This is always an exciting issue of the magazine -- we get a chance to see the bottom-line results of all of our hard work as volunteers and as members of this community. It's obvious once again that nothing can stop the people in this city from supporting a good time and a great cause.

The financial results from the 1997 Show are impressive and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo once again had record revenues.

However, there are some numbers I'd also like to share with you that aren't in the annual financial report. This year, from February to July, the Show awarded 385 new scholarships. That statistic, in human terms, means that in a couple of weeks, 385 young men and women will be walking across Texas college campuses as freshmen because of our Show.

There also are many opportunities and challenges represented by these numbers. Every year, this event draws more than 300,000 people just to the rodeo that have never been to our Show before, or attended so long ago that it's a totally new event. We have to keep enticing and entertaining new audiences without losing our longtime supporters. We also have to keep working to diversify our audience to even better represent the ethnic and cultural make-up of our community. We need to retain our rural roots but keep our Show entertaining for our urban audience. It is an exciting time to be a volunteer for this organization.

And our volunteers comprise one of the most impressive numbers of all -- there are nearly 12,000 committee members that help make all these accomplishments possible. The record revenues are a direct reflection of tireless effort and hard work year round by the greatest volunteer organization in the world.

Of course, we also owe much of our success to the fans who purchased tickets, our sponsors and our many supporters in the community.

As we look back on 1997, I want to say a special thanks to all our volunteers, many of whom are already working on the 1998 event. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to represent all of you as president of the Show. My first year was a tremendous learning experience and I look forward to the challenges and opportunities of the 1998 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.