Josie Bennett (July 10, 1903 – October 4, 1985) was inducted into the

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, p ...

in the inaugural class of 1979.

Life

Josie Bennett was born Josie Marie McEuen on July 10, 1903, in Enden, Arizona, in

Graham County, Arizona Graham County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,533, making it the third-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Safford. Graham County composes the ...

. Bennett was the daughter of an Arizona pioneer and cattle rancher, Ed McEuen. She grew up at Fort Thomas, Arizona. Fort Thomas was once a cavalry post near the

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation (Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed fro ...

. Bennett was a teacher in the Arizona area until she married. She had a sister named Lois who married

Everett Bowman Everett Bowman (July 12, 1899 – October 25, 1971) was an American rodeo cowboy who competed from the 1920s to 1940s. During his career, he won the Rodeo Association of America (RAA) All-Around Cowboy championship in 1935 and 1937 and was second ...

. Bowman was a founder of the Cowboy Turtles' Association (CTA). He was also the president of the association for a few years. She was married the second time to fellow inaugural hall of fame inductee Hugh Bennett on December 24, 1930.

Career

Hugh was the (CTA)'s first secretary/treasurer. He was a world champion steer wrestler and tie-down roper. In 1945, the CTA was renamed the

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the N ...

. The CTA was struggling in the late 1930s. She used Hugh's position to contribute by doing the bookkeeping and correspondence for the CTA. Until 1942, she was responsible for all of the recordkeeping. She typed out most of the correspondence on a portable

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typewriter. They used the trunk of their car for an office. However, all the work was pristine. In 1942, the CTA hired a salaried employee to fill the position. They hired Fannye Jones (who became Fannye Lovelady later), and she became the secretary-treasurer. Jones started out working in her home in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. Lewis Bowman was Hugh's brother-in-law. Their wives, Lois and Josie, worked together in their unofficial roles as secretary-treasurer through Hugh's official role. Bowman recalled that:

"men signed the cowboys up and kicked 'em straight (sometimes literally!). The sisters kept the books and the money in the back seat of their car and did the office work. "The ladies, Lois and Josie, actually did keep those records in suitcases in their car, and they worked without pay until 1942 when Fannye Jones Lovelady took over all the duties the sisters had been performing."

Death

Bennett preceded her husband Hugh in death. She died on October 4, 1985, in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Josie ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees Rodeo promoters and managers 1903 births 1985 deaths People from Graham County, Arizona