Cox, 95, remembers every show, rodeo

XB Cox Jr., who turns 95 on Friday, can remember something about every San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo since the stellar event started 78 years ago. Cox, who was born in San Angelo, showed champion calves in the stock show when he was a teenager. As an adult, he served as assistant county agent in Coke County and as county agent in Scurry County. Since he had worked with the youth in their 4-H clubs, he was a natural for the job. He was superintendent of the steer show in 1954. “I started working with the sheep and steer divisions of the stock show in 1949, after H.C. Noelke, who was sheep superintendent at the time, asked me for help,” Cox told me earlier this week. Although Cox served as president of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo from 1964 through 1966, he gives credit to the many volunteers for its success. “Clovis Olsak (stock show president in 1971-72) and I dug all the post holes for the pens in the old sheep and goat barn,” he said. Cox learned about building fences at a young age. His father, XB “Mage” Cox Sr., was in the fence-building business at Mertzon around 1900, contracting with area ranchers...read more