James
Gold supporter
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2004
- Messages
- 337
- Location
- Gallatin, TN 37066
- Aircraft
- Cessna 150 & 172 & Gyro
- Total Flight Time
- 3700 hrs.
Bruce Barrett is writing a book about Frank Brown. If any body has a story and/or pictures they would like to share, email them to him at ------------
[email protected]. Below is an example:
I had an interesting Sunday afternoon. Thought you all might enjoy the story:
I came in from middle TN Friday evening about 7 to a really good Friday night crowd at the maze. It was something after 1:00 am before I got to sleep. The weather was incredible on Saturday and again, the crowd was really good. I got to sleep somewhere between 2 and 3 am so Sunday morning I was moving pretty slow. Finally got some coffee in me, my legs back under me a bit, a shower and up to the barn and the already swarming maze crowd a little after one pm. As I rode the Kubota up to the barn I noticed an older man getting out of a very late model, small pickup truck. The truck was red with a white top over the bed. He was moving slowly and on a cane. He was also wearing a red and white cap. I immediately thought 'Select Sires' but also, almost as quickly, dismissed it because there are many red and white caps these days and to see a Select Sires cap is rare any more. I had a number of projects in mind for the day and several things to tend to as the afternoon was getting under way. A bit later I came back by the barn and Josh, my second oldest son, who works with the maze and zip line flagged me down. 'Got someone that wants to meet you' he said. So I parked the Kubota and walked into the barn.
Still a bit stressed, I immediately broke into a smile as I realized the older man I had seen getting out of his truck on a cane was indeed wearing a Select Sires cap. I introduced myself and was greeted by: "So glad to meet you!!! I am Frank Brown and I have bred cows in Southwest Virginia since 1954". Frank continued: "I have been here before but only today realized that there was a Select Sires truck parked at the house". We visited only briefly because I had people pulling at me from all directions. I told Frank that I would be back to visit with him in just a few minutes. As I hurried off to deal with the issues of the day he said "I think I am going to ride your zip line". I was sure he was kidding because in my very brief first meeting with Frank I could tell he was up in years and not in the best of health. His handshake, while firm, was obviously suffering from a stroke or palsy. His speech and the way he moved also indicated he either had had some health issues.
Imagine my amazement when I came back to the barn just a bit later to find my oldest son Nick helping Frank into a zip line harness. I walked in and sort of rolled my eyes at Nick. To his credit, Nick sort of mouthed to me "He is determined and we will make this happen and take care of him". I went up to Frank and asked him if he knew what this involved and he assured me that he did and he wanted to do it. Normally, our zip line customers have to walk a bit to get to the start tower, but Nick put Frank in the Kubota and rode him up. My tower crew took over from there, allowing Frank to take his time and work his way up the suspension bridge to the start tower which is nearly 50 feet up. As soon as Nick brought the Kubota back to the barn, I took it and headed to the bottom tower to watch Frank come in and help him get off the tower.
Now our zip line is over a thousand feet long and has better than a 70 foot drop from start tower to bottom tower. Frank is a big man. Well over six feet tall in his day I am sure and near our 250 pound limit. So he came in fast but my crew is excellent - extremely patient with him as he worked his way around the tower to get on the line and did a super job of bringing him in easy and allowing him to get his legs back under him. They were extremely patient in working him around the bottom tower and getting him to step off on the decent which is a weight controlled unit that lowers you to the ground. One of the crew and myself caught Frank as he came to the ground and supported him as he got his legs under him. We unhooked Frank and eased him back into the Kubota for a ride back to the barn - again, most customers walk back. I visited with Frank a bit more on the ride back and eased back up to the barn. But as I did so I realized he was pointing up the road - back toward the start tower. He said: "I paid for two". In amazement I asked 'you are going again?". "Yep" he answered...."I paid for two rides". Honestly, I had breathed a sigh of relief when we got him down the zip line and safely off the bottom tower. I thought - well can imagine what I thought, but I slowly backed up and headed back to the start tower, Frank sitting beside me and grinning ear to ear. This time we got pictures as he slowly made his way up to the platform. I held up a group of 15 kids, telling them they would have to wait until I could get to the bottom and get pictures of Frank coming in on the zip line - something he insisted on. He was a real trooper - riding the line like a pro. Again, my crew did a great job getting him in softly and off the bottom tower. We caught him as he came down and back into the Kubota for a ride to the barn - his cane still in the seat for when his ride was done.
We got back to the barn and after Nick got him out of the harness we sat down and visited for a while - got some great pictures along the way. Here is what I learned: about Frank Brown - from Honaker, Va - a small, very rural part of Southwest Virginia - started breeding cows as a technician for Virginia / North Carolina Select Sires - if that was the name of the organization as of May 20, 1954. He continued breeding for Select Sires until 'they retired me in 1995' - his words. However, he continued to work, at least part time until May 10, 2013 - the date he bred his last cow. Frank is 83 years young. The oldest person to ride our zip line - although we did have an 81 year old man ride it a few weeks ago.
I visited with Frank for quite a while as we sat in the hallway of the barn, introducing him to others of my staff as they came through and sharing the story with them. We each shared stories, as we tend to do after many years in the same business. Frank kept telling me to go deal with 'business' but I lingered until something came up that I simply had to deal with. When I came back Frank was in his little red and white truck and headed out the driveway. I caught him before he got gone. He extended his left hand out the window and I took it firmly, still noticing the firm grip even through the uncontrollable shaking. He thanked me for a great experience. I told him that the pleasure had been all mine and that he had made my day, my week and most likely my whole season. He said "well you sure made my day" and promised to come back and see me. I can't tell you how much I hope he does.
As he went out the driveway, I again noticed the tag on the back of the truck - I had seen it in the parking lot - it was a Virginia plate - I imagine he has had it since they initiated personalized plates - it read 'BULLMAN'. Frank Brown is what Select Sires is all about and is one of those dedicated, hardly recognized individuals who has helped build this organization. He is proud to be a part of the Select Sires family. I'm proud to have met Frank Brown.
--
Julie Kinnard
Human Resources & Accounting
Southeast Select Sires
3789 Old Port Royal Road
Spring Hill, TN 37174
Office - 931.489.2020
Fax - 931.489.2026
[email protected]
[email protected]. Below is an example:
I had an interesting Sunday afternoon. Thought you all might enjoy the story:
I came in from middle TN Friday evening about 7 to a really good Friday night crowd at the maze. It was something after 1:00 am before I got to sleep. The weather was incredible on Saturday and again, the crowd was really good. I got to sleep somewhere between 2 and 3 am so Sunday morning I was moving pretty slow. Finally got some coffee in me, my legs back under me a bit, a shower and up to the barn and the already swarming maze crowd a little after one pm. As I rode the Kubota up to the barn I noticed an older man getting out of a very late model, small pickup truck. The truck was red with a white top over the bed. He was moving slowly and on a cane. He was also wearing a red and white cap. I immediately thought 'Select Sires' but also, almost as quickly, dismissed it because there are many red and white caps these days and to see a Select Sires cap is rare any more. I had a number of projects in mind for the day and several things to tend to as the afternoon was getting under way. A bit later I came back by the barn and Josh, my second oldest son, who works with the maze and zip line flagged me down. 'Got someone that wants to meet you' he said. So I parked the Kubota and walked into the barn.
Still a bit stressed, I immediately broke into a smile as I realized the older man I had seen getting out of his truck on a cane was indeed wearing a Select Sires cap. I introduced myself and was greeted by: "So glad to meet you!!! I am Frank Brown and I have bred cows in Southwest Virginia since 1954". Frank continued: "I have been here before but only today realized that there was a Select Sires truck parked at the house". We visited only briefly because I had people pulling at me from all directions. I told Frank that I would be back to visit with him in just a few minutes. As I hurried off to deal with the issues of the day he said "I think I am going to ride your zip line". I was sure he was kidding because in my very brief first meeting with Frank I could tell he was up in years and not in the best of health. His handshake, while firm, was obviously suffering from a stroke or palsy. His speech and the way he moved also indicated he either had had some health issues.
Imagine my amazement when I came back to the barn just a bit later to find my oldest son Nick helping Frank into a zip line harness. I walked in and sort of rolled my eyes at Nick. To his credit, Nick sort of mouthed to me "He is determined and we will make this happen and take care of him". I went up to Frank and asked him if he knew what this involved and he assured me that he did and he wanted to do it. Normally, our zip line customers have to walk a bit to get to the start tower, but Nick put Frank in the Kubota and rode him up. My tower crew took over from there, allowing Frank to take his time and work his way up the suspension bridge to the start tower which is nearly 50 feet up. As soon as Nick brought the Kubota back to the barn, I took it and headed to the bottom tower to watch Frank come in and help him get off the tower.
Now our zip line is over a thousand feet long and has better than a 70 foot drop from start tower to bottom tower. Frank is a big man. Well over six feet tall in his day I am sure and near our 250 pound limit. So he came in fast but my crew is excellent - extremely patient with him as he worked his way around the tower to get on the line and did a super job of bringing him in easy and allowing him to get his legs back under him. They were extremely patient in working him around the bottom tower and getting him to step off on the decent which is a weight controlled unit that lowers you to the ground. One of the crew and myself caught Frank as he came to the ground and supported him as he got his legs under him. We unhooked Frank and eased him back into the Kubota for a ride back to the barn - again, most customers walk back. I visited with Frank a bit more on the ride back and eased back up to the barn. But as I did so I realized he was pointing up the road - back toward the start tower. He said: "I paid for two". In amazement I asked 'you are going again?". "Yep" he answered...."I paid for two rides". Honestly, I had breathed a sigh of relief when we got him down the zip line and safely off the bottom tower. I thought - well can imagine what I thought, but I slowly backed up and headed back to the start tower, Frank sitting beside me and grinning ear to ear. This time we got pictures as he slowly made his way up to the platform. I held up a group of 15 kids, telling them they would have to wait until I could get to the bottom and get pictures of Frank coming in on the zip line - something he insisted on. He was a real trooper - riding the line like a pro. Again, my crew did a great job getting him in softly and off the bottom tower. We caught him as he came down and back into the Kubota for a ride to the barn - his cane still in the seat for when his ride was done.
We got back to the barn and after Nick got him out of the harness we sat down and visited for a while - got some great pictures along the way. Here is what I learned: about Frank Brown - from Honaker, Va - a small, very rural part of Southwest Virginia - started breeding cows as a technician for Virginia / North Carolina Select Sires - if that was the name of the organization as of May 20, 1954. He continued breeding for Select Sires until 'they retired me in 1995' - his words. However, he continued to work, at least part time until May 10, 2013 - the date he bred his last cow. Frank is 83 years young. The oldest person to ride our zip line - although we did have an 81 year old man ride it a few weeks ago.
I visited with Frank for quite a while as we sat in the hallway of the barn, introducing him to others of my staff as they came through and sharing the story with them. We each shared stories, as we tend to do after many years in the same business. Frank kept telling me to go deal with 'business' but I lingered until something came up that I simply had to deal with. When I came back Frank was in his little red and white truck and headed out the driveway. I caught him before he got gone. He extended his left hand out the window and I took it firmly, still noticing the firm grip even through the uncontrollable shaking. He thanked me for a great experience. I told him that the pleasure had been all mine and that he had made my day, my week and most likely my whole season. He said "well you sure made my day" and promised to come back and see me. I can't tell you how much I hope he does.
As he went out the driveway, I again noticed the tag on the back of the truck - I had seen it in the parking lot - it was a Virginia plate - I imagine he has had it since they initiated personalized plates - it read 'BULLMAN'. Frank Brown is what Select Sires is all about and is one of those dedicated, hardly recognized individuals who has helped build this organization. He is proud to be a part of the Select Sires family. I'm proud to have met Frank Brown.
--
Julie Kinnard
Human Resources & Accounting
Southeast Select Sires
3789 Old Port Royal Road
Spring Hill, TN 37174
Office - 931.489.2020
Fax - 931.489.2026
[email protected]
![[RotaryForum.com] - Frank "Bull" Brown](https://data3.rotaryforum.com/attachments/94/94609-34dfada42bb2295ff0433159e7553779.jpg?hash=0rI6u5-7wP)
![[RotaryForum.com] - Frank "Bull" Brown](https://data3.rotaryforum.com/attachments/94/94610-3315e091e375a478e0651766328a91e2.jpg?hash=Ixx_8n9hcX)
![[RotaryForum.com] - Frank "Bull" Brown](https://data3.rotaryforum.com/attachments/94/94611-748662157caca9bf64f28c5fdb87fa89.jpg?hash=m0KL-A8xA5)
![[RotaryForum.com] - Frank "Bull" Brown](https://data3.rotaryforum.com/attachments/94/94612-3403b64e16038a7a43d146055e4aa647.jpg?hash=OiOwqKwWNW)
