[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 155 (Tuesday, September 18, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6220]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING PETE CLEMONS

 Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I would like to recognize the 
legacy of an extraordinary fourth generation Floridian and friend who 
passed away last weekend.
  Otis Odell ``Pete'' Clemons died on September 16, 2018, at the age of 
91. He was a well-known Florida cowboy. In fact, he won the Best All 
Around Cowboy honors at Silver Spurs Rodeo a record eight times. His 
rodeo skills inspired artist Buster Kenton to create a cartoon 
character named Cowboy Jake.
  Pete served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After 
the war, he attended the University of Florida and earned his 
bachelor's degree in 1950.
  He became the owner and operator of the Okeechobee Livestock Market. 
The market continues to operate today under the management of his two 
sons, Jeff and Todd Clemons.
  Notably, Pete is the only person to be inducted into the Florida 
Agriculture Hall of Fame and the Florida Sports Hall of Fame. In 2009, 
he received the Florida Folk Heritage Award in recognition of his 
successful rodeo career, as well as his contributions to the State's 
cattle-ranching community.
  Pete was a longtime member of the Okeechobee Cattlemen's Association 
and served as honorary director of the Florida Cattlemen's Association. 
He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church.
  I extend my deepest condolences to his family, particularly his wife 
Susanne and his children: Jeff Clemons and his wife Debbie and Todd 
Clemons and his wife Tina. Pete is also survived by his siblings, 
Billie Jean Reynolds and her husband Mark and Bud Clemons and his wife 
Kathy, as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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