March madness is over. We hope your team won. Around here the Angus always win.
In the middle of March Madness the South Carolina Angus Association scored a victory. On March 19th the 39th Carolina Angus Futurity banquet and meeting had a chance to honor special people in the association.
Charlie Cox from Cox Angus in Pelzer was honored as the SCAA dedicated the Carolina Angus Futurity to him. His granddaughter, Hannah Thompson Childress, introduced Charlie at the banquet. Steve McPhail presented Charlie with the Angus Bull trophy.
Then Walter Shealy, chairman of the SC Hall of Fame selection committee called up Dr. Walter Bishop. Dr. Bishop was chosen as the only inductee into the South Carolina Angus Hall of Fame for the year 2010. Walter Shealy introduced Dr. Bishop as a leader and breeder in the Angus business. A similar plaque to the one Dr. Bishop received will hang in the American Angus Hall of Fame in Smithville, Missouri. The remarks given by Dr. Bishop and Walter Shealy may be found at the end of this article.
Cory Watt gave a report on the South Carolina Junior Angus activities. Sally Yon, Miss American Angus 2010, gave a brief talk about her new job representing Angus at events all over the United States.
The new officers for the South Carolina Angus Association were introduced. Lewis Smith will preside as president for the next two years. Frankie Mullikin will take over as vice-chairman and chairman of the Futurity. Windy Bartee and Mike Johnson were re-elected secretary and treasurer. Neil McPhail and Bruce Stuart were elected to serve as directors. Neil is serving for a second term. The directors whose terms continue are Jesse Adkins, Ted Bourne, William Rushton, Charles Cox, Gene Pruitt, and Bubba Bamberg.
Dr. Larry Olson recognized the Angus breeders with the high-indexing bulls from the Clemson bull tests. Ted Bourne had the high-indexing Angus bull for the 2009 Edisto Bull Test.
Sac Alexander had the high-indexing senior Angus bull for the 2010 Clemson Bull Test. Billy McLeod from Black Crest Farm had the high-indexing junior Angus bull.
On Saturday, March 29th the 39th Carolina Angus Futurity Sale began at noon at the Clemson Cattle Complex. Jeremy Haag from the American Angus Hall of Fame was the sale manager. Mike Jones was the auctioneer. The ringmen were David Gazda, Alex Williams and Shirley Myers. Lewis Smith was the sales chairman. Thirty-seven lots brought a gross of $66,450.00 giving a sale average of $1,795.00. Stillwater Cattle Company sold the top open heifer for $1,800.00 Double B Farm sold the top bred heifer for $2,000.00. Riverhill Farm sold the top bred cow for $1,450.00. Yon Family Farms sold the top fall pair for $3,200.00. More details are available at www.angus.org under the sales reports.
A silent auction on the day of the Carolina Angus Futurity benefitted the South Carolina Juniors by raising over $3,700.00 dollars. The juniors use this fund raiser to help pay for the trips and shows they attend this summer. The first show is the South Carolina Junior Angus Preview Show on June 5, 2010 at Clemson’s Garrison Arena Cattle Complex. Cory Watt is the SCJAA president. He will be helped by the other officers and the advisors to plan the show. This year the judge, Kyle Gillooly, comes from Georgia.
In another March event the Sarratt Farm in Gaffney held a bull sale the week before the Futurity. On March 13. The report of those results are;
| Lots |
Gross |
Average |
| 3 Older Bulls |
$5,200.00 |
$1,733.00 |
| 30 Yrlg.Bulls |
$70,900.00 |
$2,363.00 |
| 33 Total Bulls |
$76,100.00 |
$2,306.00 |
| 33 Total Registered Live Lots |
$76,100.00 |
$2,306.00 |
| 13 Commerical Open Heifers (head) |
$11,700.00 |
$900.00 |
| 35 Commercial Bred Heifers (head) |
$40,025.00 |
$1,143.00 |
| 33 Reported Sale Total |
$76,100.00 |
$2,306.00 |
Our April showers will bring May flowers and the Cattlemen’s convention at the Madren Center, Clemson, SC on May 14-15. Come by the booth and help promote Angus cattle to those attending. Frankie Mullikin, vice-president of the SCAA will be in charge of the booth. Our new directories should be available if you do not have yours.
Our June and July should be filled with cow showing madness at the SC Preview show, The Eastern Regional and National Junior Angus Shows and topped off by the Beef Round-Up at Clemson. “Happy trails to you until we meet” …at one of them.
Walter Shealy’s induction of Dr. Walter Bishop into the 2010 SC Angus Hall of Fame on March 19, 2010 at Tucker’s Restaurant, Anderson, SC
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen…
This year the selection committee made up of Mrs. Evelyn Edmunds, Billy McLeod and yours truly has selected a truly outstanding and deserving individual to be inducted to the SCAA Hall of Fame. Dr. Walter Bishop has not only had an outstanding academic and medical career, he became over the years one of the most influential cattlemen in the history of SC Angus business.
DR. WALTER BISHOP’S academic success began when he graduated from Greenwood High School, where he was President of the student body. He subsequently graduated from Davidson College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He did his internship at Georgia Baptist Hospital in Atlanta, GA, and completed his residency at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
He served two years in the US Army. He is board certified in OBGYN. He began the practice of OBGYN in Greenwood, SC in 1969. In 2006 he moved to Abbeville, SC to be the chairman of the OBGYN Department at the new Abbeville Area Medical Center. In 2009 he returned to his OBGYN practice in Greenwood, SC.
He is a former member of the board of visitors of the Medical College of the University of South Carolina.
He has three grown sons. John, a SLED agent in Columbia, SC, Whitner, a lawyer in Spartanburg, SC, who is the father of his three grandchildren (a boy and two girls). His youngest son, Will, is a banker in Charlotte, NC working with RBC Centura.
Tonight he is accompanied at his table by his brother, Thurmond Bishop & his wife Lucia. And by his friend, Paul Trask – from another great cattle family from SC who raised Hereford cattle.
Dr. Bishop bred Angus cattle in SC for over 30 years before disbursing in 1992. He was a leader in our Association serving a term as our president. He hosted several field days and held two sales annually for a number of years.
He built much of his herd on the CRAIGIE base of genetics, which also is the basis of the famous Connealy herd today. He owned many great animals including the Denver Champion Premier Stardom.
I asked our friend Tom Burke to describe Dr. Bishop and he said, “he is a GREAT communicator with Angus people. To know him is to like him…”
We should all be so fortunate to have such a legacy.
Dr. Bishop, it is my honor to present to you this plaque commemorating your induction tonight into the SCAA Hall of Fame. It reads, “South Carolina Angus Association Hall of Fame is proud to induct Dr. Walter G. Bishop, Jr. in recognition of his career accomplishments March 19, 2010.”
Congratulations!
Dr. Walter Bishop’s acceptance speech, on being inducted into the South Carolina Angus Hall of Fame on March 19, 2010 at Tucker’s Restaurant, Anderson. SC
Ladies & Gentlemen:
I would like to sincerely thank you for the honor you have just given me. I am in the company tonight of what I believe to be the finest people in S.C. Most of you know, my father was from Inman S.C. He was one of thirteen children, whose family made their living working the farm. His mother made the children’s shoes, fed them fat back biscuits, country gravy and sweets and they all lived to be in their eighties. He developed late in his life arthritis, which made him have to crawl down the rows of his garden to pull the weeds.
When I was president of the SC Angus Association, I told the board of trustees I planned to visit every Angus cattle herd in SC. Unfortunately, my profession kept me from doing that. However, I got to know many of you because you bought cattle from me and I bought cattle from you. I even delivered some of your children, with Doris Blackmon coming from Tigerville to have Heather and Gene & Glenda Pruitt had a tiny premature boy that I could hold in one hand. He is a very big boy now and, I bet, could hold me in one hand.
In 1992, I hosted my last cattle sale. I was lost without owning a cow and one day Wayne Templeton called me to tell me about a beautiful heifer to be sold in the 2003 Carolina Futurity. I asked him to buy her for me. I was able to rent 2 acres of land and this heifer, which came from Mr. Walter Shealy’s Black Grove Farm in Newberry, SC, was probably the best animal I ever owned. When she calved, I actually called people to come and see her because she had a perfect long attached udder and small evenly placed teats. She had an udder like a Holstein heifer and she would make, as Tom Burke used to say, two tracks in the snow. Incidentally, no one has done as much for the Angus Breed in this country than Tom Burke and I miss seeing him today.
Black Grove Farm is having a production sale this fall. I much hope each of you can come to it because it is truly one of the most beautiful Angus farms in this state.
Try to keep your children on the farm, try to get them to carry out your dreams and continue to breed the best black cattle you can, I wish for you the best of luck and happiness in your life. God speed.
If you have news or $20 dues, please send them to SCAA, c/o Windy Bartee, 1717 St. Paul Church Road, Clover, SC 29710, tel: 803-222-7533, tumblet8@bellsouth.net. SCAA has a web site at www.scangus.org. Ads may be placed there for $50/month plus set up fees. Ads in the SCAA newsletter are $100.
