Bob Eidson might have been around ranching people all his life, but he didn’t enter the business until after serving as an infantryman in World War II. The late start didn’t seem to dilute his ranching sense any. He learned about ranching from the ground up and was evidently as much a natural on the land as he had been on the football field at Midland High and later at East Texas State.
In 1975, when he inherited the ranches upon which he worked since his return from the war – the Cross HE in Lea County, New Mexico, and the Shoe Bar in Ector County, Texas – Eidson also inherited the responsibility for coming up with a substantial amount of money to pay inheritance taxes. And he only had a short period of time in which to do it.
But that trial didn’t deter him any more than the formidable challenge of achieving success in the ranching industry. He came up with the money, held on to the ranches, raised four daughters – along with his wife, Juandell – and developed quite a reputation as an experienced cowman.
“I just thank all these people for the help we’ve had and the kind of people we’ve had to work for and work with, said Eidson as he accepted his award. “We thank you all.”
