Lubbock, Texas (press release) – Clark S. Willingham has been awarded the 2022 National Golden Spur Award in recognition of its commitment to the agriculture and livestock industries.
“This award recognizes distinguished industry leaders whose dedication to land and ranching has earned them the respect and admiration of their peers,” said Jim Brett Campbell, executive director of the National Ranching Heritage Center at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. “This is the highest honor given to a man in cattle breeding and cattle breeding.”
Willingham will be honored during the National Golden Spur Awards Dinner at 6 pm on Saturday, October 15 at the Overton Hotel in Lubbock. In the year Established in 1978 and sponsored by the American Quarter Horse Association, National Cattlemen’s Foundation, Ranch Heritage Association, Texas Cattlemen’s Association, Texas Farm Bureau and the Texas and Southwest Cattlemen’s Association, it is the 44th recipient of the award.
Although Willingham did not grow up farming, his decades of volunteer service demonstrated his commitment to the cattle industry. Under the direction of his late son-in-law, HC “Ladd” Hitch, who made the Hitch Ranch in the Oklahoma panhandle his home in 1884, Willingham was active in leadership roles for various industrial unions.
Willingham is a past president of the National Beef Association and has served on the Beef Board Operating Committee, the United States Meat Export Federation Board of Directors, and the National Livestock and Meat Board Promotion Committee. He is past president of the Texas Cattlemen’s Association, the Texas Beef Council, the Texas Farmland Trust and the Texas State Board of Veterinary Examiners.
“I love being associated with the industry and great people,” Willingham said. “Being involved with cattle associations has given Jane and I the opportunity to travel, experience new things and make a difference.”
Willingham served as vice president, director and co-owner of Stony Point AgriCorp, a 3,000-head calf operation near Rio Vista, Texas, and a 7,000-head feedlot near Melissa, Texas. It also supports the agricultural industry by helping family businesses, especially farmers and ranchers, with agricultural estate planning.
Willingham continues to play an active role in state and national organizations. He currently serves on NCBA’s Tax Committee and Audit Committee, and serves as a Trustee and Treasurer of the National Cattle Awareness Foundation on the Environmental Awards Selection Committee. He is also the chairman of the board of the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Association.
Born in Houston and raised in Dallas, Willingham graduated from Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and received a JD and master’s degree in tax law from Southern Methodist University, where he met his wife, Jane Hitch.
Married for more than 50 years, Clark and Jane continue to live in Dallas, where they enjoy spending time with their two grown children, their spouses, and six grandchildren. Willingham is a member of the American Law Society and continues to practice law in the areas of agriculture, income tax and estate planning with Howell & Willingham PLLC.
To register for the National Golden Spur Awards Dinner, call Vicki Quinn-Williams at 806-834-0469 or register online at ranchingheritage.org. Reservations are required by Thursday, October 6th. Tickets are $95 for Farm Heritage Society members, $125 for non-members, $2,500 for a choice table of eight, and $5,000 for a prime table of eight.
Copyright 2022 KCBD. all rights reserved. The above information is provided by the National Breeding Heritage Center.
