in each of CFD’s parades and rodeo Grand Entries and never missed a single one between 1958 and 1966.

In 1980, Roger volunteered with the Tickets Committee, transferring to the Contestants Committee in 1986. While working hard as a volunteer, Roger served as the Treasurer of the CFD Old West Museum Board of Directors from 1988 to 1990, where he and his wife, Paulla, were the Decorations Chairs for the Wyoming Centennial New Year’s Eve fundraiser. Due to his background as a CPA, Roger worked his way into leadership positions in the rodeo office. Between 1990 and 1994, he worked as one of the Lead Assistants and was elected to the HEELs in 1992. Roger became the Contestants Committee Chairman for the 99th, 100th, and 101st CFD celebrations.

During Roger’s first year as the Contestants Chairman, a serious threat of vesicular stomatitis (VSV), a virus that affects horses and cattle, was discovered. Overnight, Roger put together a plan to screen every animal entering Frontier Park, which was successfully put into effect in less than 24 hours.

Roger served on the CFD Board of Directors from 2002 to 2007 and was the President in 2007. He created the applications for tax exemption for both the CFD Volunteer Crisis Fund and the CFD Foundation. Roger served on the Volunteer Crisis Fund’s initial Board of Directors as one of its founders between 2007 and 2010 and served as the CFD Foundation’s Chairman of the Board from 2017 through 2021. Today, he continues serving as a member of the Foundation’s board. Additionally, Roger has escorted submarine crewmembers of the USS Cheyenne and USS Wyoming at a rodeo each year since 1996 and has been involved in the Sponsor Host program through the PR Committee for the past 9 years.

Dean “Doc” Schroeder In July 2022, Dean “Doc” Schroeder started his 48th year as a CFD volunteer. In January 1975, Bill Garner and Les Smith recruited Doc to join the Security Committee, and was involved with the carnival, exhibitors, and concessions. He was Chairman of the Independence Day fireworks display after CFD assumed the show from the Jaycees and, with Ron Duda as his assistant, was put in charge of parking for 8 years.

In the late 1970s, Doc was the first volunteer to be responsible for signage for all CFD operations. Doc helped create and place nearly all the signs on Frontier Park. His work developed into the Frontier Days Sign Shop.

Doc became First Assistant of the Security Committee in 1982 and continued in that capacity until he was appointed Chairman in 1993, serving as Chairman from 1994 to 1996. During his chairmanship, Doc built a new building for the Security Committee. He later air conditioned the building at his own expense.

Doc served on the Security Committee for 46 of its 48 years of existence and continues volunteering with the Operations Committee today.

Doc was elected to the HEELs in 1979 and later became the first chairman of the HEELs Nomination Committee, serving for approximately 10 years. Beginning in 1987, he became a HEELs officer, ultimately serving 3 years as Secretary/ Treasurer (Rundown HEEL), 3 years as Vice President (Rubber HEEL), and 1 year as President (Leather HEEL). Doc has served for the past 6 years as a member of the HEELs Advisory Committee and continues in that role.

While he continued to volunteer with the Security Committee, Doc also assisted several other Committees. Doc worked for 5 years as a chuck wagon timer and finish judge for Contract Acts. He volunteered with the Contestants Committee in running the Calcutta for volunteers and friends of CFD for about 10 years.

Doc was a member of the Board of Directors at the Buckle Club for 6 years and has served as a Sponsor Host for the Public Relations Committee since 2004.

Recently, Doc authored a history of the Security Committee entitled “The Red Shirts.”

Previous Inductees Class of 2002

The Union Pacific Railroad

Princess Blue Water

Class of 2003

Margaret Boice

John Bell

Dazee Bristol

George Bruegman

T. Joe Cahill

Paul Bruegman

Charlie Daniels

Ora N. “Dutch” Buckles

Shawn Davis

Johnny Cash

Marietta Dinneen

John Cole

Verne Elliott

E.O. Davis

Gus Fleischli

Quail Dobbs

Charles Burton (C.B.) Irwin

Lane Frost

Arlene Kensinger

Turk Greenough

Don Kensinger

Robert D. “Bob” Hanesworth

Tad Lucas

Tuff Hedeman

Larry Mahan

C.W. “Charlie” Hirsig

Ed McCarty

The Hirsig Family

Reba McEntire

Duane Von Krosigk

Chuck Parkison

Chris LeDoux

Wilbur Plaugher

Clark McEntire

Jim Shoulders

Midnight

Colonel E.A. Slack

Norma Bell Morris

Steamboat

Mel Potter

Edward T. Storey

Everett Shaw

Mabel Strickland

The United States Air Force Thunderbirds

Casey Tibbs

Previous Inductees James D. “J.D.” Vandewark

Class of 2005

Harry Vold

Jim Powers

Shoat Webster

Charles D. Carey Jr.

Class of 2004

The Denver Post

Joe Alexander

Walter J. “Buzz” Bradley

Mary Elizabeth Carpender

Jerry Jessen

Roy Cooper

Ben Johnson Sr.

Bill Dubois

Harry Knight

F.E. Warren Air Force Base

Don McLaughlin

Shirley Flynn

Ruby Mercer

R.J. “Rudy” Hofmann

The Powers Family

Calvin Jumping Bull

Sally Rand

Dr. J.E. “Jack” Ketcham

Warren Richardson

Fred Lowry

Jim Tescher

Leonard Mayer

Lois Wade

The Merritt Family

Mary Weppner

Wick Peth

Fred Whitfield

Dan Rees Ike Rude

Class of 2006

Joseph E. Stimson

Bertha Kaepernick Blanchette

George Strait

Freckles Brown

Mr. T

Gene Bryan Jr.

Earl Thode

Lou Domenico

Lorena Trickey

Red Fenwick Jim Hearne

Previous Inductees Monty Henson

Clayton Danks

The Linderman Family

The Irwin Family

George Michael

Jack Miller

Dr. J.S. Palen

W.J. “Jack” Ryan, DDS

Tom Powers

The Senior Steer Ropers Association

The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Dan Taylor

Ace Tyrrell Corky Warren

Sonny Worrell Class of 2009 Class of 2007

Hadley Barrett

Willits A. Brewster

Buddy Bensmiller

The Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Shirley Holmes Churchill Commerce Phil VanHorn Roy Clark Floyd and Diane Humphrey The Tillard Family

Charles Sharkey Irwin

Buddy Lytle

Ned Murray

John D. “Jack” Mabee

Dean Oliver

Ikua Purdy Orville Strandquist

Class of 2010 Tom Bauman

Class of 2008

Garth Brooks

Guy Allen

Floyd Carroll

Lynn Beutler

Brad Churchill

Crooked Nose

Louise Cole

Previous Inductees T.V. and April Jones

William “Bill” McKinley Wilkinson

Ronda Mahan John Morris

Class of 2013

J. Kent Rutledge

Albert “Whitey” Christensen Tucker Fagan

Class of 2011

Vianna Gurney

Chuck Baley Ray Boeshart

The HEELs of Cheyenne Frontier Days™

Ralph Buell

Dick Sherman

Carol Farthing

Jeremy Sparks

Margaret Irwin

Earl Vandehei Family

Dr. Donald Kougl Enid and The Lummis Family

Class of 2014

Montie Montana

Frank Barrett

William “Obie” Obermeier Dick Pickett

The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Western Art Show Committee 1981-2013

Don Stanfield

Elizabeth“Liz” Escobedo Harrison Halligan

Class of 2012 James A. Storey Jr. The Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne Marvin Leff Romeo Entertainment Group Randy Wagner D.R. Whitaker Ranch Families

Ken McCann Hank Thompson Class of 2015 Bob Romer Spiro “Sam” Contos Reva Gray

Previous Inductees Dr. Norman Swanson

David “Sammy” McInerney

Ty Murray

O.D. “Jack” Mueller

Kay Jessen

J.D Yates

W.E. Dinneen Family Class of 2019 Class of 2016

Terry “Buffie” Bottorff

Duane “Bubba” Roedocker

Valerie Cegelski-McLeod

Jim Mueller

Billy Etbauer

Teresa Jordan

Painted Valley

Billy Ward

C. Bud Racicky

Cynthia Lummis

Bob Weaver

Ann King

The W-Heels

Class of 2017

Class of 2020/2021

Darrell Barron

Scott Binning

Ote Berry

Monte Blue

Helen Bowen Jerry Carter

Kristie Peterson & French Flash “Bozo” Hawk

Rod Hottle

Del Peterson

James “Jim” Johnson

The Schrader Family Tom Watson

Class of 2018 Trevor Brazile David Johansen Jim Lynch

The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Hall of Fame The Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Hall of Fame showcases individuals, livestock, and organizations whose distinctive contributions to CFD have helped grow a dream into “The Daddy of ‘em All.” Whether contestants, contract personnel, entertainers, livestock, families, or volunteers, those voted into the Hall of Fame represent the wonderful competitive and cooperative spirit that has remained the hallmark of CFD since 1897.

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Thank You to Our Museum Partners:

Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Old West Museum 4610 Carey Ave, PO Box 2720 Cheyenne, Wyoming, 82003 (307)-778-7290|info@oldwestmuseum.org www.oldwestmuseum.org