The Grand Champion: Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Receives Texas A&M Foundation’s Highest Honor

The Texas A&M Foundation names the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as the 2025 recipient of its prestigious Sterling C. Evans Medal.

By Dorian Martin ’06

Photos provided by the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

March 25, 2025

Growing up, Fred McClure ’76 thought he would become a physician.

However, after being selected for a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship, McClure had to attend a Texas university with an agriculture program. He chose Texas A&M University and initially majored in biochemistry but soon realized he didn’t enjoy the sight of blood.

In a move that invoked destiny, the native of San Augustine, Texas, changed his major to agricultural economics and grabbed every opportunity, including serving as Texas A&M student body president. After earning his degree, he attended law school and then enjoyed a stellar career, which included working for U.S. Sen. John Tower and Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Yet as he looks back, Texas A&M’s chief community engagement officer remains thankful for the support that the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo offered. “When I talk to kids about making college choices and how I ended up attending Texas A&M, it was because it was all about the money,” said McClure, who has served on The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents and as chief executive officer for the George and Barbara Bush Foundation. “My parents had saved up for me for college, but we didn’t have to use it. The scholarship made the decision for me because I didn’t want to go to the other nine schools that offered agriculture at that time.”

McClure is one of many Aggies who has benefited from and has a soft spot for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. In appreciation for the organization’s long history of supporting the university, the Texas A&M Foundation’s Board of Trustees recognized the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Sterling C. Evans Medal. The honor was presented March 21 during the rodeo’s Aggie Night.

“We are proud to recognize the longstanding partnership and transformative impact the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has made on Texas A&M with this award,” said Tyson Voelkel ’96, the Foundation’s president and CEO. “By igniting opportunities for students from all walks of life, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is shaping a brighter future not only for Texas A&M, but also for our state, our nation and our world. It transforms lives by opening doors for those who dream of an Aggie education—an impact that will echo for generations.”

A Tip of the Hat

As the 36th recipient of the Evans Medal, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has demonstrated a deep financial commitment to Texas A&M, with its total philanthropic contributions approaching $100 million—which marks the most for any Texas university. It is one of only four organizations to receive this honor.

“This award reflects the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s support of Texas A&M through millions of dollars in scholarships, grants and graduate assistantships over the past 70 years, beginning with our first Rodeo scholarship awarded to Aggie student Ben Dickerson ’61 in 1957,” said Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Chairman Pat Mann Phillips.

Selected by the Foundation’s trustees, Evans Medal recipients have a long history of supporting Texas A&M through philanthropy, service and leadership. Honorees have supported scholarships, student development and academic innovation that is instrumental in maintaining Texas A&M’s place among the world’s top public higher education institutions. The award was established in 1998 and is named for renowned former university regent and philanthropist Sterling C. Evans ’21.

Giving a Leg Up

McClure is among the more than 10,000 Aggies who have had the cost of their college education defrayed by a Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo scholarship. Over the years, the organization has given $87 million in scholarships to Texas A&M. Approximately A total of 833 Aggies are benefiting from these scholarships during the 2024-25 academic year.

While the majority of the Rodeo’s scholarship recipients at Texas A&M are pursuing degrees in agriculture or veterinary medicine, these scholarships have also been awarded to students in the College of Engineering, Mays Business School, and the Bush School of Government and Public Service.

From left to right at the medal ceremony: Fred McClure ’76, Dr. Christopher Boleman ’96 ’00 ’03, Tyson Voelkel ’96, Pat Mann Phillips, Dan Allen Hughes ’80, George Harris ’85 and David Dunlap ’83.

The scholarship provides a welcome relief to students who are worried about paying for college. “This support allows me to fully immerse myself in opportunities that have enriched my college experience,” said Sydney Horak ’25, a business honors major from West Columbia, Texas, who received a 2021 Houston Area Scholarship and, as a high-achieving scholar, also earned a 2024 Achievement Scholarship. “I am currently pursuing multiple degrees—a bachelor’s in business honors, a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s in management information systems—along with certificates in energy accounting and internal audit. These scholarships have given me the freedom to challenge myself academically and pursue my passions without limitations.”

The Rodeo’s philanthropic support also spans other parts of Texas A&M. “The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s scholarship support alone is remarkable, but they also contribute in so many other ways,” said Dr. Leslie Easterwood ’90 ’92 ’95, a 1986 Area Go Texan scholar who is now an associate clinical professor of equine community practice at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “For example, the Rodeo made a significant contribution to Texas A&M’s Equine Initiative and helped to name the Western Arena at the Hildebrand Equine Complex.”

Rodeo proceeds have also benefited a wide range of programs, including the Aggie Wranglers, the Department of Animal Science judging teams, the Beef Cattle Short Course, the Department of Horticultural Sciences, and the Reynolds and Reynolds Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans.

A Western Heritage

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s storied history is rooted in the early challenges experienced by the state’s cattle industry. The nation’s popular cattle breeds struggled in Texas’ coastal climate, but in the early 1930s, James Sartwelle noticed that a group of Brahman bulls that had escaped from the circus thrived in the hot, humid climate.

After breeding these cattle for a decade, Sartwelle decided to launch Port City Stockyards in 1931 to market Brahman cross cattle for Texas ranches and increase land values. He also realized that he needed to copy the major stockyards in Chicago, Kansas City, Denver and Fort Worth by organizing a livestock exposition so that breeders could display and demonstrate the cattle’s value to the public.

From left to right on the arena floor during Aggie Night at the Rodeo: Dr. Jeff Savell ’75, Tyson Voelkel ’96, Dan Allen Hughes ’80, Pat Mann Phillips and Dr. Christopher Boleman ’96 ’00 ’03.

That led to the creation of the Houston Fat Stock Show and Livestock Exposition—the precursor of today’s Rodeo—in 1932. “He was a true Renaissance man, a visionary and a problem solver,” said his great-grandson, James “Jim” Sartwelle III ’92, who was a 1988 FFA scholar and remains active as a rodeo volunteer today. “Indirectly, the Brahman Association, the family marketing business that we ran for 80-plus years, and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as it exists today all came from that dream he had to educate cattlemen and women on the Texas coast and help them increase their profitability.”

The first show, which lasted five days, attracted 2,000 visitors to the Democratic Convention Hall. By 1938, the Houston event moved to the 10,000-seat Sam Houston Coliseum and added a parade, a carnival and midway, and a rodeo. Four years later, the exhibition added its entertainment component by hiring well-known actor and singer Gene Autry, who was already involved in the rodeo as a stock contractor, to perform.

The elder Sartwelle, who died in 1965, didn’t live to see the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo move into the then-new Astrodome. However, his initial vision has evolved into the world’s largest rodeo—and according to Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Brahman and Brahman-influenced cattle are now the most economically efficient for beef production in Texas and other Gulf Coast states.

Working Together

Over the course of its 94-year history, the Rodeo has developed a strong symbiotic relationship with Texas A&M. “We’ve always had a very special relationship with Texas A&M, and the university’s values align closely with ours. Both entities are deeply committed to service, respect, the military, patriotism and giving back,” said Dr. Christopher Boleman ’96 ’00 ’03, president and CEO of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. “As I often say, there are two places where you can say ‘Howdy’ and it hits different—that’s at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Texas A&M.”

As I often say, there are two places where you can say ‘Howdy’ and it hits different—that’s at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Texas A&M.”
-Dr. Christopher Boleman ’96 ’00 ’03

The Rodeo’s focus on agriculture, education and youth creates a natural recruitment pipeline for prospective Aggies. Additionally, Texas A&M representatives—including faculty, staff, extension agents, students and former students—make up a large percentage of the rodeo’s 35,000-member volunteer corps. “I am so proud to serve each year with an organization that was instrumental in supporting my education and continues the mission of supporting the educational dreams of Texas youth,” said Easterwood, who is in her 22nd year serving as one of the show’s official veterinarians along with Dr. Gregg Knape ’76 ’77. Together, they lead a team of volunteers tasked with caring for the 18,000 livestock animals during the almost three-week event.

The Rodeo is also committed to creating a community for scholarship recipients while they are in college. “I have befriended several other rodeo scholars,” said Ibtesam Jamal ’26, a mechanical engineering major from Richmond, Texas, who received a 2022 Houston Area Scholarship and 2024 Achievement Scholarship. “Many of these students have become an integral part of my college experience as we made memories together, from attending football games to helping one another overcome difficult classes.

A Powerful Partnership
For nearly 70 years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has believed in the power of Aggies—and in contributing nearly $100 million to the university, has changed countless lives. Through their incredible generosity, they’ve made it possible for students to chase their dreams, pursue their passions and build a future without limits.
A Powerful Partnership
For nearly 70 years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has believed in the power of Aggies—and in contributing nearly $100 million to the university, has changed countless lives. Through their incredible generosity, they’ve made it possible for students to chase their dreams, pursue their passions and build a future without limits.
A Powerful Partnership
For nearly 70 years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has believed in the power of Aggies—and in contributing nearly $100 million to the university, has changed countless lives. Through their incredible generosity, they’ve made it possible for students to chase their dreams, pursue their passions and build a future without limits.
A Powerful Partnership
For nearly 70 years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has believed in the power of Aggies—and in contributing nearly $100 million to the university, has changed countless lives. Through their incredible generosity, they’ve made it possible for students to chase their dreams, pursue their passions and build a future without limits.
A Powerful Partnership
For nearly 70 years, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has believed in the power of Aggies—and in contributing nearly $100 million to the university, has changed countless lives. Through their incredible generosity, they’ve made it possible for students to chase their dreams, pursue their passions and build a future without limits.

The Rodeo leaders also established an alumni network of former scholars, with the initial efforts led by McClure, who serves as an ex-officio member of the rodeo’s board of directors. “We started our alumni association of former scholars in 2013 as a way of creating a network within a network,” Boleman said. “Many of our scholars come to Houston to live and want to reengage in the show.”

Ultimately, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Texas A&M both remain committed to serving the state of Texas through supporting upcoming generations. During the course of its history, the Rodeo has contributed a remarkable $630 million statewide to support Texas youth and education. “Education is truly the great equalizer and is life-changing for students and their families for generations to come,” Phillips said. “It provides the foundation for future leaders of Texas and our nation.”

The Sterling C. Evans Medal recognizes individuals who make outstanding contributions to the reputation and strength of Texas A&M University and the Aggie community. Click here to view a full list of past recipients who have been awarded with this prestigious honor.