Dateline: June 23, 2005

Mann honored in Congress

WASHINGTON, DC - Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) submitted a statement last week into the Congressional Record to honor Clarendon resident, Jiggs Mann. Mr. Mann is the 2005 recipient of the prestigious “Rancher of the Year” award presented by Cowboy Roundup, USA.

The following is the statement as submitted by Thornberry:

Statement of Congressman Mac Thornberry Honoring Jiggs Mann

Mr. Speaker,

Our nation includes many traditions and cultures which have influenced our history and our national character. In my area, none is stronger than ranching.

Cowboy Roundup, USA, is an organization dedicated to preserving the Ranching Heritage of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle. It works to educate the public, “in the spirit of our ranching ancestry and the lifestyle of the great American Cowboy.”

Each year at the Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas, which this organization sponsors, an individual is named as “Rancher of the Year,” to recognize a lifetime of accomplishment. This year’s recipient is W.C. “Jiggs” Mann, from my home county, Donley County, Texas.

In thinking about ranchers, the stereotype characters from movies, books, songs, and stories will come to mind for many people. But I think that they would be more impressed to meet the real thing. Jiggs Mann is the real thing.

Jiggs began working on the JA ranch as a schoolboy during the summers of World War II. He rode with the chuck wagon all summer as it moved from pasture to pasture on Texas’ second largest ranch, sleeping on the ground and eating by campfire. After returning from serving his country in Korea in 1953, Jiggs went to work at the JA again and served as foreman of the ranch from 1959 until 1969. He leased part of the ranch, running his own cattle, and now runs cattle on his own property in Donley County.

More than his decades of experience with land and cattle, Jiggs Mann was honored because of his character and integrity and because he is a shining example of what a rancher is and should be.

A rancher, like others who make their living off of the land, is a risk taker. His whole year’s work can be wiped out by weather, disease, or a tumble in the market.

A rancher is independent and does not look for – or feel entitled to – a hand-out from government or anyone else, but he will drop whatever he is doing, even at considerable sacrifice, to help out a neighbor.

He is honest and straight talking; he has no need to beat-around-the-bush. Mother Nature and the demands of making a living off the land do not allow it for one thing, but more importantly, he comes from a background where a man’s word is still his honor. He tells it as he sees it. The strength of what he says is found not so much in the words used but in his integrity.

He works hard - incredibly hard - from sun up until sun down and understands the value of a job well done, whether measured by the depth of his corner post or the number of hay bales stacked in the field. While some of the tools he uses have changed over the years, like steel post drivers or pick-ups with round bale haulers mounted on the back, others have not changed at all, like a good horse. He realizes that some things, however simple they may seem on the surface, will forever stand the test of time, and it is in those things that he puts his faith.

A rancher has to respect nature and all of God’s creation or he will not last long. From taking care of the land, which may have been in the family for generations, to helping a cow give birth, or nursing a new calf with a bottle, he understands the give and take that this life demands and the sacrifices necessary to maintain those things we cherish most, our families and our heritage.

These are some of the qualities which this award recognizes. Jiggs Mann is not the only person I know with these qualities, but he is the “best of the breed.” It is appropriate to honor him, and through him, this important part of our national character.