Rick Alan LeClaire was born on June 8, 1959 in Iron Mountain, Michigan. He lived there with his parents, Ronald and Rosemary, a sister Wendy, and a brother Alan.
When Rick was grown and on his own, he became an emergency Medical Technician. It was then that Rick learned how important to him to make a difference. Throughout his career as an EMT, Rick was recognized many times by the community for courageous rescues, lifesaving decisions, and safety awareness. He was very well known and respected for his contributions.
When Rick relocated to Atlanta some 8 years ago, he opted to try several different fields of profession. The need to be doing something that would contribute to the community brought him to the Country Western scene. Rick got involved with Southern Country Atlanta where he was an active member. In 1991 a group of people from Southern Country branched out to form the Southeast Gay Rodeo Association . Rick was one of those Charter Members. He had finally found the niche he was looking for and dedicated all his spare time to the young organization. In 1993, Rick was elected President of the organization and his main goal was "To see SEGRA through its first rodeo". That he did . He spent countless hours at his computer creating forms, agendas, organizing, and countless hours on the phone networking. As his health started to decline, Rick worked even harder knowing this would be his greatest effort yet. At the awards ceremony on Sunday May 1st, Rick was awarded a special Rodeo Directors Buckle, something he did not expect, and something he cherished to the end. He said often after that "it was a great one, I can't believe we pulled it off!"
On January 16, 1995, Rick passed away quietly and peacefully at home with a few close friends and in arms of his partner, Glenn.
The 1995 Rodeo Steering Committee dedicates the 2nd Annual Dixieland Regional Rodeo to the memory of Rick Alan LeClaire, a true cowboy. We can here him saying now the same words that he used all through the '94 season .......... Let's Rodeo Atlanta!!!
This year's Dixieland Regional Rodeo poster is by graphic designer and fine artist Michael Goettee. It was created from his painting, "A Tad Overdressed for the Roundup". Other credits include purchases by the Columbus Museum of Art, The Hyatt Regency Hotel in Cologne, Germany, Xavier Roberts; several one - man shows, and numerous commissions. For the last five years he designed posters and T-shirts for the Hotlanta River Expo. The original painting is available for sale at the rodeo or by contacting the artist at...
Webmasters note (Jan 2014) the artist still has the original painting hanging in his office. The original painting was based on a shirt the artist saw Roy Rogers wearing in a photo.
