Texas Junior Simmental/Simbrah Association
Great Kids, Great Cattle, Great Fun since 1972!
Directors
Scholarship
Program
Scholarship
Program
A
History of the TJSSA Educational Trust
A scholarship fund was started in 1988 by longtime TJSSA adviser Rich
Forst and TSSA member Carlos X. Guerra. Rich Forst donated funds to open
an account and Carlos X. Guerra donated the pick of his heifer calf crop
to start the fundraising. The donated heifer raised $12,500 in a progressive
auction at the TSSA Annual Convention. Over the years many TSSA members
have contributed to the TJSSA Scholarship Education Trust.
In 1997 the TSSA Board of Directors voted to ensure the permanent existence
of the scholarship program by establishing the TJSSA Educational Trust.
It is a non-profit entity whose sole purpose is to provide scholarships
to deserving youth involved in the TJSSA. The trust is administered by
three trustees who include Victor Guerra, Linn, Tx; Warren Garrett, Canton,
Tx; and Tammy Glascock, Pilot Point, Tx.
Since the scholarship program’s inception, over $100,000 has been
awarded to junior members in the TJSSA. Scholarships are awarded to junior
members in honor of long time supporters of the junior program that include
Jimmie Travis (deceased), Weatherford, Tx; JoNell Drew, Hearne, Tx; and
Rich Forst, Chappell Hill, Tx. Endowed scholarships are also annually
awarded and include the Victor Guerra Memorial scholarship (funded by
the Guerra family of Linn), the Lytle Tom Jr. Memorial scholarship (funded
by the Tom family of Campbellton), and the Ethel McCarty Memorial scholarship
(funded by the John & Ethel McCarty Foundation, overseen by former
TJSSA adviser Jack Clark of Lampasas).
Anyone interested in making a tax deductible donation should contact Victor
Guerra (vgg03@aol.com). TJSSA members that are in their junior year of
high school are encouraged to apply and can obtain an application from
the TJSSA Web site. www.tjssa.com
TJSSA
Scholarship Honorees
Rich Forst
The Texas Junior Simmental/Simbrah Association is honored to recognize
Rich Forst for his outstanding contributions to the betterment of the
association and its members by awarding a scholarship in his name.
Rich and his wife Mary Lynne, who now reside in Round Top, Texas, were instrumental in the growth and success of the Texas junior program during the 1980s and 1990s. During that time their three children, Annette, Michael and Lisa showed Simmentals and participated in all the activities of the TJSSA as well as the American Junior Simmental Association (AJSA). In competitions, the Forst siblings typically stood at the top of the winner board in state futurities and regional and national competitions. The Forst kids were usually members of the Texas teams that dominated the AJSA national championships for 6 years in the late 80s and early 90s. In leadership, the siblings followed their parents’ example and served in numerous capacities. Most notably, all three served on the state board, Annette and Lisa both served as presidents and Lisa represented the association as both its Sweetheart and Queen. Lisa served as president, and Michael served as director of the American Junior Simmental Association in the early 1990s.
While the children were excelling in various activities, Rich and Mary Lynne were right there supporting their endeavors and making the association better for not only their own kids but for all kids.
Rich served as TJSSA advisor from 1985 to 1991. In the mid 80s the junior association was experiencing tremendous growth in membership and participation at the annual state futurity. At that time, the state futurity, which consisted of seven different events, was scored and tabulated by hand. Since the futurity events concluded on late Saturday afternoon and the awards were presented at a Sunday morning breakfast, the people scoring the events stayed up most of the night tabulating scores and slating the winners for the next day. Rich, who worked for computer giant Texas Instruments, stepped in and designed a computer program to tabulate and output scores in a matter of minutes. The computer program, still used today, has greatly improved the efficiency and assures the accuracy of the competition’s results. For the duration of his tenure as a TJSSA advisor, Rich was in charge of all scoring at the state futurities and at some regional futurities and at regional events sponsored by the TJSSA.
In addition to playing a vital role at the state level, Rich, with the constant help of Mary Lynne, organized trips for the Texas junior members to participate in the AJSA Nationals at locations in Louisville, KY, Des Moines, IA, Springfield, MO, Manhattan, KS, Terre Haute, IN, and Tulsa, OK. From arranging transportation for kids and cattle to serving as a guardian for juniors whose parents couldn’t attend, Rich dedicated himself to the families of the TJSSA. Rich always tried to make the Texas exhibit as interesting as possible flying the six flags that had flown over Texas, displaying scrapbooks from various participants, and playing videos that highlighted the activities of the Texas kids.
But, there was something more than Rich’s
dedication that made him special to the people of the TJSSA. His calm,
amicable, personable nature in dealing with any and all junior activities
made him a friend to all who came in contact with him. Rich was a friend
who they could always depend on and count on to do the right thing. His
Christian faith and his staunch belief in being fair and respectful made
him a friend who, in such an unassuming way, made a lasting impression
on the junior association, the juniors and their parents.
Rich’s high regard for the TJSSA and the Simmental breed extended
to other associations including involvement in the Gulf Coast Simmental/Simbrah
Association. He served as a director for approximately 10 years, was treasurer
during that time and handled the books for the association’s annual
sales.
Rich and his
family have been recognized by the Association over the years as TSSA
Family of the Year and TJSSA Friend of the Year. However, it is quite
evident that Rich’s love for the families of the TJSSA was his true
passion and there is no better way to honor his longtime dedication and
commitment than by awarding a junior scholarship in his name.
Jo
Nell Drew
Jo Nell Drew, along with her husband, Walter, began purchasing Simmental
bulls to use on their commercial cows in the mid 1970’s. The resulting
calves were outstanding and led to their decision to develop a registered
herd of Simmental along with what would later become Simbrah cattle. The
Drews believed very strongly in the ability of these two breeds to make
a positive impact on the beef cattle industry. They also realized the
importance of a state organization to promote and market these genetics
so they were avid supporters of the Texas Simmental/Simbrah Association
and its junior affiliate, the Texas Junior Simmental/Simbrah Association.
Mrs. Drew was actively involved in the ranching operation and following
Mr. Drew’s untimely death, she continued to operate Drew Ranch producing
both Simmental and Simbrah cattle until her dispersal sale to Simmentals
of Texas in 2005.
Mrs. Drew was
a two term director of the Gulf Coast Simmental/Simbrah Association and
the Texas Simmental/Simbrah Association. Her love for the juniors and
desire to help them was demonstrated by her most generous support for
the TJSSA and its activities. She sponsored and hosted many Junior Field
Days and Judging Contests at her ranch, supported the state futurity and
served as a Trustee for the TJSSA Scholarship Foundation. As a result
of her continued dedication to our breeds and the people involved, Mrs.
Drew was the first individual to receive all three of the most prestigious
Simmental/Simbrah awards in Texas: the TSSA Family of the Year Award,
The TSSA Honorary Lifetime Membership and the Friend of the TJSSA Award,
all tributes to her undying commitment to the cattle, people and future
of Simmental and Simbrah cattle.
Jimmie
R. Travis (deceased)
Jimmie Travis was a leader, innovator and pioneer in the beef cattle industry.
He began his agriculture career in 1955 as an Artificial Insemination
(AI) Technician servicing the widespread dairy industry in and around
the El Paso, Texas, area for American Breeders Service. He later located
in Weatherford, Texas, and became District Sales Manager for the north
half of Texas for ABS. In that capacity he was actively involved with
the new “exotic” breeds of cattle being imported into Canada
with semen then coming into the United States for use on our domestic
cattle. One breed in particular, Simmental, became the breed of choice
for Travis, as it was for many other astute cattlemen, and he began breeding
his own cows to produce Simmental-sired offspring. He, along with many
other innovators saw the need for an association to maintain the herdbook
for the rapidly increasing numbers of Simmental cattle being produced.
As a result, he participated in the organizational meeting of the American
Simmental Association in Denver in 1968 where he became a charter member
with the ASA membership number of #88. Also realizing the need for a state-wide
organization to promote and market Simmental genetics, Travis helped organize
the Texas Simmental Association which was formed on February 14, 1970
to become the first state association chartered under the ASA.
The original Board of Directors of the Texas Simmental Association, which later became the Texas Simmental/Simbrah Association, all had a vision for the growth and future of the Simmental breed in Texas and this growth included a junior organization. Travis volunteered to be the board member in charge of organizing and working with the new junior association as their first advisor. He later served as one of the first Trustees for the TJSSA Scholarship Foundation. Throughout his career and even after retiring he continued to champion the Texas Junior Simmental/Simbrah Association. He was an integral part of the futurities, fund raising efforts and other activities for the TJSSA. Travis was instrumental in helping the TJSA grow from a meager start of less than a dozen members in 1973, to the TJSSA of today which is one of the largest and most well-respected junior organizations in Texas.
Jimmie Travis’s
many contributions to the TSSA and the TJSSA were recognized by being
honored with a TSSA Honorary Lifetime Membership and the Friend of the
TJSSA Award.
TJSSA
Memorial Scholarhips
Lytle
Tom Jr. (deceased)
Lytle Tom Jr.
was born and raised on his family’s ranch near Campbellton, Texas
that he operated with his uncle and his mother. The ranch has been in
the family since 1857. He graduated from the University of Texas with
a BA in Statistics. If there was a better way of doing something, Lytle
would try it. His spirit and open mind allowed him to be considered an
innovator and leader in the beef industry.
Under Lytle’s
management, Tom Brothers Ranch installed the first cow-calf drylot in
south Texas and was among the first to use artificial insemination on
beef cattle. When embryo transfer technology became available he trained
as a technician and was a licensed auctioneer. Before the term was even
coined, Lytle was stacking generations of performance sires into his herd.
Before the concept of EPDs was defined, Lytle served on the Beef Improvement
Federation
committee that originated EPDs. Lytle always had in mind the end product
of his cattle and was an advocate for collecting carcass data and developing
EPDs for carcass traits.
The ranch has been home to many breeds of cattle, and Lytle’s breeds of choice were Angus, Simmental, and Simbrah. Simmental cattle have been a part of the ranch’s breeding program since the late 1960s when Simmental semen was first imported into the United States. The Simbrah herd was incorporated in the early 1980s by using the very best genetics available in Simmental and Brahman to breed up to purebred. Lytle was breeding SimAngus cattle long before they became the popular hybrid they are today. In 1992 he was elected president of the Texas Simmental Simbrah Association and later served as president of the Texas Angus Association. He also served on the Beef Sire Committee for Select Sires, Inc. In 1992 Lytle was selected as “Man of the Year in Texas Agriculture” by the Texas Association of County Extension Agents.
In addition to the cattle operation, Lytle was an avid conservationist and his goal was to enhance and preserve the land left in his care and to improve the native wildlife habitat. He used many methods to enable the ranch to withstand drought and recover faster when the rains finally came. He was among the first to use deer-proof fencing, building over 35 miles of fence. Lytle always believed in sharing his knowledge with others and hosted many field days at the ranch with topics that included range management for wildlife, cow management, brush control demonstrations and prescribed burning demonstrations.
Lytle served as a speaker at the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course, the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raiser’s Association convention, the Grain Sorghum Producers Association, the National Association of Animal Breeders, the California Livestock Symposium, and the International Ranchers Roundup.
While serving
as a TSSA director, Lytle saw firsthand the benefits of the TJSSA program.
He saw to it that his youngest son, Philip, became involved in the youth
organization. Philip flourished in the TJSSA and served as president of
the TJSSA and the AJSA. Later, Lytle’s grandchildren, Ellen and
Jonathan, became members of the TJSSA and benefited as well. Ellen also
served as president of the TJSSA and as an AJSA Trustee. His oldest son
and daughter-in-law served as TJSSA advisers for ten years and now Ellen
is serving as an adviser. Because the TJSSA has such a special place in
the hearts of the Tom family, Mrs. Lytle Tom Jr. (Roxana) endows a memorial
scholarship in honor of her late husband to the TJSSA Education Trust.
This page was last updated July 21, 2010