Close to Nowhere

One of the first stories I wrote for The South Reporter was about the first time I went to a rodeo ­ the Knotty Bolden Memorial Rodeo ­ outside Holly Springs on Highway 7 at the Bolden farms. I loved it despite the heat and dust.

Over time I became a "rodeo groupie." I've always loved all kinds of animals and there were bunches of horses, dogs, sheep, calves, etc., including bulls.

Bulls are scary ­ especially bucking bulls. So imagine my surprise to find myself in Jerry Bolden's truck, bouncing through Jerry's cow fields with a bag of feed in the back to feed bulls.

Jerry kept telling me that they were "good" bulls, but I'd seen these same bulls trying their hardest to get those dang cowboys off their backs and tromp on them.

Jerry walked right up to a big, black bull that I'd seen in the arena ­ this bull was called B.J., and he had a bad reputation. He hand-fed that bull from the feed sack and even encouraged me to feed him. Naturally, being terrified, I did. But that entire afternoon I stayed right behind Jerry. He just laughed at me.

Jerry Bolden was a nice man. He loved his family ­ and according to his sister Faye Cook, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren were the joy of his life. He loved his friends and his animals, along with the IPRA rodeo.

He started the Knotty Bolden Memorial Rodeo after his brother Knotty was killed by a bull in a training accident. And every year at that rodeo, the Knotty Bolden Memorial Buckle is awarded. And every year, Jerry cried. It takes a really big man to cry in front of a rodeo crowd full of rowdy cowboys, pretty girls and regular folks.

I wrote many more stories over the years about Jerry and the rodeo. He provided stock for rodeos all over the country and Bolden Rodeos organized and put on rodeos everywhere. One of the many was the Liberty Bowl annual rodeo as part of the Liberty Bowl activities. He was a proud member of the IPRA and promoted that organization everywhere he went.

Jerry came into The South Reporter office many times over the years I worked there, advertising his rodeos and bringing information for stories about some of the many unusual acts appearing there. I did stories on monkeys riding dogs and rodeo clowns (the guys who put themselves in harms way to protect the bull riders) and a Christian group who organized church services for the cowboys. There were also rodeo riders and performers. Jerry recently had a heart attack and passed away Friday. His

obituary is in the newspaper this week. If you knew Jerry, and almost everyone around here knew

him, you know the important stuff about him. He loved God, he loved his family, he loved rodeo and he loved his hometown. He was certainly one of Marshall County's biggest characters.

And he had a big, big heart. I'll miss seeing him around.