The Nebraska Appaloosa Hall of Fame was established in 2006. These awards were given to past members of the Nebraska Appaloosa Club in recognition of their support and dedication to the Appaloosa Horse. In 2007 a Nebraska Appaloosa Horse Hall of Fame was established to recognize individual horses that have contributed in exceptional ways to the Appaloosa Breed.
For Marvin Wendt, horses have always been a part of Marvin’s life. His father and grandfather had some of the best matched pair teams in the Murdock community. Marvin joined the Nebraska Appaloosa Horse Club and managed to take, his daughter, Diane to all of the shows in between farming and his hay and feed business. It didn’t take long before he became really involved with the Nebraska Appaloosa Horse Club. He served on numerous committees and also held many different elected positions. He served as the President of the Nebraska Appaloosa Horse Club on several different terms. Breeding, raising and buying horses for Diane was his responsibility. Over the years Marvin became well known for his “tent”. It was the social gathering place for everyone at the horse shows. He capitalized on “Marv’s Tent” and auctioned off seats under the tent at all of the fund raisers for the Nebraska Appaloosa Horse Club.
Leonard and Iris Nelms of Hayes Center, Nebraska are longtime Appaloosa breeders. They have three children, Casey, Christy and Jim who were also involved in showing Appaloosas. Their horses included Red Clouds Fish Hawk who was a state and regional all-around champion. Leonard and Iris were also the breeders ofNelm's Polkadottot who was the dam of Zippo's Countryboy, Zippos Country Girl, Zip Code One, and Just a Bit Fishy. All of these offspring have been successful in the show ring winning National and World championships. This mare is also the grandmother of the 2006 World's Best Appaloosa and Nutrena Iron Horse Champion, Captain Zip Ahoy.
Leonard and Iris played a major role in the founding of the Many Rivers Appaloosa Club which later merged to form the Nebraska Appaloosa Club. They have raised numerous state and regional champions.
Rita and Loyle Erickson of Sutton, Nebraska were also Hall of Fame inductees. They are best known for being the parents of the famous "Erickson boys." If you pulled into a horse show and saw the Erickson boys horse trailer you knew competition was going to be tough! Kip, Rourk, Dusty, and Jorn were all avid Appaloosa exhibitors and won in all events from showmanship to games and roping. They were Nebraska State 4-H champions, Nebraska Appaloosa Club champions, Mid Con champions, and National Champions in several events. Some of their horses included Max Patch, Skips Folly, Ms. Skip Bright, Adda Apache, Bright Hand, Barney Bright, and Spurs Boomerang. Rita and Loyle are the donors of the Rourk Erickson Memorial Award in honor of their son, Rourk, who passed away due to a tragic accident. Rita and Loyle made many sacrifices for their children to be active in the show ring. Showing kept the family busy and kept the family together. Rita and Loyle are to be commended for their dedication.
Tommv & Evelvn Thompson of Grand Island Nebraska are being inducted into the Nebraska Appaloosa Hall of Fame. Both Tommy & Evelyn were instrumental in founding our state's Appaloosa club. They traveled hundreds of miles promoting the Appaloosa breed. Although Tommy & Evelyn didn't have any children of their own, they were never without children around. Individuals like Denny & Amy (Cox) Placzek benefited from their generosity over 30 years ago by providing them with horses and taking them to shows. Everyone was always welcome at the Thompson house. Some of their horses included Prince Pepe, Rudes Remark, Charlies Moon Rock, Handy Cash, Pepe's Misty Moon, Pepe's McCue, Pepe's Copa Lakota and Mighty Nawata Bars. They raised numerous state and regional champions. Their horses and kids offspring are still in the Appalossa show ring today.
Tommy & Evelyn also believed in giving back to their community. During the 1970's they donated the money to build the Thompson 4H arena at Fonner Park in Grand Island.
Tommy passed away several years ago and Evelyn still lives in the Yellow house beside the Wood River.
Dave Voss of Grand Island, Nebraska is being inducted into the Nebraska Appaloosa Hall of Fame. Dave is best known in the Appaloosa club for having a great time. You could always count on Dave to come up with some kind of entertainment for the show. He competed in Western, English, Heritage and Roping. Over the years he won state, regional and national titles. He competed on several horses over the years but the one everyone remembers was Red Chief or better known as RCA.
Dave is the owner of the Grand Island Western Shop and has always been a huge supporter of the Nebraska Appaloosa Club. He has always been willing to donate, advertise or be a sponsor when asked.
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