Frank Elam, Jr.

July 21, 1957 -

IGRA# 4593

First attended a gay rodeo in 1989
Involved in gay rodeo through 2012

Inducted 2022

Frank was born in Beeville, TX where his dad was a pilot trainer at Clark Airfield with the US Navy. Shortly thereafter, his dad and family transferred to the then Dallas Naval Air Station in 1958 where they put down roots, so to say. Frank's dad retired from the Navy four years later. So, Dallas was his home for many years to come.

Growing up in Dallas, he did not have a lot of exposure to the rodeo lifestyle, but when he attended the Roundup Saloon in Dallas, he got to know several members of the TGRA. In late 1989, Frank joined up initially as a volunteer at the local rodeo. Soon thereafter the contestant bug got him and he started doing camp events, chute dogging and calf roping on foot. Then he expanded into rough stock, initially just steer riding in 1992. In 1993 he added bull riding and bareback bronc riding to his repertoire. His first buckle in the rough stock events came in 1993. He continued to buckle in Bareback Bronc, Steer Riding and the Bull Riding events where he accumulated somewhere around 100 buckles total in those events alone.

Frank also briefly worked with horses to do the speed events, but found his heart was more into the rough stock events where he concentrated his efforts. That worked out well for the next several years until he broke his neck at the 2002 IGRA Finals Rodeo in Wichita, KS. Freak accident as the bull clipped him in the neck after the ride when he was getting up from the ground. Got first place for the ride in the go-round, but that his last bull ride in the IGRA.

After nearly a year off from activity in the IGRA circuit, Frank decided to pursue working as a rodeo judge. Being a student judge for most of 2003 and early 2004, he was finally certified as a rodeo judge for IGRA where he worked many rodeos until his retirement from IGRA in 2012.

During his early years with TGRA and IGRA, Frank worked with the rodeo rules committee, being the chairman of the committee for approximately ten years. During that time, there were many changes to how some of the events were run including Chute Dogging and the Wild Drag Race. (Remember the race to the ten-foot line in Chute Dogging? Or the 7 second runs put in the Wild Drag Race? ) Frank also created the Texas Spirit Award for TGRA in the late 1990's in honor of his close friend in TGRA, Nathan Chowning. It later was recognized as an award celebrating the lives of all those that we have lost over the years. Nathan was good little bull rider that was taken way too soon from us due to HIV complications. He was a friend to everyone and an enemy to no one. The Spirit Award was given to a contestant at the TGRA rodeo each year who portrayed the camaraderie and sportsmanship as those were the traits of Nathan. Frank also sponsored the Women's Bull Riding Buckle at the TGRA rodeos for several years, again in memory of Nathan Chowning.

Frank was also a member of ASGRA and RRRA along with his membership of TGRA. His membership with the other organizations were to help support their early developing years under the IGRA umbrella. The thing Frank misses the most is the camaraderie and fun that were had at each rodeo. It was a good full chapter of his life and something he would not trade for anything in the world.