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8/18/2019 Frank DuBois - Range Magazine Winter 2015-2016
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8/18/2019 Frank DuBois - Range Magazine Winter 2015-2016
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Profrle
in
Courage
The
W
ord times
of Frank
DuBois.
By
StephenL.Wilmeth
lTlhe
size of
the hole
in
the arena fence
I
doesn't do justice
to
the
story.
The
I
prelude
took
place
over
several
hours of
horse trading.
The
level of
cow-pas-
ture
arbitrage was reaching
epic
proportions
as the negotiators
whittled
their binding
agreement toward
a conclusion.
It
ended
in
the
crescendo
of splintered
fence with the
rider,
horse,
and steer leaving
the scene of
the
accident in
three directions.
It
started
when
somebody
gave
the duo
some beverage
tokens. It
evolved
into
intense
negotiation
with
the need
to
prove
the
little
pony's
prowess.
The
buyer
was
not
getting
the promised results
so
the
seller
entered the
arena
to offer
both
horse
and
rider
some
remedial
instruction.
When
all was set,
out of
the
chute the
steer bolted with roper
and
horse
in hot
pur-
suit. In
schooling the horse, too much time
was taken and
decisions had to be
made.
The
horse cut left,
the steer turned
right,
and the
rider
continued in
a straight-line
header
shot
tloo.tgh
the fence.
Folks
who
witnessed
the
spectacle
claim
that at the onset of the
launch,
the
rider's
eyes
and
mouth
were both
shaped in
the silme
geometric configuration
as the hole
he
created
when
he sailed head-
long
ttoor'tgh
the
fence.
Nineteen
Sixty-Five
Frank DuBois
arrived at New Mexico
State
Universilf
in
the
fall of
1965. He was
from a
ranching
falnily from
Corona,
N.M.
He
was
raised
in Albuquerque,
but
family
heritage
shaped his life. His friends,
cultivated by
summers spent
on the
ranch, were
influ-
ences.
That
group
of
young men left
a
per-
manent impression
on the
school and
certain establishments
within
Las
Cruces
for
two
generations. Their exploits
were some-
what
legendary.
His
education
was
hit
and
miss. Three
times he left
school and
three
times he
returned.
One
departure
included a
con-
struction
job
in
Philadelphia.
It was
there,
across
the river at Cowtown, N.f., that
he
was
injured one night
showing the
locals how
real
cowboys bulldog.
Not
trusting
eastern
doctors,
he
loaded
46
o
RANGE
MAGAZINE
o
WINTER 201
5/2016
Frank
refirmed to
school
and
completed his
bachelorts
degree
in
1973.
56With
a fabulous
comebaclr.,
I
closed
with
a2,37
GP,\tt
he
boasts.
At
the
age
of
400
native
son
andNl'.M.
secretary of
Ag"iculture,
DuBois
was
convinced he
needed
to
statr
team
roping.
up and drove home to
Albuquerque.
His
doctor told him his
injury
probably
ended
his
chances
to
lift
anything
and
he
d be better
off
using
his
head
from
that point
fonvard.
Mistaking
the
inference
as
professional
med-
ical
advice,
Frank returned
to
school and
completed his bachelor's
degree
in
1973.
'With
a
fabulous
comebacK'he
boasts.
"I
closed
with a2.37 GPAI'
The
year
L974 set
in
motion
the unlikely
road
to
Washington and a
life
never
i-ag-
ined.
It
started
with
an
argument
with a lib-
eral.
Influenced
by
his brother, Frank
bought
a subscription
to the
I'{ational
Review.In
those articles, he
found his
natural
conserva-
tive
leanings.
Armed
with new
logic, he lam-
basted
the liberal
in
an impromptu
deba
Frank claims he
shed so
much light on
opponent
that the
young
man
decided
th
and there
to
change
his party
affiliatio
Asked
where
he had
registered,
Frank had
admit
he
wasnt
The
two
registered
together. They
we
then
drafted
into
Republican
ward duti
with
the
former liberal becoming
the
ne
Albuquerque
Southeast
Heights
ward
ch
and
Frank
the
new
vice
chair.
That
led to
t
introduction
to the county
party
chair
w
also
hailed from
cow country.
It
was
through
this chairman
that Fra
was
introduced
to
Sen. Pete
Domeni
When
the
senator decided an
agricultur
was
needed on his
staff,
Frank
made the
li
The selection
came down to
Frank,
with
bachelor's degree
and 2.37
GPA, and
a
can
date
with
a
master's degree
in
ag
econ
and
3.7 GPA.
Two
study cases
were
used
in the
inte
view:
an analysis
of legislation and advice f
the senator's
position
on
the
Navajo/Ho
land dispute.
Frank had been reading
t
Congressional
Record and
he
knew abo
the legislation.
He
condemned it.
(What
didn t know was that
Domenici
was a
c
sponsor.)
The matter of the
Nauqo/Hopi dispu
sealed
the deal.
The
graduate
degree
hold
pontificated
on
the history and the norm
tive values that
must
be
considered
for
t
ruling.
Frank's
response was simple.
He
su
gested the
senator
needed to
support t
Navajos because
the Hopis weren't Ne
Mexicans and
would
have nothing to
with the
senator's
reelection.
The interrog
tor
left
the room
smiling and
"Pancho"
w
awarded
a
ticket
to
Washington
Although there was
a
touchy situati
influenced by cold beer
and
Merle
Hagga
music, Frank
prevailed
with
an emergi
reputation
as
a
commonsense thinker
a
capable
political
operative.
He
spent fi
years
with
the senator learning
the
w
Washin$on worked.
Tired
of
politics, Frank DuBois got
t
job
of
policy analyst for the New Mexic
Department
of
Agriculture in L979.
His
la
8/18/2019 Frank DuBois - Range Magazine Winter 2015-2016
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8/18/2019 Frank DuBois - Range Magazine Winter 2015-2016
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big
rubber
bands to
keep
them
in
place.
When
he
got
to
the
point
he couldn
t
hitch
to
get mounted,
he
started
using
a
rubber
tool
box
as a step
to
reach
his
stirrup.
When
he
couldn't
stand
long
enough
to
curry
his
horse,
he would
brush
one
side
and
sit
down
to rest
in
a
folding
chair.
When
he couldn't
throw
his saddle,
he
got
on the
side
of
the
trailer
where
he
could
lay
his
blankets and
then his
sad-
dle on
his
horse.
When
he
couldn
t bend
over
to
attach
oYerreach
boots
on
his
horse,
he
got down
on
his
knees and
crawled.
When
he
reached
the
point
he couldn
t
keep
his
balance,
though,
he
knew
permanent
changes
were
imminent.
In a
legislative
session,
knowing
he could-
n't
stand
for
long
periods,
he
swallowed
his
pride and
fittully
rented a wheelchair.
After a
three-hour
hearing,
he
headed
to
the
bathroom.
He
accepted
no
help.
He
Buster
b
ecame
Fr
ank' s
nitY anA.
Their
partnership
was
unique.
four important
goals-demonstrating
he
could run
and
be effective
in a
high-profile
state agency
and
competing
at
a
high level
in
a
demanding
sport
while
handicapped-he
set out
to address
two
more.
For
some
time
he
had
demanded
that
his
staff
keep
him
abreast
of issues
from across
the West
that
would
eventually
affect
New
Mexico.
"I
was always
disappointed
in
the
duily
briefurgi'
he
admits.
His
political
blog,
"The
Westernerl'
was
his answer.
Under
his
control,
it
became
a
daily
briefing
for
legislators,
policy wonks,
and
children
of the
Ameri-
can
West
from
far and
near.
It covers
"property
rights,
water
rights,
endan-
gered
species,
livestock
grazing,
energy
produc-
tion,
wilderness,
and
west-
ern
agriculture."
It
also
mixes
enough
western
his-
tory
literature,
and
music
to
keep
it
fun and
lively.
It
has
become
such
a
ritualis-
U)
o
d]
l
o
Y
z
CE
lJ-
a
trJ
tr
:)
o
o
pushed the
handicap
button
and
the
door
opened
with
a
big
"swooshl'When
he
was
ready
to exit,
he again
pushed
the
button
and
the
door
again
opened
with
a
big swoosh,
but
he
misjudged
the
distance
his boots
stuck
out and
was
trapped
between
the
door
and
the
wall.
"Whoa, whoa...back, backi' he
ordered,
realizing
that
steel
horse
didn
t
respond
to
voice commands
like
his
favorite
rope
horse,
Buster.
Buster
had become
Frank's
nirvana.
He
had come
to
Frank
as a
seasoned
but some-
what troubled
horse.
Both
of
them
found
comfort
in a
unique
partnership.
There
are
stories
of
Frank coming
out
of
the
header's
box
only
to
find
himsef
off
balance.
Rather
than score
the steer,
Buster
would
"run
to
balance"
and
keep
Frank upright
and
cen-
tered.
Th.y
might
wind
their
way
down
the
arena,
but when
Frank
was
back
under
con-
trol
the
horse
would
again
concentrate
on
the
steer.
Theywon
saddles
and
trophybuck-
les together,
but
their
real
success
was
a
most
special
humar/equine
bond
of
trust.
Sftl
Fighting
for
the
West
Frank
DuBois retired
from
his
post as
secre-
tary
of
Agriculture
in 2003.
Eventually
bound
to
his wheelchair,
he
embarked
on
new challenges.
Having
accomplished
two
of
48
.
RANGE
MACAZINE
.
WINTER
201 512016
tic
read
in the
morning
that
it has
taken
a
pennanent
place alongside
the
Bible
of
many
westerners.
It also
devotes
time
and
space
to
rodeo,
matters
of
the
NMSU
rodeo
program,
atrd
the
DuBois
Rodeo
Scholarship
Fund.
The
latter
happens
to be
the
final rung on
his
list
of
greatest achievements.
He
singlehandedly
lifted the
fortunes
of
NMSU
rodeo.
When
Coach
Jim
Dewey
Brown arrived,
he'
along
with
Frank's
funding
support, elevated
the
program
into
national
prominence.
Frank
loves
to
be
around
his
young
rodeo athletes
and the
respect
is
mutual.
His autobiographical
sketch
reads:
"Frank
DuBois...New
Mexico
secretary
of
Agriculture,
former
legislative
assistant
to
a
U.S.
senator,
a
deputy
assistant
secretary
of
Interior,
and
the
founder
of the
DuBois
Rodeo
Scholarshipl'Each
step
brought
per-
sonal
recognition. He
will
be
known bythose
markers,
but
his
most
revealing
chatacter
may
not get
full
public
scrutiny.
It is
much
too
personal.
Some
will describe
it
as
an
intense
work
ethic
while
others
will
describe
it
simply
as
heart.
I
Stephen
L. Wilmeth,
a
rancher
from
southern
Niw Mexico,
sals,
"Frank
DuBois
has made
us all better
stewards,
and
for
that
we
remain
forever
grateful."
Frank
can be
reached
at
I:TTERg
(Continued
from
page
j5)
RANGE
contributors
present a
greatdeal
o
common
sense
but
the
writer
from
North
Pole, Alaska,
hit the
nail
on
the
head
with
back
to
the
Bible."
In
it
are
all the things
w
are
doing
wrong
and
how
we have
put the
creation
ahead
of
the
Creator
and
His
ulti-
mate
plan
for
creation.
The starting
point
getting
back
on track,
if
it is not too
late,
would
be
to
humbly
put
Christ
back
in
"Christmas." Our revisionist
historians
ha
skewed
our compass;
2
Chronicles
7:I4po
the
way.
Nonrvr
Ross
,
GnsetsY
Httt,
CermonmH
"Xrnas"
goes
back
about
a
thousand
years
a
is
an
ancient
and
respeaful
use of
the word
Christmas.
"X"
is Greekfor
Chnst
and
not
negative
for
this
holy
and
joful
hokday.-C
CI:
Thankyou
for
the
reply.
I
was
unaw
of
the
history
of
the origln
of
the
word
Xmas
am appreciative of
your
explanation and no
all
offinded.
Respeafully,
Norm
Myhusband
packed
mules
the
Flathead
est
in Montan
tells some
ha
rowing
storie
about
the
fire
camp
supply
trips
during
fires.
And
some
people
want
to
take
livestock
out
of the
mountains.
Recent
legislation-The
Merc
River
Plan-no
longer
allows
operation
o
stables
and
pack
strings
in
Yosemite
Natio
Park, effective
2016.
Ppccv
KnnrzeR
vLA FecEsoor
HEtt
ON
EARTH
On
the
phone
last
week,
speaking
of
the c
strophic
collapses
ofwestern
ecosystems
economies
by
wildfire
and
other
causes'
nature
restoration
genius
and
ftiend
Mar
Vande
Pol
("Wildergarten"
author)
mus
wish
certain
lying,
money-grubbing
natu
expertswould
worry
more
about
going
to
hell-and
spend
less time
making
hell
on
earth
with
their
policies."
Kinda
sums
it
u
Srsvs
Rtcu,
Sarr
LerB
CtrY,
UreH
COOL
STUFF
My
son,
Linden,
seven'
said
to
me today:
"God
isn't
finished
with
me
yet,
and
I gu
he
never
will
be,
because
even
when
I'm
ting
there'llbe
some
really
cool
stuffgoin
with me."
lfm...yeah.
Keep
smiling.
Smnne
D.S.
Hott,
Hnqspnrn,
Mot'l-tRN