Wally McRae

Wallace D. "Wally" McRae (born February 26, 1936)[1] is an American rancher, cowboy, cowboy poet and philosopher. He runs the 30,000-acre (120 km2) Rocker Six Cattle Co. ranch on Rosebud Creek, south of Rosebud, Montana.

Wally McRae
Photograph of Wally McRae taken in 1990
McRae in 1990
BornWallace D. McRae
(1936-02-26) February 26, 1936
Rosebud Creek, Montana, U.S.
OccupationCowboy, cowboy poet
Alma materMontana State University (BS)
GenrePoetry, stories
Years active1985–present
Notable works"Reincarnation"
"Things of Intrinsic Worth"
Notable awardsNational Heritage Fellowship
SpouseRuth Hayes

Biography

McRae is a third-generation rancher, his family members having raised cattle and sheep in southeastern Montana since 1885.[2]

He attended grade school and high school in nearby Colstrip, Montana. He graduated from Montana State University in 1958 with a degree in zoology and chemistry.[3] After college, he was commissioned by the United States Navy and served in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets. Following the death of his father in 1960, McRae returned to Montana with his wife Ruth Hayes to take over the family ranching operations.[2]

Career

McRae recalls having recited his first poem at age 4, at the one-room schoolhouse attended by his sisters. Since then, he has published more than 100 poems on topics both humorous and romantic, as well as matters of social concern such as environmental protection.[4]

As a poet, McRae is considered a "fixture at national cowboy poet gatherings" and is "internationally known for his poem 'Reincarnation' ".[3] As of 2015, McRae has been an invited performer at every Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering.[5]

The American journalist Charles Kuralt discusses McRae's efforts to preserve the land and the cowboy way of life in a small community in his book, Charles Kuralt's America.[6] The poem "Things of Intrinsic Worth" appears with the interview in the Kuralt book. McRae was the subject of a segment on the American TV newsmagazine series 60 Minutes[5] and he read his poetry in a 1999 episode of the PBS series P.O.V.[7] His poems have been included in many anthologies of cowboy poetry.[8] In addition, McRae wrote the foreword to a collection of cowboy poetry published in 2000.[9]

Awards and honors

Published works
  • Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life (2009)[13]
  • Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems (1992)[14]
  • Things of Intrinsic Worth: Poems (1989)[15]
  • It's Just Grass & Water: Poems (1986)[16]
  • Up North is Down the Crick: Poems (1985)[17]

References
  1. "McRae, Wallace". id.loc.gov. Library of Congress. May 1, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  2. Govenar, Alan, ed. (2001). "Wallace McRae: Anglo-American Cowboy Poet". Masters of Traditional Arts: A Biographical Dictionary. Vol. 2 (K-Z). Santa Barbara, California: ABC-Clio. pp. 422–423. ISBN 1576072401. OCLC 47644303.
  3. Arthur, Jean (Spring 2005). "Cowboy Poets: linking art and agriculture through rhyme on the range". alumni.montana.edu. Collegian. Archived from the original on September 1, 2006. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  4. "Wallace McRae: Cowboy Poet". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. n.d. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  5. "Montanans You Should Know: Wally McRae". www.distinctlymontana.com. Star Ridge New Media. March 21, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  6. Kuralt, Charles (1996). Charles Kuralt's America. New York: Anchor Books. pp. 205–208. ISBN 9780385485104. OCLC 34690902.
  7. Toner, Noreen (September 19, 1999). "Documentary Features Art of Abescon Twins". The Press of Atlantic City. Atlantic City, NJ. p. Entertainment section, B1.
  8. "Cowboy Poetry Anthologies Index". www.cowboypoetry.com. Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  9. McWhorter, Larry (2000). Coggin, Janice; Coggin, Mason (eds.). Cowboy Poetry. Phoenix, AZ: Cowboy Miner Productions. ISBN 9780966209136. OCLC 44514318.
  10. "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1990". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  11. "100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century". The Missoulian newspaper. Archived from the original on March 3, 2001. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  12. "Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame to celebrate inductees August 14 in Great Falls". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. July 29, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  13. McRae, Wallace (2009). Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life (1st ed.). Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605911. OCLC 259258556.
  14. McRae, Wallace (1992). Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems (1st ed.). Salt Lake City, UT: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9780879054632. OCLC 24628221.
  15. McRae, Wallace D. (1989). Things of Intrinsic Worth. illustrated by Clinton Y. McRae. Bozeman, MT: Outlaw Books. ISBN 9780945960027. OCLC 22137021.
  16. McRae, Wallace (1986). It's Just Grass and Water (1st trade ed.). Spokane, WA: Oxalis. OCLC 17643917.
  17. McRae, Wallace (1985). Up North is Down the Crick. Bozeman, MT: Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University. ISBN 9780933819009. OCLC 12751826.
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