SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 5

        A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Endorsing the induction of Howard Hunter, Sr. into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.

    WHEREAS, Howard Hunter Sr., one of nine children, was born February 4, 1951, to Aloysius and Ethelyn Hunter and raised on the Oglala Lakota Reservation of South Dakota; and

    WHEREAS, after his first rodeo at age eleven in Gordon, Nebraska, Howard was destined to become one of South Dakota's greatest rodeo cowboys; and

    WHEREAS, Hunter possessed the pure athleticism and determination to excel and win the all-around title and team trophy for Oglala Community School in 1969 as the school's only entry at the South Dakota state highschool finals; and

    WHEREAS, in 1971 he took the South Dakota Rodeo Association (SDRA) year-end all-around cowboy runner-up honors as well as the saddle bronc title at the SDRA Finals; and

    WHEREAS, in 1972 Howard's entry to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association was supported by the three-time world saddle bronc champion Shawn Davis and South Dakota rodeo cowboy and rancher Charlie Colombe; and

    WHEREAS, as a pro saddle bronc rider, Howard Hunter qualified for many prestigious events such as the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in 1976, 1979, and 1980; and

    WHEREAS, with extraordinary success Hunter won events at Cheyenne Frontier Days; the Denver Stock Show; San Antonio and El Paso, Texas Stock Shows; Phoenix, Arizona; North Platte and Burwell, Nebraska; Wyoming State Fair; Guymon, Oklahoma; Mississippi's Dixie National; Old Fort Smith Days; Ogden, Utah Pioneer Days; Ellensburg, Washington; and the Texas State Fair in Dallas; and

    WHEREAS, the five-time Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association Badlands circuit qualifier won two circuit championships in 1976 and 1982; and

    WHEREAS, Hunter captured eleven Great Plains Indian Rodeo Association saddle bronc championships on his way to fourteen qualifications to the Indian National Finals Rodeo where he claimed four world championships in 1980, 1987, 1988, and 1990; and

    WHEREAS, Hunter's rodeo career came to a tragic and sudden end, at age 44, when he fell with

a bucking horse at the 1995 Crow Fair Indian Rodeo, sustaining severe head injuries and confining him to a wheel chair for the rest of his life; and

    WHEREAS, Howard Hunter, Sr. passed away on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2015, at his Kyle, South Dakota ranch home, surrounded by his life-long rodeo fans, including his wife, Annie; his children, Howard, Jr. and Stacie; and his many relatives and friends; and

    WHEREAS, given his larger-than-life legacy, both in and out of the rodeo arena, the Oglala Lakota-descendant cowboy was inducted into the South Dakota Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Indian National Finals Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2012:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Senate of the Ninety-Second Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives concurring therein, the South Dakota Legislature heartily and without reservation endorses the induction of Howard Hunter, Sr. into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,  due to his talent, superb skill, and integrity, the induction of Howard Hunter Sr. into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame would honor a South Dakota Plains ranch lifestyle, a set of solid values, and a life well lived that are as relevant today as at any time in the history of our nation; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that through the nomination of Howard Hunter, Sr., the Selection Committee of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame has the opportunity to honor one of the most talented and deserving bronc riders that ever measured a bronc rein or nodded for a gate.

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Adopted by the Senate,

Concurred in by the House of Representatives,

Matt Michels President of the Senate	Kay Johnson Secretary of the Senate
G. Mark Mickelson Speaker of the House	Arlene Kvislen Chief Clerk of the House