Although she was not a barrel racer or roper, Bert Bounds played an integral role in the formation and growth of the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. Her cousin, Johnny Boren, came up with the concept for the Hall of Fame, but he depended heavily on Bounds to help make it happen. Bert, the youngest of four girls to J.E. (Preacher) and Edgie Lee Carpenter Wilhite, graduated from Belton High School in 1948. In 1949, she married the love of her life, R.D. Bounds, and was a devoted wife to him until his death in 1993. They had three children, Jody, Jim, and Cindy, and stayed busy with football and baseball games, horse shows, and rodeos.
R.D. tried his hand at rodeo, and Bert was famous for showing up with her fried chicken, gravy, and sweet tea for the cowboys. They were members of the Belton Riding and Roping Club where the boys competed, and she would run for the ropers in the ribbon roping. Later, the Bounds helped in forming the Junior Rodeo Club in Belton.
Bounds was active in her community as a member of the V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary, where she presided over the junior girls. She was also active as an ambassador of the Belton Chamber of Commerce and enjoyed being a part of their ribbon cuttings. She was a member of the Belton Band Boosters and worked as a volunteer for the annual Texas Western Swing Fiddling Showcase held in Belton.
Her real passion, other than her grandkids, was helping Johnny Boren create the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame. For years, she was responsible for contacting the inductees and getting their bios and photographs. She often helped them complete their bios, get copies of the photographs made, and even helped find them places to stay during the induction ceremony.
In addition to helping with the inductees, Bounds also was responsible for decorating, finding volunteers, and her main goal was always to make the inductees feel special. She also worked with the media to promote and advertise the event. It is no surprise that Boren called her his “right arm,” and with good reason, because she took a lot of responsibility off of his shoulders with no expectation of being recognized for her duties. She did it because she loved the people connected with the sport of rodeo.
As a result of her efforts and hard work, she was inducted into the Bell County Cowboy’s and Cowgirl’s Ring of Honor.
