Alan was born in SF, CA but raised on a ranch in John Day, OR. He enlisted in the USN at 17 and served 4 years during WWII in the Pacific theater. After his service, he was a freelance journalist and traveled the world. While in France during the late 1960’s, he got the idea to bring rodeo to Europe. In 1970 he landed a boat full of rodeo stock in Livorno, Italy and started a rodeo tour that crisscrossed Europe. Due to a lack of financing, this first attempt didn’t pan out and he had to sell all the stock to pay the bills. Early in 1971 after some discussion with a couple of soldiers stationed in Germany, Alan approached the Commander of US Army Europe and they agreed to back a new venture with proceeds going to the Army Morale Fund. Stock was procured and the first European Rodeo Cowboys Association event was held in Berlin, Germany on 1 July 1971 under the banner of Rodeo USA.
Alan would continue to hold rodeos all over Germany for the next 30+ years allowing over 30,000 military rodeo contestants to compete during that time. His relentless drive to spread the western lifestyle helped him be very successful producing these ERCA rodeos. His home ranch in Otterberg, Germany was a second home to many military cowboys during their years in Europe. He took them under his wing and taught them how to ride as well as how to work on the ranch. Many of them became almost family to Alan. The hundreds of ERCA rodeos Alan produced generated over $1.2 million for the Army Morale Fund which provided other opportunities for service members stationed in Europe.
As a rodeo promoter and stock contractor, Alan was without peer during his 30 years of producing military rodeos and many of his contestants returned to the United States better prepared to rodeo in the MRCA, IPRA and PRCA. Alan was an ambassador for military rodeo until his passing in October 2003.
Born: 1926 in San Francisco, CA Died: 2003 in Speyer, Germany
