[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 172 (Thursday, December 1, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S6660]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ROYCE PERRETT

 Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, this week, I have the distinct 
honor of recognizing Royce Perrett of Wibaux County, a true American 
cowboy, who will celebrate his 93rd birthday this weekend. While 
ranching has been his profession for most of his life, he is also a 
Navy veteran, a devoted husband of over 70 years, a father of three 
children, and a valued member of the ranching community between Sidney 
and Wibaux.
  Growing up in rural Nebraska, Mr. Perrett made do without many of the 
modern comforts we enjoy today: electricity, refrigeration, and modern 
transportation. When courting Nell Anderson, who would later become his 
wife, he traveled 10 miles by horse on the weekend to spend time with 
her, and on his way home Sunday night, he would sleep on his horse, 
waking up when the horse would stop to open gates.
  After WWII and his service in the Navy was completed, Mr. Perrett 
returned to doing what he loves: ranching. His pursuits took him and 
his family from the Sandhills of Nebraska, to Isabel, SD, and then in 
his early 60s, when most would be considering retirement, Mr. Perrett 
came to Montana to manage the Blue Mountain Ranch, a 13,000-acre ranch 
north of Wibaux. While Mr. Perrett has had to trade in his saddle for a 
seat in a side-by-side ATV in recent years, he still manages the Blue 
Mountain Ranch full time for Gartner-Denowh Angus Ranch and puts in 
long hours fixing fences, checking water, and watching over 500 cows 
that graze there in the summer and fall.
  When he isn't busy working, he enjoys collecting Western memorabilia 
and sharing his many stories about ranching, his life adventures, and 
his self-described greatest achievement: his marriage of over 70 years. 
As I found out recently when I stopped to visit Mr. Perrett, his door 
is always open to visitors and you had better be ready for a good 
conversation and history lesson if you stop by.

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