Wally McRae explained

Wally McRae
Birth Name:	Wallace D. McRae
Birth Date:	26 February 1936
Birth Place:	Rosebud Creek, Montana, U.S.
Occupation:	Cowboy, cowboy poet
Alma Mater:	Montana State University (BS)
Genre:	Poetry, stories
Notableworks:	"Reincarnation" "Things of Intrinsic Worth"
Spouse:	Ruth Hayes
Partners:	-->
Awards:	National Heritage Fellowship
Years Active:	1985–present

Wallace D. "Wally" McRae (born February 26, 1936)^[1] is an American rancher, cowboy, cowboy poet and philosopher. He runs the 30000acres Rocker Six Cattle Co. ranch on Rosebud Creek, south of Rosebud, Montana.

Biography

McRae is a third-generation rancher, his family members having raised cattle and sheep in southeastern Montana since 1885.^[2]

He attended grade school and high school in nearby Colstrip, Montana. He graduated from Montana State University in 1958 with a degree in zoology and chemistry.^[3] After college, he was commissioned by the United States Navy and served in both the Atlantic and Mediterranean fleets. Following the death of his father in 1960, McRae returned to Montana with his wife Ruth Hayes to take over the family ranching operations.^[2]

Career

McRae recalls having recited his first poem at age 4, at the one-room schoolhouse attended by his sisters. Since then, he has published more than 100 poems on topics both humorous and romantic, as well as matters of social concern such as environmental protection.^[4]

As a poet, McRae is considered a "fixture at national cowboy poet gatherings" and is "internationally known for his poem 'Reincarnation' ".^[3] As of 2015, McRae has been an invited performer at every Elko Cowboy Poetry Gathering.^[5]

The American journalist Charles Kuralt discusses McRae's efforts to preserve the land and the cowboy way of life in a small community in his book, Charles Kuralt's America.^[6] The poem "Things of Intrinsic Worth" appears with the interview in the Kuralt book. McRae was the subject of a segment on the American TV newsmagazine series 60 Minutes^[5] and he read his poetry in a 1999 episode of the PBS series P.O.V.^[7] His poems have been included in many anthologies of cowboy poetry.^[8] In addition, McRae wrote the foreword to a collection of cowboy poetry published in 2000.^[9]

Awards and honors

• 1989: Governor's Award for the Arts in Montana^[3]
• 1990: National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts^[10]
• Nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve on the National Council of the Arts
• 1999: The Missoulian listed McRae as number 42 in the Most Influential Montanans of the Century^[11]
• 2009: Montana Book of the Year award for Stick Horses^[5]
• 2020: Inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame, with the Living Award^[12]
• H.G. Merriam Award, University of Montana Mansfield Library^[5]

Published works

• Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life (2009)^[13]
• Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems (1992)^[14]
• Things of Intrinsic Worth: Poems (1989)^[15]
• It's Just Grass & Water: Poems (1986)^[16]
• Up North is Down the Crick: Poems (1985)^[17]

External links

• McRae feature includes text of five poems, including "Reincarnation" and "Things of Intrinsic Worth"
• Short film on McRae, including his recitation of "Things of Intrinsic Worth"

Notes and References

1. Web site: McRae, Wallace . . May 1, 2015 . id.loc.gov . Library of Congress . 4 January 2018.
2. Book: Govenar . Alan . 2001 . Wallace McRae: Anglo-American Cowboy Poet . Masters of Traditional Arts: A Biographical Dictionary . 2 (K-Z) . Santa Barbara, California . ABC-Clio . 422–423 . 1576072401 . 47644303.
3. Web site: Cowboy Poets: linking art and agriculture through rhyme on the range . Arthur . Jean . Spring 2005 . alumni.montana.edu . Collegian . https://web.archive.org/web/20060901102324/http://alumni.montana.edu/news/collegian/archive/Spring2005/poets.htm . September 1, 2006 . 3 January 2018.
4. Web site: Wallace McRae: Cowboy Poet . . n.d. . www.arts.gov . National Endowment for the Arts . December 9, 2020.
5. Web site: Montanans You Should Know: Wally McRae . . March 21, 2015 . www.distinctlymontana.com . Star Ridge New Media . 4 January 2018.
6. Book: Kuralt, Charles . 1996 . Charles Kuralt's America . New York . Anchor Books . 205–208 . 9780385485104 . 34690902 . Charles Kuralt.
7. News: Toner . Noreen . September 19, 1999 . Documentary Features Art of Abescon Twins . The Press of Atlantic City . Atlantic City, NJ . Entertainment section, B1.
8. Web site: Cowboy Poetry Anthologies Index . . www.cowboypoetry.com . Center for Western and Cowboy Poetry . 4 January 2018.
9. Book: McWhorter, Larry . Coggin . Janice . Coggin . Mason . 2000 . Cowboy Poetry . Phoenix, AZ . Cowboy Miner Productions . 9780966209136 . 44514318.
10. Web site: NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1990 . . www.arts.gov . National Endowment for the Arts . December 9, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200519212749/https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/year/1990 . May 19, 2020 . dead.
11. Web site: 100 Most Influential Montanans of the Century . The Missoulian newspaper . https://web.archive.org/web/20010303143533/http://www.missoulian.com/specials/100montanans/list/042.html . dead . 3 March 2001 . 11 April 2009.
12. News: . July 29, 2021 . Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame to celebrate inductees August 14 in Great Falls . Billings Gazette . Billings, Montana . October 18, 2021.
13. Book: McRae, Wallace . 2009 . Stick Horses and Other Stories of Ranch Life . 1st . Layton, UT . Gibbs Smith . 9781423605911 . 259258556.
14. Book: McRae, Wallace . 1992 . Cowboy Curmudgeon and Other Poems . 1st . Salt Lake City, UT . Gibbs Smith . 9780879054632 . 24628221 . registration.
15. Book: McRae, Wallace D. . 1989 . Things of Intrinsic Worth . illustrated by Clinton Y. McRae . Bozeman, MT . Outlaw Books . 9780945960027 . 22137021.
16. Book: McRae, Wallace . 1986 . It's Just Grass and Water . 1st trade . Spokane, WA . Oxalis . 17643917.
17. Book: McRae, Wallace . 1985 . Up North is Down the Crick . Bozeman, MT . Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University . 9780933819009 . 12751826.