ANRS & Rodeo Exes Association Hall of Fame

John and Betty Finegan - 2011

John K. Finegan was born on July 19, 1928 to O.D. and Brancie (Fawcett) Finegan. He graduated from Del Rio High School 1945 and attended Texas A & M University in 1945 -1946. He transferred to Sul Ross for the 1947-48 academic year where he became parliamentarian for the Sul Ross Rodeo Club and a member of the Rodeo Team. He was also on the Livestock Judging team in 1947-48.

Betty June (Hodges) Finegan was born September 6, 1929 to William Floyd and Jessie (Armistead) Hodges. She graduated from Del Rio High School 1946 and started at Sul Ross in September of that same year. Not only was she on the Rodeo Team, she was a member of the Rodeo and the Pioneer Clubs. She was the very first Sul Ross Rodeo Queen in 1948.

Betty June married John K. Finegan on June 7, 1950. They have two children-James (Jim) Sam Finegan (June 11, 1952) and Sharyn Kay (Finegan) Goldman (Dec 3, 1955). Jim is a graduate of Sul Ross.

As a part of the “founding generation,” John and Betty were instrumental in the formation of National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. (More on that below).

Since graduating, they have lived fruitful and very active lives. Their community service achievements are noteworthy.

John served two terms as Vestryman in St. James Episcopal Church in Del Rio. He served as Scoutmaster of Troop 202 for eight years (awarded the Boy Scouts of America Vigil honor in 1968) attended Woodbadge Training for BSA in 1968 and served on Woodbadge Staff in 1969. Betty was a member of the Val Verde 4-H Mothers Club and Den Mother for a Brownie Troop. John was Chairman of Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, Natural Resources Committee and a Rotarian. He was a featured speaker at the Rancher's Roundup hosted by TAMU Extension Service-Del Rio in 1981, again at San Angelo in 1983, and yet again at Kerrville in 1986.

John is a sportsman. Having been a member of the State Championship 4-H Rifle Team (High Individual in 1946) he passed those skills on as assistant coach for the Val Verde 4-H Rifle Team for many years. (Their son, Jim, was high Individual in 1970.) He was president of Amistad Bass Club for two years. He was also a Director of the Exotic Wildlife Association from 1989-1992 and was chairman of Ethics Committee for two years.

John also has a creative-artistic side. He has cast three Western Bronzes and published three books. A Texas Ranching Family: The Story of E.K. Fawcett (2007); But Granny (2008) and Recipes from the Archives of a Texas Ranching Family (2010).

John’s numerous recognition awards include:

· Certificate of Recognition from Val Verde 4-H Club (He is a Charter Member.)

· Outstanding Young Farmer Award from Del Rio Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1965.

· In 1966 he was awarded the Outstanding Young Rancher Award from Del Rio Lions Club.

· In 1967 he received the Ft. Worth Press award for the Outstanding Conservation Farmer for Region 2 of the State of Texas.

· Then in 1988, he was awarded the Excellence in Grazing Award from the Texas Society for Range Management.

John and Betty founded and grew the successful ranch and hunting enterprises of Dolan Creek Ranch and Dolan Creek Hunting, Inc. Together they formed the hunting operation in 1970. They have since had, as their guests, people from every state in the union and 29 foreign countries.

In John’s own words: “Had it not been for this gal (Betty) at my side over these 60+ years, I could never have accomplished what I did.”

Now that you know who these folks are and some of what they have accomplished, let’s go back to their Sul Ross days. (I love old stories.)

According to the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Web Site, “August 1949 marked the official, legal birth of NIRA when they filed for non-profit status.” Well, this may be the “official” version, but there was a bit more to it than that. Actually, according to John, the original idea was hatched in his car “sitting at T.A. Beard's service station where Hank Finger and I were visiting with my roommate Gene Newman.”

John continues:

“Dr. Hawkins gave his blessings but from the start he said you boys and gals are gonna’ build the arena. By Golly we did and put on a rodeo in good fashion. Charlie Hall of Iriann was a participant. Buster Lindley was a great bronc rider and won us some points along the way. Gene Newman and George (Son) Jackson were right there when we worked on building the arena. Hey we all dug post holes, thank the Lord they were in soft ground.

“Our first completion, other than our rodeo, was at Stephenville. Buster, myself, Betty Hodges (my wife), Betty Meadors and Gene Newman, I think, were the contestants. I broke the barrier, Betty Hodges placed in the barrel racing and goat tying, if I remember correctly. Buster placed in bareback and from there I do not remember.”

Induction into the Hall of Fame is the highest honor which can be bestowed on an individual by the ANRS & Rodeo Exes Association. This honor is for ANRS graduates or friends and recognizes those who have represented the Association, the ANRS Department, or Sul Ross State University with distinction through their personal and/or professional achievements which brought honor to our University. Nominations may be submitted by any member at any time. The ANRS & Rodeo Exes Board of Directors will periodically review nominations and determines inductees into the Hall of Fame. Inductions are not necessarily held annually, but rather when a sufficient pool of inductees is obtained. The induction ceremony is at the Annual Reunion held the last weekend of July in Alpine.

Make a nomination for a deserving individual for induction into the ANRS & Rodeo Exes Hall of Fame!

There is certainly room among these fine individuals for additional honorees. Please give some consideration to nominating a deserving individual for induction into the Hall of Fame.