visit reaps good news for Oklahoma
Magazine
editor’s Will Rogers Days
visit reaps good news for Oklahoma
When the editor of award-winning American Cowboy left his office in Texas for a road trip through Oklahoma he knew he was headed for Will Rogers’ country. What he didn’t know was he would be riding in the Will Rogers Days Parade.
Jesse Mullins Jr., a graduate of Oklahoma State University and 12-year editor of the colorful, slick finish magazine embodying the spirit of the American West, features Will Rogers and Claremore in the January-February issue on newsstands now.
In his regular column, “Reports from the Road,” Mullins writes of rodeo editor Kendra Santros trek to Las Vegas and the National Finals rodeo — winning the PRCA annual award for “Best Print in Journalism,” this first issue of the new year and his encounters through Texas and Oklahoma — ending with a view from the overlook of the Dog Iron Ranch, birthplace of Will Rogers.
His visit resulted in mention in the Great Western Events section of the Will Rogers Wild West International Expo scheduled to return to Claremore April 20-22 and the Museum’s address and hours.
It is in Mullins’ story “State of Grace” he finds the Great American West alive in Oklahoma from the Texas border through Lawton, Anadarko and Oklahoma City and on Route 66 through Arcadia and Tulsa to Claremore.
His final Oklahoma destination was Claremore, where he intended to be on Nov. 5, a day known for it’s devotion to Will Rogers — and a parade held that weekend of Will’s birthday anniversary.
What Mullins didn’t know is that he would be whisked into a convertible and placed in a spot of prominence in the parade with politicians, Indians, clubs, bands, horses, music legend Roy Clark, Wild West Arts Club western arena arts specialists and members of Will Rogers family.
He writes of seeing the Davis Gun Museum and Patti Page Boulevard (his father knew the Singing rage and her family), his tour of the Will Rogers Museum and birthplace with Joe and Michelle Lefebvre-Carter, meeting former Today Show host and now chairman and the Will Rogers Memorial Commission Jim Hartz and Will Rogers’s grandsons’ Kem and Chuck.
What was really great for Claremore about Mullins’ visit is that he didn’t get enough of Will Rogers and announced — in the March-April issue American Cowboy will begin a three-part series retelling the story about Will Rogers, a great American Cowboy.
Mullins is putting Will’s production of “The Roping Fool” on American Cowboy’s website. The series will refer to the film.
“I really want people to know who he was. His presence on screen, in the movies, adds to the written word. Young people need to know Will Rogers,” he said.
The January-February issue of American Cowboy is available at newsstands and in the Will Rogers Museums Gift Shop. It is $4.99 per copy. The March-April issue will hit newsstands March 7.