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Gene and Wilma
Buffaloe and the IRBBA Memorial Scholarship
Edward Eugene
"Gene" Buffaloe
1920 - 1991
Gene Buffaloe was born in
Terrell, Texas on July 8, 1920. He was the oldest son of
William Edward "Ed" and Leona Hargrove Buffaloe.
Gene had 3 brothers and 2 sisters. The Buffaloe Family was
originally from Palacios and "Grandpa and Grandma
Buffaloe" are buried in the Palacios cemetery near their
sons W. E. "Ed" and Frank.
Ed lived with his family on
Turtle Bay and farmed. When family reunions were held, the
brothers and sisters joked about having to walk 5 miles
in the snow to catch the bus to go to school. Of course there
was no snow in Palacios, Texas. Gene attended Palacios High
School and graduated in 1938. After graduation, he attended
Victoria College where he first met Wilma Gullett. Gene went
to Texas A&M College where he studied Mechanical
Engineering.
In 1942, Gene volunteered
to join the US Army Air Corps. He was a corporal and served as
the only enlisted man on General Twining's Staff. Gene
remarked that the reason that he got such an important position was
because he could type. In the 1950's, General Twining served
as President Eisenhower's Chairman of the Joint Chief's of
Staff, the highest ranking Military commander in the US. Gene
was particularly proud of his service for General
Twining.
Gene served in Italy in
World War II. He had a close friend, Ben Turner, who served with
him. Ben was an artist. Gene carried a picture of
Old Bob, his hunting dog, in his wallet during the war. Ben
painted a watercolor picture of Old Bob from the photo while
they were Italy. Gene
rolled the picture and put it in his knapsack when he returned
from Italy. The picture hangs at our home today. Gene also
brought home a gift for his mother and a Patek Feilpe watch.
Times got hard later and he had to sell the watch.
Gene told only one
story about the war. He had an accident in Switzerland and cut
the tendon to his right index finger. When they sewed the
tendon together, he was unable to straighten out his finger. He joked
that his war wound generated a disability payment from the government
each month and over time the payment increased
regularly.
After returning from the
war, Gene was a rice drying equipment salesman for
Gustafson and a salesman for Caterpillar. In about 1948, Kay
Conlee, Wilma's cousin, saw Gene in Bay City and he asked
about Wilma. Kay got them together and on June 3, 1949 Gene
and Wilma were married. They lived in Beaumont and played golf
for recreation. It was in Beaumont that Wilma decided that the
picture of Old Bob needed framing. She took it to have it
framed; however, it cost too much in it's original size and she
had it cut down. During framing, Ben Turner's signature was
removed. Later that was a costly mistake. In the 1950's and 60's, Ben went on to become a
famous and outstanding western artist.
Gene and a wartime buddy
went into the Ferguson Tractor business in about 1950 in
Houston. They opened their business on Airline Road. Gene was
the salesman and the buddy was the mechanic. Sales boomed
and the business flourished. Gene and Wilma lived in an
apartment above the tractor dealership.
Gene and Wilma had only one
child. Bruce was born on August
10, 1952 at Herman Hospital. He was delivered with the cord
around his neck and almost did not arrive successfully. He
arrived at 6:43 PM at a 7 lbs 5 1/2 ounces.
In late 1952, Gene and
Wilma decided to go to Colorado with Wilma's Uncle Glen and
Aunt Jewel. The trip was an extended affair lasting over a month.
When Gene returned, his buddy the mechanic, had alienated the
customers in the tractor business. The business failed and Gene and Wilma moved to
Nursery, to the ranch, to live with her parents. Gene said that
they arrived in Victoria with a '49 Dodge, Bruce, and $45.
Shortly after that, the Dodge got a flat place in the
crankshaft and broke down. Gene never bought another Dodge or
Chrysler product after that.
Gene went on the road
selling equipment for about a year and while in Alabama he
bought an azalea bush and brought it back to his mother in
law, Berith. The azalea bush is still planted beside the front
porch at the ranch house.
In 1954, Gene went to work
as an Allstate agent in Victoria. He completed his career
working for Allstate and retired in 1984.
In 1964, Berith Robinson
Gullett passed away and Gene and Wilma bought the ranch from
the heirs to the Robinson Estate. He and Wilma raised
Hereford, Angus and Brahman cross cattle. In 1976, Gene
introduced the first Red Brangus bulls to the herd. These were
acquired from Franklin Flato in Berclair, Texas. Gene also acquired
some Brangus females from a breeder in Goliad, but they did not
develop into the kind of cattle he liked; so he culled
them.
In the 1970's, Gene and his
friend, Les Eubanks, decided to go into the oil and gas
business and drill wells. Gene was the lease hound and
Les worked up the prospects and sold the interest in the
wells. The first well was drilled on Stanley Green's Ranch
west of Beeville. The well produced gas and oil on the test but
later played out before production was established. They
drilled some more wells, but all were dry holes.
Gene decided that he would
get in the oilfield service business and dig pits with a
dozer. He started with a 1952 D4 with a bucket. That dozer
was very slow and was a man killer to operate. In 1981, he bought a new
Cat D5B with a tilt blade and a winch. It cost about $90,000.
Within a year of operation the oil and gas business in the US
went into the recession of 1982 and did not pull out until 20
years later. The dozer business went south along with the
economy in 1982.
Gene was plagued with bad
arteries and received four open heart surgeries. On the
morning of his last surgery, he told Bruce to take care of his
Mother, Wilma, and that there was plenty of money to do that.
He also said that he had done everything in his life that he
had wanted to do and that if things did not come out ok with
his surgery that he was happy with his life. The last thing he
told Bruce to do was to put 4 new rear tires on the
International 1486 Tractor because they were worn out. Bruce
did that 14 years later when he kept having flat tires
and the rubber was falling off. Gene also gave Bruce a
list of chores to accomplish while he was in the hospital.
Bruce accomplished those chores right away.
Gene was loved by his
family and friends and well respected as an honest man in the
community. He would only sell a customer the insurance that he
needed to cover his risks. Gene's brother in law, Charles
Gullett, said that there was never a better man alive than Gene
Buffaloe. Bruce knew this to be true as he had asked his father to be the best man
in his wedding.
Berith
Wilma Gullett Buffaloe
1922
- 2008
Wilma Gullett Buffaloe was born November
7, 1922. She flew
with angels to live with our Lord God and Jesus on March 16,
2008 and she is now walking and talking with him in the
garden. Wilma is preceded in her walk in the garden by her
father, William Charles Gullett, Sr., her mother, Berith Robinson
Gullett and her loving husband Edward Eugene “Gene”
Buffaloe. Wilma’s brother, Charles and his sister-in-law
Joyce are residents of Austin, Texas. She has brothers and
sisters in law, Jack and Marion Buffaloe of
Corpus Christi, Ken Buffaloe of
Canton,
Texas, and Irene Buffaloe of Houston. She is preceded by brothers and sisters-in-law Glen
Buffaloe, Genie Buffaloe, Erwin and Lanita Skalicky and
Clyde
and Murdell Batchelor. Wilma has many cousins, nieces and
nephews.
She was a loving and proud mother to her
son, Bruce and her daughter-in-love, Nancy from Friendswood,
Texas. Bruce proclaims that no man could have a better mother and
confidant than his mother, Wilma. She was a loving and proud
grandmother to her granddaughters Lissa and Tracee Buffaloe
and Tracee’s fiancé, Vincent Price. She was a proud and
loving Grandmother to her grandsons Shane and Ryan Wiegand and
their families.
She will be especially missed by her
special friend, Ella Scholermer who called and talked to her
every day. She held her doctors in her highest esteem and
considered Dr. Larry Riedel a great friend. Her friends, Pat
and Roland Grote gave her love and support in her later years.
Wilma grew up in Texas
and moved to several towns with her parents. Bill Gullett, her
father, worked in the
oilfield for the Humble Company. She graduated from
Patti
Welder
High School
in Victoria. Wilma attended and received her Bachelor of Science
degree
in Education from Texas
A&I University. She was particularly proud that she had
passed college physics. When Texas
A&I became part of the A&M system, Wilma proclaimed
herself to be an honorary Aggie. Wilma worked as an accountant
in Houston
after her graduation from college and after 7 years she became
a teacher. She taught 1st through 3rd
grades for over 25 years in
Victoria
and Bloomington. Wilma worked in her husband Gene’s insurance office until
their retirement in 1984.
Wilma was quite proud of her background
in education. She pioneered the use of motor skill development
in teaching children. Wilma and her close friend, Vee Swanson,
traveled throughout Texas
in the late 1960s instructing other teachers on motor skill
development techniques and its importance to the learning
process in children. Wilma had a special touch and blessing in
the classroom. She always knew what would be best for each
child. She made learning fun and always tried to make her
classroom a positive place. She even allowed classroom pets!
Wilma was active in many local and
national organizations. She was a member of the Texas
Classroom Teachers Association and served on the Board of
Directors of the organization for many years. For 42 years she was a member and past president of Delta Kappa
Gamma, an honorary teacher’s society. She was a past
president of Courier Belle and a member of the Morning Study
Club.
Upon her husband Gene’s death, she and
her son Bruce developed a world class Red Brangus operation at
their ranch at Nursery, Texas. She was particularly proud of her heritage in the cattle
business, she and her son’s successes, and her partnership
with Don Cox in several champion Red Brangus bulls.
She was the oldest active member of the International
Red Brangus Breeders Association, a member of the
International Brangus Breeders Association and American Red
Brangus Breeders Association. She was a member of the
Independent Cattleman’s Association and the Texas
Cattlewomen’s Association.
Her family is deeply appreciative of her
caregivers Gloria Cook and the Staff at Hearthstone. In her
last few months she lived at Hearthstone and she adopted
several “grandchildren” in the staff there. The staff of Detar
Hospital
continually supported her. She had total confidence in their
care.
Wilma had an outgoing and dynamic
personality. She will be missed by her circle of teacher
friends. When she was ill in Detar
Hospital,
she told her son Bruce, that “When the time comes for us to
part for me to be with the Lord, it will be all right. We have
had a good run together and I love you.” Wilma was a devout
Christian and placed her soul in God’s care.
Wilma was a very good mother; she told
stories from when Bruce was little that she was afraid someone
might kidnap him because he was such a “good looking”
little boy. She would dress him up in a suite from Melvin’s
and say he looked like a little prince. Wilma’s mothering
nature poured beyond her own child. When living in an
apartment in
Bay City, her neighbor was a very young mother. Wilma taught her to take
care of her new born baby; in November 2007 this woman found
Wilma at Hearthstone and came to express her appreciation of
Wilma’s care and concern for her child.
Tracee and Lissa were her pride and joy
she taught them many life lessons that only a grandmother
could do. She called Lissa her China Doll. She gave both girls
$20 for their wallet when they got older and said, “Save it
for a rainy day, you just never know when you’re going to
need it for a cab ride.” She told them, “Always take time
to smells the Roses." She wanted each of you ladies to have
a flower today.
Visiting grandma's house was always fun;
she washed our hair in the kitchen sink, ran over-flowing
bubble baths in the bubble tub, and served pancakes with a
“phffst” of whipped cream on top for breakfast. Lissa
especially loved when grandma french braided her hair. Both
girls loved the pink satin down comforter at grandma’s
house, she always said, “I guess we’ll have to cut it in
half and send each of you a half to college.”
Wilma always took time to teach her
grandkids too. One great memory was when she taught them to
make biscuits on the kitchen bar. She always let them cut the
biscuits out into shapes. She felt teaching them to be
Southern Bells was very important in their future upbringing.
She insisted that they use their manners and use the proper
silverware too.
Wilma was a true friend to many and a
loving Mother and Grandmother. We all will miss her shining
face and generosity. Wilma never met a person who she did not
like and she immediately made acquaintances a friend. This
note was written with love by her son Bruce and granddaughters
Lissa and Tracee Buffaloe.
IRBBA Memorial
Scholarship
The IRBBA Scholarship was originally
started as a tribute to Jim Hunt, the first president of the
IRBBA, a founder of the Association and the only recipient of
the IRBBA Lifetime Achievement Award. Scholarship funds were
collected at every IRBBA event and the CX Advantage Sale. After
Wilma Buffaloe passed away, a second scholarship was
established in Wilma's name. The scholarship was funded by
Buffaloe Cattle Company, and several other breeders who knew
and respected Wilma, The initial contributions were made by:
Triangle K Farms, Dennis Kmiec
Cox Excalibur, Don Cox and Family
Buffaloe Cattle Co., Bruce Buffaloe and
Family
OB Ranch, Marcos Borges and Family
Stofa Rosa Ranch, Rhumina and Jimmy
Stofa
TRIO Cattle and Genetics
J7 Ranch, Don Jobes
BKC Cattle Co., Kelly and Stacey
Costello
Hidden Oak Ranch, John Liechty
Gary Markham of Rancho de Trabajo made a significant contribution
in Wilma's name.
In the Spring of 2008, Tracee Buffaloe
decided that she would become involved in Education through
the IRBBA Scholarship Committee. She was prompted to do so
after the death of her grandmother, Wilma. Wilma was a
retired teacher and Tracee had always wanted to be a teacher;
however, she was a cost engineer instead.
The IRBBA Board of Directors, with
approval from Linda Hunt and the Buffaloe Family, merged the
funds to create the IRBBA Memorial Scholarship. Allen Goode
volunteered to chair the Scholarship Committee in 2008 and began
a successful fund raising campaign. Members of his committee
included Tracee, Rhumina Stofa, Kay Gibson and Annie Viator. They
developed an application and solicited graduating high school
seniors who had an interest in Red
Brangus.
In May 2009, the first scholarships were
awarded to two highly qualified candidates at the 2009 IRBBA
Annual Meeting. The scholarship recipients were Katy Knox and
Benjamin Wishert, who both are to attend Texas A&M. Marcos Borges opened the
scholarship presentation and Bruce Buffaloe outlined the accomplishments
and leadership that Jim Hunt had contributed to the IRBBA. In
addition, Bruce advised the attendees that Jim Hunt had played
a significant role in helping to develop the Buffaloe's
herd. Jim had sold his best 1/2 blood cattle to the
Buffaloes after spending over 20 years developing that set of
1/2 bloods. Bruce also provided information about Wilma
Buffaloe and her passion for Education and for raising Red
Brangus Cattle. At the time of her death, at age 85, Wilma was
the oldest active member of the Association, made decisions
about which bulls to purchase, and had purchased a heifer in
the CX Advantage Sale in the fall of 2007.
After the scholarships were awarded,
Allen recommended that Tracee take his position as Chairman of
the IRBBA Memorial Scholarship Committee. Tracee serves in
that capacity now. Find below, a picture of the
presentation of the first IRBBA Memorial Scholarship.
The 2009 IRBBA Memorial
Scholarship Committee. Left to right: Allen Goode, IRBBA
Board Member and 2008-9 Committee Chairman, Tracee Buffaloe
Price, Benjamin Wishert and Katy Knox (Scholarship
Recipients), Kay Gibson, Rhumina Stofa, IRBBA Board Member,
Annie Viator and Marcos
Borges, President of the IRBBA
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