Jay O’Brien of Amarillo, Texas, will receive the 30th annual
National Golden Spur Award Nov. 3, 2007, in recognition of his
contributions to the livestock and ranching industries. He is
managing partner of the JA Cattle Co. and JJOB Ltd. He is also a
partner in Corsino Cattle Co. O’Brien is credited with bringing
distinction and an image of integrity to livestock producers
throughout the nation.
Master of
Ceremonies will be Donald Haragan, former Texas Tech University
President. Comments and award presentation by Todd Staples,
Commissioner, Texas Department of Agriculture.
The award will be presented during a dinner, beginning with a
6 p.m. reception and silent auction at the Lubbock Memorial
Civic Center, 1501 Sixth St., Lubbock. Tickets, available from
host organization the Ranching Heritage Association, are $50
each, with tables for six set at $500 and tables for eight
$1,000. Click here to view and bid on auction items.
Also that evening, Founders’ Awards will be presented to
individuals who have demonstrated dedication and distinguished
service to the National Ranching Heritage Center for many years.
Selected as the recipients of this honor are Don Brothers,
Paducah, Texas; Bill and Pat Cantrell, Lubbock, Texas; Dudley
Cramer, Oakland, Calif.; Linda Davis, Cimarron, N.M.; and Elmer
Kelton, San Angelo, Texas. Click here for pictures of
recipients.
O’Brien was nominated for the Golden Spur Award by the Texas
Cattle Feeders Association. “Few people have worked as hard on a
volunteer basis and contributed as much to the many facets of
the ranching and livestock industries as Jay O’Brien,” said Don
McCasland, chairman of Texas Cattle Feeders. “Jay is also a role
model for others in his business activities and personal life.
His integrity and accomplishments will be a credit to the
award.”
O’Brien started in the cattle business in 1967 after
graduating from Yale University. According to industry leaders,
he has influenced such aspects of the business as finance, land
stewardship, cattle feeding and the promotion of beef as a
consumer product.
For example, he helped increase the services and performance
of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association during his three terms
on the Association’s board, rising to the TCFA Board President
in 1991. During the late 1990s, he was chairman of the Texas
Beef Council and served on the Council’s market and export
boards.
From 1986 until 2001, O’Brien was a member of the National
Cattlemen’s Beef Association Board. He also served as chairman
of the joint Nutrition Committee of the NCBA and the Cattlemen’s
Beef Promotion and Research Board. He helped guide NCBA’s
efforts on the issues of taxation, finance and environmental
management.
Numerous Amarillo-area educational, charitable and cultural
institutions have benefited from O’Brien’s volunteer labors. He
has served as chairman of the Amarillo College Board of Regents,
Amarillo Area Foundation, The Opportunity School and the
Amarillo Library Board.
He is a current member of the advisory board of Amarillo’s
Wells Fargo Bank and previously was a member of the boards of
the city’s First National Bank and its successor, Boatmen’s
First National.
For four generations, O’Brien and his family have ranched in
the Texas Panhandle. He has helped extend the family tradition
as a ranching partner with his wife, Susie, and daughters, Emily
and Jane.
The National Golden Spur Award is a joint recognition by some
of the industry’s leading organizations, among them the American
Paint Horse Association, American Quarter Horse Association,
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Texas Cattle Feeders
Association, Texas CattleWomen, and Texas and Southwestern
Cattle Raisers Association.
Host organization, the Ranching Heritage Association, is a
support arm of the National Ranching Heritage Center museum and
historical park, established to preserve the history of
ranching, pioneer life and the development of the livestock
industry in North America.
Golden Spur Activities, Nov. 3, 2007
• General Membership and Board of
Directors Annual Meeting
9:30-11:30 a.m. A light breakfast buffet precedes a business
update, board elections and a PowerPoint presentation at the
National Ranching Heritage Center.
• Noon Lunch. Buffet and door prizes
in the Pitchfork Pavilion, east of the DeVitt-Mallet Museum
Building. Open to the public. Tickets required.
• National Advisory Board Meeting 1:30 p.m., J.S. Bridwell
Board Room
• Golden Spur Award, 6 p.m. cash bar and silent
auction followed by dinner, Ranches Roll-Call and presentation
of the Golden Spur and Founders’ Awards. Tickets required.
Tickets can also be purchased by calling Whitney Barron at (806) 742-2498. Click
here for a listing of past recipients |
