Bud Fitzpatrick is a cowboy. He’s been a cowboy since he was a button and never thought about doing anything else. He is 94 years old and weighs in at about 110 pounds. He calls Bandera, Texas, home and here is his story - - - - - -

Bud was born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1916 and was plagued with pneumonia. The doctor told his folks if they didn’t move him to a warmer climate he could die. Bud was nine years old when his parents, his two brothers and he, plus the family dog got in a Model T and headed south with all their belongings in a luggage rack tied on the running board. When they finally reached the Texas state line, the road was blocked with cattle. Cowboys were moving a herd from Louisiana into Texas. One of the cowboys, who Bud described as wearing a big hat and all the cowboy trimmings, asked him if he wanted to ride with him. Bud nodded yes and the cowboy pulled him out through the window of the car into the saddle with him. Bud remembered, “As I rode in that saddle, in front of him, and looked at all those cattle through the ears of that horse, I knew right then I never wanted to do anything else except be a cowboy.”

Bud did many cowboy jobs. He worked on dude ranches around Bandera, he worked for private ranches. He also followed the rodeo road for a time and competed in all the roughstock events, but favored bull riding the most. He joined the Cowboy’s Turtle Association, membership number 1114, and rode at some of the biggest rodeos of the day – Madison Square Garden in New York City, Boston Gardens, Minneapolis and Kissimmee, Florida. However the majority of his rodeo competitions were in and around Texas.

Bud remembered, “They gave lots of different things as prizes to the winners at most of the rodeos I rode in, like hats, boots and Levis, but at the Brady Texas Jubilee, held over the 3rd, 4th and 5th of July, 1941 they were giving a buckle to the winner of the Steer Riding. It was on display in the local hotel and all the guys wanted to win that buckle and so did I. I entered the bull riding and we had to ride three head, one each day. I rode my first bull, but on the second one we had a wreck. A loose bull got in to the arena and charged my bull, and knocked me off. When I fell I sprained my wrist. Oh, I knew I’d lost my chance to win, but that night I soaked my wrist real good and on the third day I did ride my last bull and won the buckle. I was so happy.”

Bud wore that prize buckle for years. In Bandera one day he met a gal named Mary, and she was sitting on a horse with a drink in her hand, the horse moved and she slid to the ground, never spilling a drop. Bud said, “That was it, I knew I’d marry that gal.” Three months later they did marry and in time had four children; Eileen, Kathy, Kevin and John. Bud became a farrier, and in time, he became a notable expert on horseshoeing race horses. This led the family to California for a few years, then to Arizona, and in time Bud had been shoeing racers at seventeen different tracks.

One particularly hot day, in 1970, at a race track at Sacramento, CA, caused Bud to take a little time between horseshoeing jobs to go in to the jockey’s area and take a shower to cool off. He left his clothes on a bench and when he returned from the shower his buckle was gone! Inquiring around the track didn’t turn up the buckle, and although he was disappointed, time passed. It was the only buckle Bud ever won and he was so proud of that buckle.

In time Bud retired and returned to live in Bandera. Most of his family were living there and Bandera, known as the Cowboy Capitol of the World, was where he wanted to be, among his peers.

Son, Kevin, became is professional trick roper and during his career has represented the State of Texas at International Chamber of Commerce events as far away as Germany. He has also won the National Texas Skip Contest awarded by the Wild West Arts Club, in Las Vegas, and the World Champion Trick Roper in 2008 at the National Cowboy Symposium at Lubbock, TX. Many other accolades have come his way and he is in constant demand. A few weeks ago he received a call from an antique dealer who phoned Kevin and said, “I have a buckle your father won.” In further conversation it was discovered someone had sold it to the dealer for the price of the silver in it. Unfortunately the antique dealer was hoping to ‘make a killing’ and offered it to Kevin for $4,000!!!! Kevin knew this was outrageous and contacted some friends who advised him to get an attorney. Local cowboy attorney, J. Gary Trichter, used his ‘big guns’ and eventually the antique dealer came to reasonable terms and Kevin got possession of the buckle.

Meanwhile, Bud was totally unaware of what has happened. Kevin invited his dad, Bud, and thirty friends and family to his ranch Saturday, November 20th, and over a few libations and food Kevin got his dad to telling stories of his cowboy days. Everyone listened and laughed to the 94 year old storyteller. In time Kevin asked Bud, “Dad, tell about the time you won the buckle at Brady.”

Bud relayed the history and when he told how it was stolen Kevin placed in front of him a large photograph of the buckle. “Did it look something like this, Dad,” Kevin asked. With dimmed eyes the senior Fitzpatrick scrutinized the photo. “Yes, it was a lot like that.” Then Kevin opened a black velvet box and brought out the buckle. “Is this your buckle, dad”, Kevin asked.

Bud held the buckle gently and looked at Kevin and said, “This is it! Where did you get this?” Everyone around the room was totally silent, not wanting to miss a word of what was being said. Kevin explained to Bud how it had been found and how so many of his friends had rallied to make sure the buckle was returned. It was evident Bud was overwhelmed. He looked at the silver buckle, which was small by today’s prize buckle standards, with the writing “Brady Texas Jubilee, Champion Steer Rider, Bud Fitzpatrick, July 3,4 & 5th, 1941” inscribed on it. They exchanged the prize buckle and the one Bud was wearing and as Bud stood in front of everyone he finally collected his thoughts and said, “I don’t know what to say to you guys. I guess you don’t have to be big to be popular. I sure have a lot of friends!”

On Saturday, November 20th, 2010, Bud Fitzpatrick was the biggest man in Bandera, Texas, Cowboy Capitol of the World, because he was wearing his Champion buckle, and was surrounded by his cowboy family and friends. Miracles do happen.

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By Gail Hughbanks-Woerner