Please read and share! Chris' Story
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Show Heifer
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I am not on facebook.... so can't read it. Could someone copy and paste please?
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A 10 year member, Chris Cummings, lost his 4 year battle with cancer on June 29th. Our fair started on the 18th of July. Chris shows cattle but is particularly fond of Herefords. He had a Chianina steer, Hereford steer and Hereford heifer for this years fair. He lived this battle with an amount of courage I cannot fathom and a smile on his face. He lived to show. It was his love and his passion. Always grinning, he accepted little help and was very proud of his stock. He knew his Hereford steer Homer was a good one. He just didn't know he was that good. With his passing, his family asked to be able to show them at the fair. There were a few that didn't think it was fair. Seemed they thought he would take money from other kids pockets if his animals did well in the auction. That dissention in the ranks was a good thing as you will see later. So his calves came and Sarah Ambers, whose dad Dave helps organize the buyers group for Chris at the auction, led the herfs and our son Brandon Ames was asked to show the Chi steer. We were so honored. The calves arrived on Sunday the 18th. This was Chris' birthday. He would have been 19. What do you say to a parent that tells you after he got the calves settled, they went to the cemetery to see their son?
So the week began. Wednesday the 21st was show day for the beef. I tried to think of a way we could show our support for Chris and the other people lost to the 4-H community this year. I came up with us wearing a small purple ribbon to remember the champions not with us this year. I put the basket out at about 5 in the morning and hoped it would be empty at the end of the day. I was not disappointed. Tom Sr., his dad, with the help of his aunt, brother Tom Jr., fitter Justin got the calves ready for the show. Now we are a tough fair. Champions at the state fair are common in our county. It is big time tough. Heifers start the day and Chris' stood Res Champion in it's division. Beat our heifer and that was just fine. Next was the Chi steer. My son, Brandon was at the end of the lead. He did a great job but the steer was just not free enough in his movement. He stood last but that's ok and you will see why later. As a mother, tears ran and my heart ached as it should not have been my boy at the end of that lead. Just plain wasn't fair. The next division was the Herefords Sarah proudly strutted Homer into the ring. At over 1400 pounds, he is quite the dude. Know when that great animal comes into the pen? The kind that makes everyone stop and stare? That is Homer. Massive and sound, he commanded the class and we stood a second to him. And that was just fine, too. Homer ended up winning the Hereford steer division and we were reserve. There was no getting around this bad boy. He had stood 3rd 2 weeks before at the Hereford Jr. Nationals. We were tickled he would be in the Grand Drive. The beef committee decided since Chris loved the herfs so much, there would be a traveling trophy for the Champion Hereford steer and Chris Cummings will be the first name on it. Just couldn't have worked out any better.
As the Grand Drive approached, the stands really filled. I was hoping when the judge made comments about Homer,"...that this is the kind of animal I will be looking for all day" that he had a shot at the big prize. As he evaluated the steers before him, he called out the Crossbred, the Simmental and the Herford as being in contention. He ended up picking the Cross. He was a very nice steer and deserved the win. As he picked up the microphone to give his reasons for the Reserve, he looked upon Homer and said he had preached structure and soundness all day so when Homer's fetlock popped slightly, he couldn't let him win Grand but he sure could put him in Reserve. The place erupted with applause and the family was so surprised and happy. Couldn't have been any better. For a Hereford to stand in the Res. Champion pen is no small feat but he certainly deserved to be there.
So the show ended with many hugs, well wishes and tears. News channels and local papers interviewed all involved. I cannot imagine the range of emotion this family went through that day. Homer was moved into his special pen and has graciously allowed even the smallest of hands to scratch him. It is fun to watch the people stop and stare at him. I wonder if they get it? Did they know Chris? Have they read the papers and wanted to see this animal? Are they going to go home tonight and wrap their arms around their children and remember they are a gift? I hope so. Chris' passing makes you wonder why he went home so early and endured so much. He did it all with a smile, too. As I was told, the last day or so he was struggling to stay with his family, that smile faded. When he passed, his family stayed with him and after about 10 minutes, his face relaxed into that familiar grin. His family knew he was pain free and home.
I was approached by Tom later on show day. He wanted my opinion on something. I did tell him he would get it from me with both barrels and he said that was just what he was looking for. He asked me if I thought that steer should got the State Fair and if I thought that people would think the family was milking the situation? I looked at this tall gentle man and told him "yes" and "yes". I then asked him how thick his skin was. He smiled at me and said he knew what was being said by a small few about them coming to the fair and then told me "they can kiss my ass" and that they were finishing what Chris started. It made me laugh and after asking my husband Mike the same question to which he replied, "hell yes", so it looks like Homer is headed to state!
Now we knew some people thought they might be taking money out of other 4Her's pocket should they get a phenomenal amount of money at auction. After all, 48,000 dollars had been raised over the last 4 auctions in support of Chris. How can a value be placed on a child’s dream and their life? My sisters, Julie Harnish and Jill Stevens got wind of this. To say we were a little, um, mad would be an understatement. My dad calls us the "Campbell Girls". Jill's 7 year old son, Jaidan, is already a World Champion. Jaidan opened his wallet and gave Dave $10.00. Even a 7 year old boy gets what is going on here. I make custom show clothes and we show cutters. Julie has a stallion she stands with her Husband, Brent. Brent judges around the county and we know lots of kind and caring horse people. Well through the power of the internet, word got out about Chris' story. Facebook and Pleasure Horse Forum were tapped. A pay pal address was posted and the donations and pledges started coming in. We had about 48 hours to see how much we could add to the till. And add we did. There were people we knew and did not know sending money. We covered about 15 states and even Canada. Chris' story was on SteerPlanet as well and Dave got money from all over also. Did we pick pockets? You"re damn right we did! And we were able to raise a little over $4000.00 to add to Dave's amount. Dave was so excited. He kept coming to tell me the new total. Only that total kept growing. When we were close to the 20K mark about and hour before the steer would sell, we all started texting and I hit the other barns to call in a few favors. And we made the 20K mark and then some.
Help does come in all sizes. Us barn friends were enjoying sitting out under the tree in front of the beef barn. Jill, Mike, Jaidan, myself, Bailey Rist and her dad, Mike Rist were going over the day and like each night, trying to figure out what we were going to eat! Jill knows some of the vendors since she is the secretary of the fair in St Joe County. I was being told by Jill to go over to the “taco guy” in the morning and get his donation. Bailey piped up and said she’d go now. She got her friend Jenelle Rehlander and with Jaidan in tow, hit the food stands. They were persistent! They came back the first time with a small wad of bills They deposited the money to me and off they went. This time, they were even more successful! Jaidan came running up telling us “we got a hundred, we got a hundred”. Burek Farms gave a nice 100 dollar bill. Poor Bailey. This reduced her to tears. I held her and told her it was such a good thing she was doing and “you go girl!” They made another pass and in the end raised about 450 dollars. So no effort was too small.
I find it interesting how lives intertwine. Julie's friend, Shawn McDaniel, had been trying to get a hold of me to donate. I was on the way to the fair Friday when we finally reached each other. He was now in Ohio but had grown up in Indiana. We started talking cattle. He said he had a friend, Bruce Everhart, that had just been the chairman of the Hereford Jr Nationals held July 4-10, 2010 in Indianapolis and how a tribute to Chris was
Just the neatest thing and I started to chuckle a bit as I told him the last time a Hereford had stood in a champion pen, it was ours. Brandon's heifer had won Supreme Heifer and that heifer was bred and purchased from Bruce in 2005. How's that for overlapping worlds!?!
Friday is sale day. Since Homer is going to state, it was the Chi steer that would sell. Sarah and Brandon led the steer in. Now with the steer being last in his class, he was at the bottom of the sale. This is usually the time the stands are clear and there are very few buyers left. Not today! The stands were full and Dave asked the beef kids to bid to run the steer up. As Jim Lestinsky started to call, the bids jumped by $500.00 each time. Jim's voiced carried the excitement that was going on around us. As my eyes welled with tears, I then realized it was raining. Soft beautiful rain. The kids kept waving bids. Like they were waving to an old friend. I could see Chris' mom, dad and brother stare in disbelief as the bids just kept climbing. When the gavel fell, Jim announced a final bid of $21,250.00. The crowd stood in ovation as the family held onto each other. Tom Sr tried to speak but was overcome with emotion. Chris' mom, Carol, took the microphone but just said "...I don't know what to say". As the buyers names were read, the rain continued to fall. As the last name was announced, the skis showed blue. We all knew Chris had shed his happy tears upon us. Again there were reporters trying to get interviews and pictures. I went and waited for them to walk the steer back to the barn. I shared a moment with Tom Sr. As I looked up into this father's eyes, I saw the first tears I had seen of his loss and his gratitude. I told him a son like Chris comes from a family with faith and love to share. I learned this lesson this week. I told him "it's still not enough" as he told me he would give anything to have just 1 more hour with his boy. He gave me a bear hug and he told me he wanted another Hereford next year in that same pen. I told him I would see what we could do. I told Tom Jr and Carol the same thing. Kids like this are a product of their families.
This is the last night of the fair. State Fair is on the horizon. I am excited as I will be down there with some friends. I can't wait to see Homer strut his stuff in the coliseum. I know he is going to make quite the impression on everyone. As for after that, I know I will miss that sweet boy. He owns a piece of my heart. I will miss that little grin of his at the sales and shows he loved so much. I hope we can all remember the courage he had for the battle he fought and the passion and love he had for his family and his cattle. He showed me and I hope many others, there is so much more to life than a blue ribbon. We will always strive to sort to the top, but if we don't, we will have another day.
Life goes on on the Cummings Farm. A much awaited Hereford bull calf was born on sale day. I teased the family and told them they should name him, Big Money and call him Cash. His mom related to my friend how she was in her room and found a piece of paper. Chris had wrote down the bull’s names he wanted his cows bred to for the next 3 years. Looks like he will have another calf crop to watch grow into champions. And just so they don't forget, his cell phone has been going off with reminders of calving dates and heat checks.
Sure am glad we got to share just a few moments with Chris and I know he is looking down upon his family and friends and watching over his herd.
Joni Ames
The show goes on.
It’s Sunday. August 8th and the beef barn at the Indiana State Fair is loud with fans and blowers getting ready for the start of the show. First calls for classes can be heard and the smokey Charlois steers start the steer division. Herfords are second. I got on the road at 4 this morning. I was not going to miss seeing Homer show for anything. The first division is finished and here come the herfs. Homer is in the last class as he is in the heaviest one. I talked with Tom earlier in the week and he though Homer might be getting a bit stale. As I watched him walk in he looked as good as he did at county and was his usual cool dude self as he was led in by Sarah. Sarah and him made quite the pair. She is so pretty and he looked so fit. He knew he was being shown. He lifted his head and perked his ears and just stood perfect. The only flaw I could see was that darn right pastern had gotten a bit tighter and he wasn’t stepping with the flex he should have on it. I saw the steer that beat him at Nationals. He and Homer certainly were close and the other steer was having trouble with his right hind also. This got pretty interesting. The judge pulled Homer to first and put the other steer in second. He profiled them. He walked them again. He put them side by side and ran his hands over the cover on the rib and right down the hip to the hock. He was having a tough time and killing us in the stands. Finally he came on and stood by his decision to keep Homer in first. What a moment!! I watched Chris’ mom and as she stood to cheer, I could not help but feel a huge wave of sorrow. She should have been clapping and sending kisses to her boy.
As we waited for the Champion Herford class, the gentleman behind me asked if I had a child showing. I told not not this year and related to him why I was sitting in the stands and who I was pulling for. I watched him as I told him about Chris and the hurdles the family overcame to see this steer in the pen. He had children showing and I could see the affect I was having on him. All he could do was shake his head. He thanked me for telling him as he had no idea. The family didn’t want a pity party. They came to finish. He gave a wish of luck and said it is a wonderful thing for the family to have this moment and I know he shared what I had told him with his family. The Herfords came in. There were 4 classes so the 1st place steers all lined up head and tail. He added the second place ones in as well. You could tell he was just plain stumped. As I looked down the line I agreed with the judge with his Champion. It was a middleweight Star Lake bred steer. Fresh and complete and sound. He then went to choose Reserve. AS he went on the microphone, he stated he may have mad a mistake in the heavy class. But today he choose Homer and Homer was Reserve Champion. As the crowd cheered, a sign was handed to his mom. I made my way to her in the stands. She hadn’t know I was there yet and I hugged her with everything I had. She held me for a long moment and we both knew Chris was with us.
So in a moment, Homer was confirmed to be all we thought he was. Chris knew it when he picked him out. He knew it when he washed him, fed him and broke him. I just cannot believe the injustice of Chris not being here in person to fullfill his dream. It would have been one of his happiest days to lead that steer in the Grand Drive on Monday night. This I have not come to terms with. I do know Chris was guiding that judge’s hand over Homer to feel his finish as that seem to be the reason he won. On Monday night, the Grand Drive is so special to watch. This was the first year I got to see most of it. As the Beef started to come in, each child was introduced. The Reserves are first. As Homer was led in, the crowd was told about his passing. A packed house was hushed. Men removed their hats. It did not matter if they knew him or not. In that silence, Chris and everything he stood for was recognized. It was beautiful. I hope his family carries that memory with them for a long time.
Fair is over now. Homer could not go home to the Cumming’s Farm. Chris and Homer were a meant to be partners. I truly believe Chris Cummings' short life held many lessons. His courage, attitude and passion for what he loved to do will always be with those of us that were touched by him. For that I and so many others are forever grateful. I was sent an email:
Joni,
Thank you for sharing Chris's message and being a Champion for what you believe to be right. I am proud of the decision that was made to allow Homer to be shown at the State Fair. It was the right decision for the right reasons. This decision is good for Chris's family and friends, a tribute to Chris's memory, and good for the 4-H program. It combines the four principles of Head (clear thinking, wise choices), Heart (loyalty and compassion), Hands (family and friends with many hands working together for the benefit of others), and Health (both physical and mental well-being of those in need). Wow! This decision is a powerful reinforcement of what the 4-H program is all about. You didn't have to do this, but you did and you should take comfort in a job well done.
Again, thank you for all your efforts and the efforts of all those that stood up for some very special values and leading by example,
Ron
Ronald P. Lemenager, PhD, PAS
Charter Diplomate, American College of Animal Nutrition
Beef Nutrition and Management Specialist
Department of Animal Sciences
915 W. State Street
Purdue University
W. Lafayette, IN
Chris will not be forgotten.
Joni Ames
So the week began. Wednesday the 21st was show day for the beef. I tried to think of a way we could show our support for Chris and the other people lost to the 4-H community this year. I came up with us wearing a small purple ribbon to remember the champions not with us this year. I put the basket out at about 5 in the morning and hoped it would be empty at the end of the day. I was not disappointed. Tom Sr., his dad, with the help of his aunt, brother Tom Jr., fitter Justin got the calves ready for the show. Now we are a tough fair. Champions at the state fair are common in our county. It is big time tough. Heifers start the day and Chris' stood Res Champion in it's division. Beat our heifer and that was just fine. Next was the Chi steer. My son, Brandon was at the end of the lead. He did a great job but the steer was just not free enough in his movement. He stood last but that's ok and you will see why later. As a mother, tears ran and my heart ached as it should not have been my boy at the end of that lead. Just plain wasn't fair. The next division was the Herefords Sarah proudly strutted Homer into the ring. At over 1400 pounds, he is quite the dude. Know when that great animal comes into the pen? The kind that makes everyone stop and stare? That is Homer. Massive and sound, he commanded the class and we stood a second to him. And that was just fine, too. Homer ended up winning the Hereford steer division and we were reserve. There was no getting around this bad boy. He had stood 3rd 2 weeks before at the Hereford Jr. Nationals. We were tickled he would be in the Grand Drive. The beef committee decided since Chris loved the herfs so much, there would be a traveling trophy for the Champion Hereford steer and Chris Cummings will be the first name on it. Just couldn't have worked out any better.
As the Grand Drive approached, the stands really filled. I was hoping when the judge made comments about Homer,"...that this is the kind of animal I will be looking for all day" that he had a shot at the big prize. As he evaluated the steers before him, he called out the Crossbred, the Simmental and the Herford as being in contention. He ended up picking the Cross. He was a very nice steer and deserved the win. As he picked up the microphone to give his reasons for the Reserve, he looked upon Homer and said he had preached structure and soundness all day so when Homer's fetlock popped slightly, he couldn't let him win Grand but he sure could put him in Reserve. The place erupted with applause and the family was so surprised and happy. Couldn't have been any better. For a Hereford to stand in the Res. Champion pen is no small feat but he certainly deserved to be there.
So the show ended with many hugs, well wishes and tears. News channels and local papers interviewed all involved. I cannot imagine the range of emotion this family went through that day. Homer was moved into his special pen and has graciously allowed even the smallest of hands to scratch him. It is fun to watch the people stop and stare at him. I wonder if they get it? Did they know Chris? Have they read the papers and wanted to see this animal? Are they going to go home tonight and wrap their arms around their children and remember they are a gift? I hope so. Chris' passing makes you wonder why he went home so early and endured so much. He did it all with a smile, too. As I was told, the last day or so he was struggling to stay with his family, that smile faded. When he passed, his family stayed with him and after about 10 minutes, his face relaxed into that familiar grin. His family knew he was pain free and home.
I was approached by Tom later on show day. He wanted my opinion on something. I did tell him he would get it from me with both barrels and he said that was just what he was looking for. He asked me if I thought that steer should got the State Fair and if I thought that people would think the family was milking the situation? I looked at this tall gentle man and told him "yes" and "yes". I then asked him how thick his skin was. He smiled at me and said he knew what was being said by a small few about them coming to the fair and then told me "they can kiss my ass" and that they were finishing what Chris started. It made me laugh and after asking my husband Mike the same question to which he replied, "hell yes", so it looks like Homer is headed to state!
Now we knew some people thought they might be taking money out of other 4Her's pocket should they get a phenomenal amount of money at auction. After all, 48,000 dollars had been raised over the last 4 auctions in support of Chris. How can a value be placed on a child’s dream and their life? My sisters, Julie Harnish and Jill Stevens got wind of this. To say we were a little, um, mad would be an understatement. My dad calls us the "Campbell Girls". Jill's 7 year old son, Jaidan, is already a World Champion. Jaidan opened his wallet and gave Dave $10.00. Even a 7 year old boy gets what is going on here. I make custom show clothes and we show cutters. Julie has a stallion she stands with her Husband, Brent. Brent judges around the county and we know lots of kind and caring horse people. Well through the power of the internet, word got out about Chris' story. Facebook and Pleasure Horse Forum were tapped. A pay pal address was posted and the donations and pledges started coming in. We had about 48 hours to see how much we could add to the till. And add we did. There were people we knew and did not know sending money. We covered about 15 states and even Canada. Chris' story was on SteerPlanet as well and Dave got money from all over also. Did we pick pockets? You"re damn right we did! And we were able to raise a little over $4000.00 to add to Dave's amount. Dave was so excited. He kept coming to tell me the new total. Only that total kept growing. When we were close to the 20K mark about and hour before the steer would sell, we all started texting and I hit the other barns to call in a few favors. And we made the 20K mark and then some.
Help does come in all sizes. Us barn friends were enjoying sitting out under the tree in front of the beef barn. Jill, Mike, Jaidan, myself, Bailey Rist and her dad, Mike Rist were going over the day and like each night, trying to figure out what we were going to eat! Jill knows some of the vendors since she is the secretary of the fair in St Joe County. I was being told by Jill to go over to the “taco guy” in the morning and get his donation. Bailey piped up and said she’d go now. She got her friend Jenelle Rehlander and with Jaidan in tow, hit the food stands. They were persistent! They came back the first time with a small wad of bills They deposited the money to me and off they went. This time, they were even more successful! Jaidan came running up telling us “we got a hundred, we got a hundred”. Burek Farms gave a nice 100 dollar bill. Poor Bailey. This reduced her to tears. I held her and told her it was such a good thing she was doing and “you go girl!” They made another pass and in the end raised about 450 dollars. So no effort was too small.
I find it interesting how lives intertwine. Julie's friend, Shawn McDaniel, had been trying to get a hold of me to donate. I was on the way to the fair Friday when we finally reached each other. He was now in Ohio but had grown up in Indiana. We started talking cattle. He said he had a friend, Bruce Everhart, that had just been the chairman of the Hereford Jr Nationals held July 4-10, 2010 in Indianapolis and how a tribute to Chris was
Just the neatest thing and I started to chuckle a bit as I told him the last time a Hereford had stood in a champion pen, it was ours. Brandon's heifer had won Supreme Heifer and that heifer was bred and purchased from Bruce in 2005. How's that for overlapping worlds!?!
Friday is sale day. Since Homer is going to state, it was the Chi steer that would sell. Sarah and Brandon led the steer in. Now with the steer being last in his class, he was at the bottom of the sale. This is usually the time the stands are clear and there are very few buyers left. Not today! The stands were full and Dave asked the beef kids to bid to run the steer up. As Jim Lestinsky started to call, the bids jumped by $500.00 each time. Jim's voiced carried the excitement that was going on around us. As my eyes welled with tears, I then realized it was raining. Soft beautiful rain. The kids kept waving bids. Like they were waving to an old friend. I could see Chris' mom, dad and brother stare in disbelief as the bids just kept climbing. When the gavel fell, Jim announced a final bid of $21,250.00. The crowd stood in ovation as the family held onto each other. Tom Sr tried to speak but was overcome with emotion. Chris' mom, Carol, took the microphone but just said "...I don't know what to say". As the buyers names were read, the rain continued to fall. As the last name was announced, the skis showed blue. We all knew Chris had shed his happy tears upon us. Again there were reporters trying to get interviews and pictures. I went and waited for them to walk the steer back to the barn. I shared a moment with Tom Sr. As I looked up into this father's eyes, I saw the first tears I had seen of his loss and his gratitude. I told him a son like Chris comes from a family with faith and love to share. I learned this lesson this week. I told him "it's still not enough" as he told me he would give anything to have just 1 more hour with his boy. He gave me a bear hug and he told me he wanted another Hereford next year in that same pen. I told him I would see what we could do. I told Tom Jr and Carol the same thing. Kids like this are a product of their families.
This is the last night of the fair. State Fair is on the horizon. I am excited as I will be down there with some friends. I can't wait to see Homer strut his stuff in the coliseum. I know he is going to make quite the impression on everyone. As for after that, I know I will miss that sweet boy. He owns a piece of my heart. I will miss that little grin of his at the sales and shows he loved so much. I hope we can all remember the courage he had for the battle he fought and the passion and love he had for his family and his cattle. He showed me and I hope many others, there is so much more to life than a blue ribbon. We will always strive to sort to the top, but if we don't, we will have another day.
Life goes on on the Cummings Farm. A much awaited Hereford bull calf was born on sale day. I teased the family and told them they should name him, Big Money and call him Cash. His mom related to my friend how she was in her room and found a piece of paper. Chris had wrote down the bull’s names he wanted his cows bred to for the next 3 years. Looks like he will have another calf crop to watch grow into champions. And just so they don't forget, his cell phone has been going off with reminders of calving dates and heat checks.
Sure am glad we got to share just a few moments with Chris and I know he is looking down upon his family and friends and watching over his herd.
Joni Ames
The show goes on.
It’s Sunday. August 8th and the beef barn at the Indiana State Fair is loud with fans and blowers getting ready for the start of the show. First calls for classes can be heard and the smokey Charlois steers start the steer division. Herfords are second. I got on the road at 4 this morning. I was not going to miss seeing Homer show for anything. The first division is finished and here come the herfs. Homer is in the last class as he is in the heaviest one. I talked with Tom earlier in the week and he though Homer might be getting a bit stale. As I watched him walk in he looked as good as he did at county and was his usual cool dude self as he was led in by Sarah. Sarah and him made quite the pair. She is so pretty and he looked so fit. He knew he was being shown. He lifted his head and perked his ears and just stood perfect. The only flaw I could see was that darn right pastern had gotten a bit tighter and he wasn’t stepping with the flex he should have on it. I saw the steer that beat him at Nationals. He and Homer certainly were close and the other steer was having trouble with his right hind also. This got pretty interesting. The judge pulled Homer to first and put the other steer in second. He profiled them. He walked them again. He put them side by side and ran his hands over the cover on the rib and right down the hip to the hock. He was having a tough time and killing us in the stands. Finally he came on and stood by his decision to keep Homer in first. What a moment!! I watched Chris’ mom and as she stood to cheer, I could not help but feel a huge wave of sorrow. She should have been clapping and sending kisses to her boy.
As we waited for the Champion Herford class, the gentleman behind me asked if I had a child showing. I told not not this year and related to him why I was sitting in the stands and who I was pulling for. I watched him as I told him about Chris and the hurdles the family overcame to see this steer in the pen. He had children showing and I could see the affect I was having on him. All he could do was shake his head. He thanked me for telling him as he had no idea. The family didn’t want a pity party. They came to finish. He gave a wish of luck and said it is a wonderful thing for the family to have this moment and I know he shared what I had told him with his family. The Herfords came in. There were 4 classes so the 1st place steers all lined up head and tail. He added the second place ones in as well. You could tell he was just plain stumped. As I looked down the line I agreed with the judge with his Champion. It was a middleweight Star Lake bred steer. Fresh and complete and sound. He then went to choose Reserve. AS he went on the microphone, he stated he may have mad a mistake in the heavy class. But today he choose Homer and Homer was Reserve Champion. As the crowd cheered, a sign was handed to his mom. I made my way to her in the stands. She hadn’t know I was there yet and I hugged her with everything I had. She held me for a long moment and we both knew Chris was with us.
So in a moment, Homer was confirmed to be all we thought he was. Chris knew it when he picked him out. He knew it when he washed him, fed him and broke him. I just cannot believe the injustice of Chris not being here in person to fullfill his dream. It would have been one of his happiest days to lead that steer in the Grand Drive on Monday night. This I have not come to terms with. I do know Chris was guiding that judge’s hand over Homer to feel his finish as that seem to be the reason he won. On Monday night, the Grand Drive is so special to watch. This was the first year I got to see most of it. As the Beef started to come in, each child was introduced. The Reserves are first. As Homer was led in, the crowd was told about his passing. A packed house was hushed. Men removed their hats. It did not matter if they knew him or not. In that silence, Chris and everything he stood for was recognized. It was beautiful. I hope his family carries that memory with them for a long time.
Fair is over now. Homer could not go home to the Cumming’s Farm. Chris and Homer were a meant to be partners. I truly believe Chris Cummings' short life held many lessons. His courage, attitude and passion for what he loved to do will always be with those of us that were touched by him. For that I and so many others are forever grateful. I was sent an email:
Joni,
Thank you for sharing Chris's message and being a Champion for what you believe to be right. I am proud of the decision that was made to allow Homer to be shown at the State Fair. It was the right decision for the right reasons. This decision is good for Chris's family and friends, a tribute to Chris's memory, and good for the 4-H program. It combines the four principles of Head (clear thinking, wise choices), Heart (loyalty and compassion), Hands (family and friends with many hands working together for the benefit of others), and Health (both physical and mental well-being of those in need). Wow! This decision is a powerful reinforcement of what the 4-H program is all about. You didn't have to do this, but you did and you should take comfort in a job well done.
Again, thank you for all your efforts and the efforts of all those that stood up for some very special values and leading by example,
Ron
Ronald P. Lemenager, PhD, PAS
Charter Diplomate, American College of Animal Nutrition
Beef Nutrition and Management Specialist
Department of Animal Sciences
915 W. State Street
Purdue University
W. Lafayette, IN
Chris will not be forgotten.
Joni Ames
linnettejane
Well-known member
:'( ...
jphelps
Well-known member
I show at the St. Joe fair and i got wind of this story, its heartbreaking. Prayers go out to the family
OKshorthorn
Well-known member
My god...I had to shut the door to my office. Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Cattle people are the best in the world. Thanks for sharing
jphelps
Well-known member
herfluvr said:jphelps said:
I know who this isAnd even when you win the big prize(congrats by the way) there is nothing like wrapping your arms around a child.
Thank you! and yes i can only imagine
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