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Cowboys of the Sky ®
Article by Terry Blankenship |
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first time I heard the term "Cowboys of the Sky" was in 1980,
in the West Texas Metropolis of Dell City. There was a small group of
soaring pilots who had decided one of the neatest places to soar in
Texas would be off the Guadeloupe Peak. Dell City has no Motel 6 or any
motel for that matter. Those of us who did not have a motor home slept
in tents. Alex Aldott was one of those pilots.
Alex was a professional photographer and
specialized in soaring portraits. His photos graced the cover of not
only Soaring but also the covers of national soaring magazines of other
countries. Many of his soaring portraits were taken of airborne gliders
over well-known local sites like the St. Louis Arch, Mt. Whitney, and
many others. On this trip, Guadeloupe Peak was added to the list. One morning, we decided to go into town
and visit the general store. While in the store Alex noticed the wide
selection of cowboy hats and had to have one. His enthusiasm was
infectious and we all ended up buying straw cowboy hats, which we all
wore out of the store. Alex had a heavy Hungarian accent which I am sure
was very unusual to the sales clerk who checked us out. When Alex paid
for his new cowboy hat, the young girl asked him where he was from. With
great pride and an even heavier accent, Alex replied "TEXAS!"
and without further explanation strutted out the door. During the weekend, Alex talked about the
similarities between the American Cowboy and the Hungarian Cowboy, and
how much he admired the independent spirit, pride, and can-do attitude
that cowboys from the two different countries shared. To Alex, soaring
pilots exemplified that same spirit. Jim Crisp loved the idea and
encouraged Alex to complete a book based on Alex's beautiful soaring
portraits with the cowboy theme. When Alex died of pancreatic cancer a
few years later, he was working on the book he titled "Cowboys of
the Sky." It is a loss to all of us that he did not finish this
book. |
After
Alex's death, Jim did not want the concept and idea to fade. Jim decided
soaring needed a special organization and that it would be "Cowboys
of the Sky" in memory of Alex. Jim arranged for copyright of the
name and had a logo designed by a professional artist. With logo in
hand, he had patches, baseball caps, magnetic signs, stationary, and
desk flag sets made. Jim loved to share soaring more than any other
person I have met, and "Cowboys of the Sky" was only one way
in which he did this.
Jim discussed the idea behind "Cowboys of the Sky" with me, and I'm sure with many others. He wanted it to be important and wanted the members to be proud of their membership. Alex was given membership number 1 and Jim had membership number 2. Throughout the years, Jim inducted new members through a selection process that can only be called obscure and versatile. After Jim's death, his wife Shirley gave me a box and told me that I needed to continue "Cowboys of the Sky." When I opened the box, I was in hopes of finding a roster of the members. No such luck--in the box were a few patches and desk set flags with the "Cowboys of the Sky" logo. Most soaring pilots in Texas and New
Mexico are aware of the "Cowboys of the Sky." The members are
scattered and often modest of their induction into such an honored
group. This makes it difficult for me to continue the tradition, so I
have a request. If you were inducted, please let me know when, where,
how, and the approximate date. I'd like to see the excitement of Alex
and Jim continue.
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