Country Lifestyle Blog

The World Needs More Cowboys

An open letter to University of Wyoming President Laurie Nichols,

The World Needs More Cowboys.

Cowboy.

The word embodies that spirit of the men and women of all ethnicities that helped make it the definitive word of the culture.

The iconic American cowboy traces its roots to the vaqueros of northern Mexico.  The word cowboy is actually Irish, first published by Jonathan Swift in the 1700s.  The early American cowboys were men.  They were Mexican, Spanish, Irish, English, Scottish, and native.   Many free blacks moved west and became cowboys because they faced less discrimination.  Some of the most storied cowboys and cowgirls were the Hawaiian paniolos.  Your skin color or education didn’t matter.  If you could do the job, rode for the brand, and weren’t afraid of hard work, you’d find a job.

The job of a working cowboy wasn’t an easy one.  It meant long days, often in isolation.  The conditions were tough, the pay was meager and the work was often hazardous.  But it bred a tradition of self-reliance, tenacity and individualism.

You want to talk about busting gender stereo types?  The early cowgirls were some of the first women in the country to cast aside the expectations of men and do their own thing.  They broke the glass ceiling and began living and working side-by-side with men, living on their own terms.  I grew up reading tales of Annie Oaklee, Tad Lucas and Connie Douglas Reeves.  These were the women I admired and strived to emulate.

Cowboy is a singular word that encapsulates all of that history and attitude of those pioneering spirits.

Today, being a cowboy isn’t about gender or profession.  Being a cowboy is about attitude.  Mental toughness.  Being the first one out the door in the morning and the last one through it come nightfall.  Putting the needs of others ahead of your own.  Working in the dust, mud, snow and sun until the job is finished.  Tenacity.  Grit. Determination.

Is it a romantic, unrealistic notion?  Perhaps.  But it is also an ideal to strive for.  I see nothing wrong with wanting a world where more people stick to their word, value relationships over possessions and take pride in a job well done.

The world needs more cowboys?  You’re damn right it does.

Dale Evans once said, “A Cowgirl is an attitude, really. A pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own rights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she’s just as likely to be a checker at the local super market, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut.”

This cowgirl was proud to attend the University of Wyoming, as did my brother and sisters.  We followed in the footsteps of our father who was a first-generation college graduate and college athlete.  My husband is also a UW alum.  We’ve long bred brown and gold and hope our own daughter will one day find her future at UW.

I’m a Cowboy.  It doesn’t matter that I’m a wife, mother and small business owner.  I bleed brown and gold and love this state and our university with my whole heart.  I’m a Cowboy.

I encourage you to stand by the slogan.  To me, it speaks of the history of our state and our roots as an independent breed of people.  It is a slogan that resonates with me and thousands of other alumni that have helped build a proud tradition as graduates, supporters and donors.  By focusing on the ideals and aspirations behind the word, I think it’s a slogan that will resonate with future UW students as well.

And let’s face it…

The world needs more people of all race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, religion, occupation, income, intelligence and creativity isn’t going to fit on a bumper sticker.

Be a cowboy.  Stand by the work your marketing folks have done.  Embrace tradition and culture and foster a new attitude of mental toughness and tenacity in your students.

The world needs more cowboys.  And it starts with you.

Sincerely,

Teresa Milner
UW College of Agriculture 1999

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If you’re proud to be a Cowboy and think the University should keep their slogan “The World Needs More Cowboys,” write your own letter to President Nichols.

President Laurie Nichols
Office of the President
206 Old Main
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: 307-766-4121
Fax: 307-766-4128
Email: uwpres@uwyo.edu