Almost 100,000 visitors attend the Show each day, enjoying the many commercial and animal exhibits, and eating everything from cotton candy to turkey legs, and searching for animals, more food and each other. Calmly standing among the crowd, wearing turquoise vests and friendly faces are the official “hosts” of the Show: members of the Directions and Assistance Committee.
Rodeo is a celebration—a grandscale spectacle of cowboy skills fused with the pageantry and romance of our Western heritage. And every single one of these opens with a parade.
When you walk the grounds of the livestock show this year, take a good look at the thousands of kids and cattle that fill the Astrohall. Did you ever wonder how each steer, each exhibitor and all the equipment gets into the right place at the right time? Ask any member of the Livestock Committee and they can tell you exactly how—through lots of work and organization.
What began as an idea for continued service to the Show based on leadership experience has grown to become one of the Show’s greatest assets—the Lifetime Vice Presidents Committee. This committee also holds the distinction of being the most exclusive in its make-up; only former officers of the Show are eligible to serve.
He doesn’t look like Superman, but he must have special powers. How else could one person serve as vice president of patient care at the enormous M.D. Anderson Hospital, while at the same time, assume ultimate responsibility for all aspects of the Show as its president. Yet, while blending professional and community involvement at the highest levels of service, Joseph T. “Dr. Joe” Ainsworth remains an extremely congenial and easy-going man who identifies himself as much a horseman as a community leader.
Letters and comments should be sent to:
Marketing and Public Relations Division,
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™
P.O. Box 20070
Houston, Texas 77225-0070
