Old Cowhand 2026
2026 Honored Old Cowhand: Tracy Walker
Old Cowhand 2025
Earl Dean Smith from Cherokee OK
Earl is the son of Lee and Nadine (Mayberry) Smith, born July 20, 1953, in Coldwater, KS. Earl has eight siblings: Steve, Colleen, Shirley, Claira, Vernie, Billie, Alan and Ricky. Earl’s family lived on a Ranch in Belvedere, KS. for eight years. Moving to Greensburg and then to Haviland, he remembers getting to ride horses with his dad, Uncle Marin and older brother Steve. In the summer of 1963, they moved to Holcomb, KS where they got to work a lot of cattle at the Brooker & Jones Feedlot. Then December of that same year, they moved to Freedom, OK to be near his grandparents. He attended school at Freedom School and Centerview School, northwest of Freedom. Earl graduated High-school in Freedom the spring 1971, with the largest class that Freedom has ever had. Every summer Earl looked forward to working cattle alongside his Uncle Keith & Aunt Nellie Burnham and cousins Vic, Gene and Rose Burnham. Earl, along with his dad and brothers, also helped any neighbor that needed it: Wilbur and Edna Olson, Tom and Mable Schroeder, Scott and Virgil Cummings, Joe Frye, Jim and Margaret Woodard, and many others. “My dad was a true cowboy, and I looked up to him, I wanted to be just like him. Every chance I could get, I would follow him around everywhere, I really enjoyed that he would let me help work cattle, train horses and even build fence. And Oh Boy, did we build a lot of fences on the Verney Hackney Ranch, with Jim Hope and Otis Darr. I also liked helping Uncle Keith with the farming.” After high school graduation and after harvest, Earl moved to Alva OK and started working for Kenny and Rose Elmore. Checking wheat fields and pastures from Alva to Capron, Kiowa and Hardtner, riding Kennys ol’ stud horse named Reb. He also broke and trained horses while working for them. This is also around the time he meets Miss Rita Parsons. They started dating in 1971 and married January 4th, 1973. To this union, two daughters were born, Traci Lynn and Brandi Lea. Earl entered the military August 29, 1972. Basic training in St Louis, MS and was stationed in Lawton, OK. Ft Hood TX, and Hinesville GA. Mannheim, Hosenfeld, and Budding, Germany, and Korea, then finished at Ft Polk LA. He retired August 30, 1992, with 20 years of service, 6 Expert Shooter medals, several Letters of Recommendation, 2 Good Conduct medals, a Meritorious Service medal and was Mechanic of the Month twice. While stationed in Hinesville GA, Earl bought a mare “Docs Margarita” (sire was Doc Lusty Jack and mare was Spanish Hot Sauce) that he roped off for several years all over Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Louisianna. “I got to rope with Speed Williams in Florida, he is an 8-time world champion team roper, of course he was only in high school when I roped with him.”