In 1946, Roland and Mary Jo Reid established the Double R Rodeo Company. They produced their first rodeo in the Hill County town of Peoria, Texas. During the next forty-seven years, they produced twenty-five to thirty rodeos a year in the Texas and Oklahoma area. They produced many well-known rodeos in Texas including the Mabank Rodeo for over thirty years, Hillsboro Rodeo for over twenty-five years, the Kuecklehan Ranch Rodeo in Bonham, Texas for over twenty years, Wolfe City, Texas for twenty years, L.D. Bell Rodeo for over thirty years, Teague, Texas for fifteen years, Athens, and Jacksonville, Texas.
Many of their achievements included: Furnishing stock in 1957 for the Houston Stock Show and Rodeo, producing thirteen performances at the Detroit, Michigan Rodeo in 1955, furnishing stock for several pro rodeos around Texas including the Tommy Steiner family, and during the 1960s they produced the Fort Worth Pioneer Days Rodeo for many years. In 1954, Roland helped organize the C.R.A. at Stephen F. Austin Ranch and produced the first C.R.A. Rodeo. He influenced the organization of the North Texas High School Rodeo Association, which is still going strong as of today, and from 1972 until 1977 he produced the world’s largest youth rodeo, the Denton Junior Stampede. After Roland’s death in 1993, his grand-nephew, C.K. Reid, took over the reins of the Double R Rodeo Company to continue the heritage of his uncle.
Roland, with Mary Jo at his side as his rodeo secretary and timer, helped many young kids develop into talented and well-known athletes in the rodeo world. They were not only interested in their athletic ability but also in seeing that they made other achievements. Over the years, they helped other cowboy families in crisis out of the goodness of their hearts. Among those who went on to achieve fame were:
James Jennings – The Voice of the Dallas Cowboy and announcer for the Mesquite Rodeo
Jimmy Anderson – PRCA Clown
Jim Bob – PRCA Clowns
John Ruth – PRCA Clown
Tom Feller – PRCA Clown
Bernice Johnson – PRCA Producer
James Bunum – World Champion Bulldogger
Walt Garrison – Former Dallas Cowboy and Pro Bulldogger
There was such a numerous following of cowboys and cowgirls that it is hard to mention all their names and achievements. From 1947 until the present, just about every cowboy and cowgirl who went anywhere followed their rodeos.
