Hall of Fame Presentation for Don Fullerton

Don Fullerton was born in Stuart, Nebraska on June 5, 1936. He grew up on a cattle ranch in Amelia, Nebraska, and rode a Shetland pony to school in his elementary school years. Don then owned a Quarter Horse and his sister took over riding the Shetland. He used the Shetland pony to pull his hay wagon he built from scratch. The pony was Don’s main source of transportation to the local fishing hole, which was about a ¼ mile from the family ranch. One afternoon, the pony was tied to a fence post and rubbed his bridle right off, and he just took off, leaving Don stranded at the fishing hole with his worms and cane pole, and no transportation to get home.

Beginning in the 7th grade, Don drove a Model A Ford with his brother and sister until the 10th grade. He also learned to drive an old Farmall tractor with direct gear steering. Luckily, Don didn’t break his wrist driving the tractor. He had to hold on tight – just in case he hit a frozen cow turd – the steering wheel could spin right out of his hand!

Don’s first job was a water boy in a “Blue Grass” yard, serving water where the bigger kids were turning the grass seeds. He was paid handsomely at 10 cents an hour. Graduating from High School at age 16, Don continued on to summer school at Wayne State Teachers College where he taught in rural schools for 3 years. In 956 Don moved to his Aunt and Uncle’s home in Lancaster, CA where he worked in the aircraft industry for a couple of years. In 1958 Don re-enrolled in college and graduated three years later with a B.S. in Engineering. Following his graduation Don spent the next 4 years in engineering and sales engineering.

Don married Carolyn in 1960 and had three wonderful children, Dale, Randy and Shari. In 1964, Don started working for State Farm Insurance until he retired in 1992. The family moved to Tustin, CA in 1971 where Don again became involved with horses. This time Don had to learn to ride with a saddle, because when he was in grade school, he rode bare back and couldn’t afford a saddle.

In 1973 the family moved to Corona, CA where Don became more involved in cattle and then switched to Quarter Horses. In 1982, Don attended his first World Team Penning in Hemet, CA, and a year later brother-in-law, Gene Skalo and Don started Team Penning practices at Riverside Ranchero Roping Club. They held practices every Tuesday and Thursday evening for many years. Don entered his first World Team Penning in 1983. From then on, he traveled all over California attending Team Pennings at least 1-2 times per month.

In 1985 Don went to the Cow Palace and won 3rd Place. In 1988 he won a World Penning in Las Vegas, and then in 1991 won the World Year-In Team Penning competition, which was held in Rancho Mission Viejo, CA. Don competed in the Pennings at the Lazy E. Guthrie, OK that were usually won by the Tellhams, David Hall, Donnie Winn, Shelly Fitzgerald, Johnnie Joseph, Larry Pencost, Jodi Hill, Bobby Atwood, and many other great Team Penners. Don won the Celebrity Challenge in 1993 at the Lazy E., and competed at Calgary, Canada in the early 90’s where he won 3rd place overall.

Don became the President of the World Championship Team Penning Association and was the United States Team Penning Western Regional Director for several years. In 1995, he won the Fort Worth Stock Show, and attended the Johnny Joseph Team Penning in Louisiana. Unfortunately, due to “adult beverages” and great food, Don failed to win anything significant at the Johnny Joseph event. Don now lives on his Apple Valley, California ranch and does his best to stay out of trouble. His last significant event was winning the 2015 San Bernardino County Team Sorting with 97 teams competing. Don still enjoys the cattle business, which is just enough to keep him out of the “pool hall”.  Don stated “It has been a great ride, and the most important are the great friendships I have made over the years. Getting installed into the Hall of Fame makes it all just perfect. I am a very lucky guy”.

Don Fullerton Hall of Fame Brochure

Hall of Fame Presentation for Jodi Hill

Jodi Clay Hill was born and raised in Kremmling, Colorado. His family is a 5th generation of ranchers. All his life he “cowboyed” on the ranch and team roped. In 1985 he married Sandy, who is also a 5th generation rancher from Kremmling. They have 4 kids and now 10 grand kids. Jodi and Sandy together run Troublesome Creek Ranch (a cow/calf operation), do wildlife habitat and custom haying.

In the 80’s, his mom became interested in “team penning” and did some investigating.We all know where that led! She organized an event in Kremmling and Jodi was soon traveling around the United States with family and friends from all over. Those were some great memories that he will always cherish. Family, from Grandpas and grandmas to grand kids, Uncles and Aunts, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, cousins all traveling and riding together. In the 90’s Jodi formed a box with David Hall, Larry Pancost and Donnie Wynne. Many lifetime friendships were made.

Jodi and Sandy also produced team pennings in Colorado. They drew people from all over the United States. Jodi was great at putting on events with great prizes and big added money. He participated in many

AQHA events and world shows with many titles under his belt.He won the AQHA World Grand Champion from 1997-2002 every year except 1998 and he was also Reserve Champion in 2000. Jodi and his family belonged to several team penning association over the years and competed successfully in all of them. They ran the local team roping for over 20 years. Jodi and Sandy were also superintendents of the team penning for several years at the Denver National Western Stock Show. In 2001 Jodi had High Money and High Point National Champion Futurity horses in team penning.

Their kids were active in 4-H and school events and in junior high they took up rodeo more seriously and Jodi slowed down traveling and penning to haul the kids to their events.Now that the kids are grown and have kids of their own (10 as of now + his sister’s 3 who call him “papa”, too), Jodi is back to team roping and traveling mostly to the World Series Team Ropings in Colorado and Vegas. He has recently started going to Arizona in the winter to rope. The grand kids are active in 4-H, school sports and rodeo. He loves roping and riding with them and going to their games. They are becoming the best help on the ranch.

One of Jodi’s highlights every year is the spring branding. He goes to his Uncle Gary’s to help several times as well as our own and neighbors. He loves the roping and dragging calves to the fire.

Jodi has switched horses from penning to roping, as most of the penning horses have gone to greener pastures. He teases Sandy that he’s thinking of adding some penning horses back into the herd and who knows! He certainly loved his traveling days and maybe he will do it again with the younger generation of family. They are becoming great little cowboys and cowgirls and read cattle pretty good! Sandy says Jodi is a magnet for kids and people in general. He has a big heart and fun to be around. Over the years, we have been blessed with many friends we have met along the way.

It has been mentioned several times “family” and “lifelong friends”.  Sorry to be repetitive, but that is one of the best things about the team penning and rodeo world. No matter where you find yourself there is a friend and place to stay over with your horses. The invitation is two way.

Jodi Hill Hall of Fame Brochure

Hall of Fame Presentation for John May

John May was born on August 14, 1961 to Howard and Elaine May in Erie, PA on the family dairy farm milking cows and doing farm chores. At the age of five he became interested in horses and begged his parents for a pony. His great aunt sold ponies to put her kids through school and that’s where he purchased his first two ponies for ten dollars. Neither pony was broke, and as a five-year-old that was a fun challenge. Teaching himself and the ponies along the way is where it all began.

Throughout high school John had different horses and was quite the lady’s man so they say. During his school’s football games he’d ride to the school to give pony rides. John also pulled buggies and carriages with his team of horses and was a 4-H member showing everything from gaming to English.

Finishing high school at age 17, John left for the Oklahoma farrier college to become a blacksmith. When he returned home, he got in his old Hot Shot truck and started shoeing horses. John continued to help the family with the beef farm and traveled on the weekends to team pennings. A year later the Great Lakes Team Penning Association started, and John bought a 4-horse living quarters trailer. The person in his traveling group that had the nicest truck at the time would hook onto it, stuff five horses and ten people in it and hit the road.

John began training and giving riding lessons at age 21. At age 28 he found Team Penning. John was fortunate to know JR Attea from trail riding. One day JR called John and said, “We’re going team penning out west”. Little did John know how many miles, trucks and trailers he would eventually wear out. JR and John were the last two charter members of USTPA and got to ride with the best of the best like Bobby and Billy Atwood, Mike Varsant, Shelly Fitzgerald, David Hall, Jodi Hill, Larry Pancost, and many more. They even rode with the Lesh boys as early as when Jared was only 14.

In 1997 John married followed by two great kids Casey and Kristine. John has promoted USTPA shows in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, and several local associations shows as well. Casey plays soccer and the saxophone and is an Eagle Scout. Kristine grew up doing gymnastics and cheer and softball, but what she really loves are the horses. As a family the Mays have competed in USTPA and AQHA shows in almost every region, seen many beautiful places and made some lifelong friends.

John suffered a severe back injury in a Team Penning accident on May 7, 2018 that was life-changing. He is very thankful for all the support from his many friends and of course his family. John plans to be back Team Penning by 2020. Both of his kids will be graduating from college, and he hopes to get back riding with them and his many other great partners.

John has attended all but one USTPA Finals which was 2018 when he broke his back. He has served under all but one USTPA president and has been on the board of Executive Committee for 20+ years. USTPA has given John the opportunity to be an AQHA specialty judge along with the opportunity to go to Venezuela and Italy to give judging tests, clinics, and help others learn to promote shows.

In the 5th grade John wrote “ The Life Time of Cowboy John” with his goal of showing horses all over the United States. After showing in 3 foreign countries, John has won AQHA and USTPA World titles and numerous prizes, but the best part remains the memories and the friendships made along the way.

John May Hall of Fame Brochure

Hall of Fame Presentation for Donnie Wynne

Donnie Wynne owns and operates a Feed Store in Newcastle, OK where he was born. His parents farmed and had a Dairy and Beef Cattle Operation.

Donnie’s main job from a very early age was to gather the milk cows, pen them for milking and then ride through the beef cattle to check for problems. As soon as he would get out of school he would saddle up and ride, some say (his brothers) to get out of farming or milking. But his passion for riding and checking cattle continued to grow over the years.

He married his High School sweetheart Darline. She was by his side in all his endeavors, whether it was buying another load of cattle, training a race horse, and even team penning. She was actually the one who encouraged him to get started team penning. Donnie and some other men started a local club to promote and produce some Team Pennings.

As the sport continued to grow Darline is the one who encouraged him to travel and try it on a larger scale. So like a good husband he obeyed. He enjoyed penning no matter the size of the penning or where it was held. Donnie stated, “I was blessed to pen with the best”. Two of the top shows he won were the National Challenge and the AQHA World Championship. He won the Challenge 4 times, but it took longer to finally get the AQHA under his belt. He penned at the first AQHA World Championship Team Penning and qualified every year until he finally took the elusive Title in 2002.

After taking the world he started slowing down to spend more time at home with his family, and just like everything else he and Darline enjoyed that too. Now Donnie loves to spend time with his 4 grand- children and 7 great-grandchildren, while still running Wynne’s Feed and Seed, taking care of his horses, and checking his grandchildren’s herd.

Throughout all of his team penning adventures, horses, pickups, places, shows, wins or losses, the greatest of all was the camaraderie and friendships made along the way. Donnie would like to thank the USTPA for not only their recognition, but also their work for continuing a sport that has brought so much joy to so many.

Donnie Wynne Hall of Fame Brochure

Hall of Fame Presentation for Richard Dick Rosell

“Dick” Rosell Richard Arnold Rosell was born on October 5th, 1937 to parents Richard Julian and Viola Mae Rosell in Salamanca, NY.Dick grew up in Cattaraugus, NY on a dairy farm. He attended a 1 room school house and started driving a team of horses in 3rd grade. With the team, he hauled field crops and manure and logged timber with his father. As a teenager, Dick worked for neighbors farming and collecting syrup from the maple trees for $1 per day plus all he could eat.

At the age of 17 Dick joined the US Air force. He served in Korea, Okinawa and the United States. After being honorably discharged in 1958, Dick began working as an X-ray technician for Indus- trial X-ray Engineers in Woodbridge, NJ and Dallas, TX.

In 1960, work took him to Chester, PA, where he met the love of his life, Suzanne Waters. Dick and Sue dated for 3 months before they married. Dick began welding on the pipeline in New York City in 1964. Dick and Sue had their hands full raising 4 children which they did in Denville, NJ. Dick worked in New York City all week, played country music in various bands for over 17 years and drove the boys to hockey practice in the middle of the night on weekends.

The Rosell family underwent a huge change in lifestyle when Dick and Sue decided to buy their oldest daughter a horse for her 8th Grade graduation present. Dick saw the horse in the classified ads, and immediately bought her after she came running when he whistled for her. “Honey” came with a saddle and tack all for $800.

When Dick was 53 years old he showed a horse for the first time in AQHA Novice Amateur Western Pleasure. It was a catch ride and he won the class. The judge said his run was so smooth, he was Cadillac’n. Not long after, Dick came home with a horse that had more brands and barbwire scars than any horse the family had ever seen. Dick started team penning and his love of horses grew. Before long the girls had totally different horses and dad and the girls were all team penning together.

Dick helped organize the USTPA in 1993, served on the Board of Directors for many years and was the USTPA’s 3rd President. Dick was the promoter of the Virginia Team Penning Extravaganza and created the East Coast Team Penning Series. Dick notes that the best part of the USTPA has always been the people. He is thankful for the lifelong friendships that were created along the way.

Nowadays, Dick competes in the National Reined Cow Horse Association, along with his daughters. He was the oldest non-pro rider to compete at the Snaffle Bit Futurity in Reno, Nevada on a 3-year-old that he bred and raised at home. At 81 years old, Dick is one of the oldest Non-Pro competitors in the sport. But that doesn’t slow him down and he is looking forward to competing once again in Team Penning events.

Dick Rosell Hall of Fame Brochure