[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 81 (Friday, June 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING JIGGS MANN, RANCHER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MAC THORNBERRY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 17, 2005

  Mr. THORNBERRY. Mr. Speaker, our nation includes many traditions and 
cultures which have influenced our history and our national character. 
In my area, none is stronger than ranching.
  Cowboy Roundup, USA, is an organization dedicated to preserving the 
Ranching Heritage of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle. It works to 
educate the public, ``in the spirit of our ranching ancestry and the 
lifestyle of the great American Cowboy.''
  Each year at the Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas, which this 
organization sponsors, an individual is named as ``Rancher of the 
Year,'' to recognize a lifetime of accomplishment. This year's 
recipient is W.C. ``Jiggs'' Mann, from my home county, Donley County, 
Texas.
  In thinking about ranchers, the stereotype characters from movies, 
books, songs, and stories will come to mind for many people. But I 
think that they would be more impressed to meet the real thing. Jiggs 
Mann is the real thing.
  Jiggs began working on the JA ranch as a schoolboy during the summers 
of World War II. He rode with the chuck wagon all summer as it moved 
from pasture to pasture on Texas' second largest ranch, sleeping on the 
ground and eating by campfire. After returning from serving his country 
in Korea in 1953, Jiggs went to work at the JA again and served as 
foreman of the ranch from 1959 until 1969. He leased part of the ranch, 
running his own cattle, and now runs cattle on his own property in 
Donley County.
  More than his decades of experience with land and cattle, Jiggs Mann 
was honored because of his character and integrity and because he is a 
shining example of what a rancher is and should be.
  A rancher, like others who make their living off of the land, is a 
risk taker. His whole year's work can be wiped out by weather, disease, 
or a tumble in the market.
  A rancher is independent and does not look for--or feel entitled to--
a hand-out from government or anyone else, but he will drop whatever he 
is doing, even at considerable sacrifice, to help out a neighbor.
  He is honest and straight talking; he has no need to beat-around-the-
bush. Mother Nature and the demands of making a living off the land do 
not allow it for one thing, but more importantly, he comes from a 
background where a man's word is still his honor. He tells it as he 
sees it. The strength of what he says is found not so much in the words 
used but in his integrity.
  He works hard--incredibly hard--from sun up until sun down and 
understands the value of a job well done, whether measured by the depth 
of his corner post or the number of hay bales stacked in the field. 
While some of the tools he uses have changed over the years, like steel 
post drivers or pick-ups with round bale haulers mounted on the back, 
others have not changed at all, like a good horse. He realizes that 
some things, however simple they may seem on the surface, will forever 
stand the test of time, and it is in those things that he puts his 
faith.
  A rancher has to respect nature and all of God's creation or he will 
not last long. From taking care of the land, which may have been in the 
family for generations, to helping a cow give birth, or nursing a new 
calf with a bottle, he understands the give and take that this life 
demands and the sacrifices necessary to maintain those things we 
cherish most, our families and our heritage.
  These are some of the qualities which this award recognizes. Jiggs 
Mann is not the only person I know with these qualities, but he is the 
``best of the breed.'' It is appropriate to honor him, and through him, 
this important part of our national character.

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