Western Heritage Museum & Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame 
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November 8, 2014
6pm

Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame Banquet

The annual Cowboy Hall of Fame Banquet is November 8th and we will once again be presenting the Bronze Cowboy Award to honor people with a rich ranching history in Lea County and the Silver Concho Award, honoring a person for excellence in public service.

Tickets are $25
 
Please contact Mary Lyle for more information.  575-492-2679
December 4, 2014
7-9pm

Christmas Traditions from Around the World

Join us for this annual event celebrating the Christmas traditions of different countries and states.  Members of the community come together to present a number of countries and their holiday traditions including decorations and food. You can wander the Christmas forest and see the decorated trees all over the Museum.  You can even visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus!!  Adults are $10; kids (3-12) are $5; 2 and under are free; and 65 and older are $8. Tickets are on sale now!
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November 6, 2014

Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame Banquet

 

The Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame is proud to announce the induction of three Lea County pioneers into the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.  The three Bronze Cowboys will be honored at the annual banquet on November 8, 2014 with dinner starting at 6pm.

 

"We are pleased to announce that Lea County pioneers Johnny Martin Etcheverry, Malcolm R. Madera, and Christopher Columbus 'Lum' Medlin will be honored as this year's recipients of the Bronze Cowboy awards and induction into the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame," said Darrell Beauchamp, Executive Director of the Museum. "As we do every year, we received a number of outstanding nominations, and these three are the ones chosen by the membership for the honor."

 

The Cowboy Hall of Fame has honored 94 Lea County pioneers with the Bronze Cowboy Award, the Museum's highest honor, since its beginning in 1978.  Beauchamp noted that in order to be considered for the honor, a person must meet several stringent criteria.  A nominee must be a long-time resident of Lea County, must be a person of good character and reputation, must have had the livestock industry as their principal business, and must be a distinguished rodeo performer or had a helping hand in the development of the livestock industry.

 

"There are so many qualified individuals in Lea County" Beauchamp added, "that sometimes it takes several nominations for a person to be selected by the membership."

 

In addition to the Bronze Cowboy inductions, Bobby Wallach will receive the Silver Concho Award, Shane and Barbee Beer were selected by the Cowboy Hall of Fame as "Young Ranchers" for 2014 and Jimmy Joe Campbell was selected as the "Working Cowboy" for 2014. 

 

All will be honored on November 8 at the Induction Banquet at the Lea County Events Center.  Tickets are $25 each and are available at the Museum.

 

For more information contact the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, 575-492-2678.

  

Over the next few weeks, starting below, we will take a more in-depth look at the Bronze Cowboy inductees.

 

2014 Bronze Cowboy Inductee:  Johnny Martin Etcheverry

 

Johnny Martin Etcheverry (1931-1998) is the son of Basque immigrants, Maria and Pello Etcheverry, who established their Lea County Ranch in 1907. Etcheverry grew up on this ranch and worked tirelessly raising Rambouillet sheep and Hereford cattle. He was an advocate for water conservation in Lea County and was named the Outstanding Conservation Rancher in 1960.  In their nomination his family noted that Etcheverry cared for his land in other ways: he almost entirely eliminated "pesky brush" plants like the prickly pear, cholla, and mesquite on his ranch by hand-applying one teaspoon of herbicide to each plant. Etcheverry said, "[these plants] compete for moisture and nutrients while crowding out grass. We can't afford much of that in this county."

 

Etcheverry graduated from Lovington High School in 1949 and enrolled in the University of New Mexico. His education was interrupted when he entered the United States Army serving during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged from the Army and returned to the family ranch.  He finished his degree at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. His passion for education led him to be instrumental in the Agriculture scholarship at New Mexico Junior College and involvement with 4-H.

 

Etcheverry was a member of the New Mexico Cattle Growers and Wool Growers Associations, the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and was an active member of St. Christopher's Church in Hobbs. His legacy continues through his wife, Nancy, his three children, four stepchildren, 19 grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.

 

Saddle Up

Saddles are located throughout the Museum and you can still pick up a catalog to learn more about each saddle. Saddles will be up through November 16.

 

Christmas Traditions from Around the World

This event has quickly become the herald of the holiday season.  Mark your calendars for Thursday, December 4 from 7-9pm.  Tickets are now on sale:  $10 for adults, $5 for kids (3-12), 2 and under are free and 65 and older are $8.  For ticket information or if you'd like to volunteer please contact us at 575-492-2679.

In Other News...

The Museum's own Curator, Erin Anderson, won first place in the Halloween costume contest at NMJC on October 30.  She is dressed at the Evil Queen, Regina, from Once Upon a Time. She may have gotten a few weird looks wearing that around the Museum that day.
Looking Ahead

November 26-30:  Museum Closed
December 20-January 4:  Special Holiday Hours TBA

Western Heritage Museum | 575-492-2678 | [email protected] |
www.nmjc.edu/museum
1 Thunderbird Circle
New Mexico Junior College
Hobbs, NM 88240

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