Fraternity-Testvériség, 1958 (36. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)

1958-01-01 / 1. szám

FRATERNITY

11

HE’S WORLD’S ONLY HUNGARIAN COWBOY

When a man falls in love with horses, anything can happen.

And it has happened to the “only Hungarian cowboy” who, as a youngster in Woodbridge, N. J., met his first horse drawing an ice cream wagon.

Today, Emery Simon can’t remember which was the greater attraction — the ice cream or the horse.

Now a custodian at Diamond Hill-Jarvis High School (in Texas), Mr. Simon, 42, can look back on a career that has included rodeo, circus, Army service and an active year in working as a volunteer for Hungarian relief.

Horses took him into the circus and rodeo. They brought him such friends as Gen. Mark Clark, Gene Autrey, Hoot Gibson, Rex Allen, Verne Elliot and other rodeo producers, Casey Tibbs and many rodeo stars. Indirectly, they picked his home.

Born in Hungary, Mr. Simon wasn’t much more than a toddler when he came to the U. S. in 1921. In due time he grew up, landed a depression job one fall helping set up Madison Square Garden for its annual rodeo. And saw the show.

At that time he had never so much as saddled a horse, let alone rode one; so he turned out as a groom for the horses of Junior Eskew, a trick roper, and for Sue and Sass, the two horses of Gene and Don McLaughlin, then trick roping youngsters.

Their father, Bob McLaughlin, told Mr. Simon that Fort Worth was the only place to live. And he believed Mr. McLaughlin.

A Wild West show cowboy riding broncs and bulls at $5 a week plus his meals; a Ringling’s circus worker keeping circus horses prettied up and in trim; four years of service in World War II. That was Mr. Simon’s career. Then the circus again, and when it left Fort Worth, he stayed.

Since then Mr. Simon has worked for several rodeo producers, including Verne Elliott, “Mr. Rodeo” of the Fat Stock Show. He has washed and groomed such famous buckers as T-Joe and Wilfire — sensible horses when no one was trying to ride — and has given valet service to such famous ones as Gene Autrey’s Champion Jr. and the Lone Ranger’s.

When Ken Boen’s “Old Gray Mare” came down with pneumonia, Mr. Simon stayed night and day beside the animal until she recovered.

It was in Fort Worth, working as a concessionaire at the ball park and other sport events, that Mr. Simon got his nickname of “Cowboy”.

Active in the American Legion’s Bothwall Kane Post, Mr. Simon gives of his time every year to collect funds to make Christmas merrier for veterans in the U. S. Public Health Service Hospital in his town.

And he really hit his stride in the Hungarian Relief Program, work that brought him an international title ■— “the only Hungarian cowboy”.

A native Hungarian, he translated for refugees, raised money for Hungarian relief and currently serves on the advisory committee for the Hungarian Revolutionary Parliament in New York. Letters from Joseph Kovago, former mayor of Budapest, attest to his fine work.