By Whitney Horton Planning a vacation? Possibly sun-bathing in Bermuda, where the pink sand offsets the turquoise water -- or did you want to travel north and hike the mountains of Colorado singing John Denver songs? How about working outside the Astrodome directing livestock trailers during a hail storm? Believe it or not, more than a few people choose the latter. They come from such states as Pennsylvania, Arizona and Louisiana. They pack into minivans, pickups and trailers, drive through the night or fly back and forth. Some are on a first-name basis with the airline attendants. Many tote laundry bags and a large supply of quarters. They are Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo volunteers who reside out of town, all with the same vacation agenda: work, work and more work. Guy Christen of Douglasville, Ga., leaves home at 5:30 p.m. and drives the 850 miles to Houston, arriving at 10:30 a.m. the next day. Since 1988, this BellSouth supervisor has spent his vacations working for the Corral Club At-Large Committee, helping to supply and restock products in the various clubs. "Texas is home and the Show has always been for the common good and has always made the largest [financial] contribution to education in the area," said Christen. Joining the Show's volunteer effort in 1972, Christen chose to continue long-distance when job opportunities arose in Georgia. He and his wife, Brenda, enjoy coming home for fellowship with the people they've met throughout the years. "We've been able to keep in touch through the rodeo. I don't plan to be in Georgia forever," he added. Parade Committee member Russell Judice comes out of the St. Martinville, La., sugar cane fields to volunteer before planting new crops in March. This year, Judice and other committee members distributed more than 100,000 American flags while directing people along the parade route. "The Show is a nice break after harvest. Everyone is one big family -- friendly and hardworking. It takes everyone out there to be successful. The Show is one of the best things that has ever happened to me besides my family. Nothing compares to it," said Judice. Another Louisianian, Joe Misuraco Jr., of Pearl River, has flown and driven back and forth from several states during his 17-year commitment to the Calf Scramble Committee. While growing up, Misuraco spent his summers in the country, where he raised quarter horses and was always interested in 4-H. Through business associates who are now friends, he began doing his part for the rodeo. Misuraco, who is in the food business, is impressed with the participants and says he keeps coming back for the kids. He finds watching the youngsters compete rewarding and gains satisfaction from being able to help. "Kids in agriculture and agribusiness keep Americans eating correctly," said Misuraco. For the past six years, Jan Brown, a supervisor for the Department of Public Safety in Austin, Texas, has devoted 20 vacation days a year to come to Houston, live out of a mobile home and volunteer for the Graphics and Signage Committee. Clocking more than 100 hours of work during the Show, Brown has fun and says she couldn't work with a better group of people. She said she enjoys seeing the youngsters' appreciative faces. "Instead of going on a cruise, I work and see friends once a year. It's like a reunion." Another former Houstonian and a Breeders Greeters Committee volunteer, Grant Erwin mixes business with pleasure during the rodeo. As a Show volunteer and regional account manager for a Dallas telephone business, Erwin exemplifies smart time management. He flies into Houston on Friday after work, meets customers who may be arriving from New York, California or Illinois, and then entertains them at the Show Friday night. On Saturday, he works a Breeders Greeters Committee shift. He then returns to entertain more customers Saturday evening and makes it to Fort Bend for the 6:30 a.m. lamb sift the next day. Exhausted but rejuvenated, he boards his flight home to Dallas for a week's work and then returns for a repeat of these events later in the week. "The people are great, it is a great community endeavor and a great way to entertain customers," said Erwin. Kathy Whitman, also of Dallas, has volunteered with the Corral Club - Press Club Committee for the past nine years. Whitman, who is in property management, organizes business meetings while in town during the Show. Working Saturday setup and every third Show, she hangs her hat in friends' homes or at hotels. "Having put two children through college, I believe in what the Show stands for. When in town, I try to work nonstop. We have a great group of people and the chairman is supportive. It is a great feeling to give back once a year," said Whitman.
As a former agricultural science teacher, Robert "Bobby Lee" Godeaux said he enjoys serving on the Calf Scramble Committee and being around the kids involved in the event. Currently a purchasing agent for Vidor Independent School District, he feels lucky to have a good staff, enabling him to take personal leave, and wonderful relatives to bunk with in Houston. "My wife comes in on the weekends. She brings the kids -- it is a family affair," said Godeaux. His experience with the calf scramble includes the perspectives of both a teacher and a volunteer. He knows firsthand the difference catching a calf can make in a student's life. "Recently, one of our kids was looking tired during the scramble; I shouted, 'Go get'em, boy.' His face lit up and he took off. It was great," said Godeaux. Funeral home owner and rancher Joel Levingston, from the Port Arthur/Port Neches area, relies on his wife to cover things like hiring extra people to work while he covers his Breeders Greeters Committee responsibilities during the Show. His children show quarter horses as well as ride and rope competitively. Levingston enjoys meeting and working with good people. "The kids make me get enthused," he said. Coming prepared is one of Levingston's trademarks. "One day I changed raincoats three times," he said. "I pack my truck with two or three coats and pairs of boots. You never know about the weather, and if you're not prepared, you could be looking at a miserable shift." So, about that sun-bathing in Bermuda and hiking in Colorado, Corral Club - Skybox Committee member and Dallasite H.C. Wallace said of his volunteering vacation, "It is about commitment to community and youth, and about giving your time." He also laughingly said, "It's what we enjoy doing -- maybe we're not real bright." One thing's for sure, the out of town volunteers' commitment and dedication to the Show is above and beyond the call to duty. |
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