Wally McRae
Encyclopedia
Wally McRae is a rancher, an American
cowboy
, a poet
and philosopher.
Wally McRae runs the 30000 acres (121.4 km²) Rocker Six Cattle Co. ranch on Rosebud Creek south of Forsyth Montana. McRae attended grade school and high school at nearby Colstrip, Montana
. He graduated from Montana State University
in 1958 in zoology
and chemistry
. He is the author of the poem Reincarnation.
McRae also received the Governor's Award for the Arts in Montana, received the 1990 National Endowment for the Arts
' National Heritage Award, and was nominated by President Clinton to serve on the National Council of the Arts. The Missoulian newspaper has listed Wally as #42 in the Most Influential Montanans of the Century.
The American journalist Charles Kuralt
discusses McRae's efforts to preserve the land and the cowboy way of life in the small community in his book, Charles Kuralt's America. The poem Things of Intrinsic Worth appears in this interview.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
, a poet
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and philosopher.
Wally McRae runs the 30000 acres (121.4 km²) Rocker Six Cattle Co. ranch on Rosebud Creek south of Forsyth Montana. McRae attended grade school and high school at nearby Colstrip, Montana
Colstrip, Montana
Colstrip is a city in Rosebud County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,346 at the 2000 census. Established in 1924 and incorporated as a city in 1998, Colstrip is the largest city in Rosebud County with 25% of the total population. Colstrip's primary industries are coal mining and...
. He graduated from Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
in 1958 in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
and chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. He is the author of the poem Reincarnation.
McRae also received the Governor's Award for the Arts in Montana, received the 1990 National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
' National Heritage Award, and was nominated by President Clinton to serve on the National Council of the Arts. The Missoulian newspaper has listed Wally as #42 in the Most Influential Montanans of the Century.
The American journalist Charles Kuralt
Charles Kuralt
Charles Kuralt was an American journalist. He was most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, and later as the first anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning, a position he held for fifteen years.Kuralt's "On the Road"...
discusses McRae's efforts to preserve the land and the cowboy way of life in the small community in his book, Charles Kuralt's America. The poem Things of Intrinsic Worth appears in this interview.
Books
- Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life
- Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems
- Up North is Down the Crick: Poems
External links
- Montana State University Article on Wally McRae
- Nationlal Heritage Fellowship awarded to Wally McRae by US Government National Endowment of the Arts in 1990
- "Things of Intrinsic Worth" Video of McRae on his ranch reciting his poem