Cowboy: a man, usually working on horseback, who herds and tends cattle on a ranch. This simple definition doesn’t do justice to the real meaning of a cowboy. A cowboy is a man who thinks in terms of consequences. He can be a loving husband, father, friend and neighbor.
A cowboy has a world of patience, whether it’s with a fresh calf he’s trying to graft on a cow that has lost hers, with a stubborn colt, with kids that are not sure where to be on a cattle drive, or with his wife while trying to open a gate. He takes the time to go and catch his horse to do a chore when he knows it would be faster and easier to jump on a four-wheeler.
A cowboy is a teacher. He not only trains his horse and cattle to drive, but instructs the young and inexperienced in the ways of ranching and life. For if he does not, who will pass this art and way of life on to the next generations?
A cowboy is as honest and sincere as the horse between his legs. Owning a horse and a saddle does not make a cowboy. First and foremost, he must be a man. George Smith was a giant among men.
George Smith was born and raised on a ranch south of Bassett, Nebraska. He ranched all his life with his wife Clarice, son Kent, and daughter Renae. He was not only a loving husband and father but a friend and teacher to all that knew him. If you took a vote from all the neighbors and people that knew George Smith, he would win this award hands down.
In this inaugural year of The Day of the Cowboy, George Smith deserves to be in the Cowboy Hall of Fame, for if you look up the true definition of a cowboy, you’ll find his picture.