The Angus Journal® is a monthly magazine known for in-depth coverage of American Angus Association® programs and services; the Angus business; herd management; and advertising reflecting genetics and herd philosophies.
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feature divisions for both haltered and unhaltered females. The Montana Angus Association also offers a futurity in connection with this sale. This futurity program offers junior Angus Association members a unique opportunity to access elite genetics while providing consignors with an additional avenue of promotion. Nominations to the sale must be received no later than July 7. RPI Promotions will tour Montana to evaluate the nominees and select the fnal cut for the sale. Nomination forms will be mailed to Montana Angus Association members or can be requested from the sale management. For more information about the sale, contact Montana Angus Association (montanaangusnews@gmail.com, 406-388- 1291) or RPI Promotions (don@pioneer- review.com, 605-685-5147). z ANGUS ARRIVALS Mark and Miranda Reiman, Cozad, Neb., announce the birth of their daughter, Nora Charlise, on May 6. She weighed 8 lb., 10 oz., and was 20¼ in. long. She was welcomed home by brother Carson and sisters Brooklyn, Cassidy and Mckenna. Grandparents are Mark and Karla Malo, East Chain, Minn., and Ed and Cathy Reiman, Butte, Neb. Miranda is assistant director of industry information with Certifed Angus Beef LLC (CAB). z IN PASSING Jeanette Stevenson, Hobson, Mont., 100, died May 10 in Lewistown, Mont., six weeks shy of her 101st birthday. Variously described as "Montana's Angus queen," "the 'voice' of the Angus breed in Montana," "a remarkable woman with endless energy," "a woman to be admired … honest from the word go," and "an encourager of others," Jeanette (Potter) Stevenson was a woman of modest beginnings. Jeanette was born June 29, 1914, in Miles City, Mont., and spent her early life on a homestead in Sonnette, Mont., in west- central Powder River County. It is located southwest of the county seat of Broadus, Mont. In a piece she wrote for Refections at Sunset, a compilation of pieces written by members of the Central Montana Writers Group, Jeanette said living on the homestead was not easy. Folks leaving their homes for the lure of free land did not fnd the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Jeanette wrote, "Instead, they found sagebrush, rocks that resisted the plow, rattlesnakes to be feared, and coyotes and bobcats that preyed on their chickens and turkeys — and wind, always the wind." She commented, however, on what a wonderful life the homesteaders' life was for children. "Children grew up with the smell of pines, the sharp sweetness of the sage after a rain, the acrid gumweed in the hot summer sun, and horses — always horses. "School was an 'iffy' thing," Jeanette recorded, and "books were at a premium." After 10 years in Sonnette, Edith Potter and her two daughters, Jeanette and Doris, moved to Pierre, S. D., where Edith cooked for a railroad crew. Jeanette's dad, Frank, had left his family to their life on the homestead and lived in Miles City, Mont. The couple divorced. In South Dakota Edith met Joe Hoven, who worked for the Milwaukee Railroad. Hoven had a brother who lived in Hobson, and when Joe was given notice of his job with the railroad ending, he moved to Montana. Edith accepted a position as a housekeeper for Joe in Hobson, who was by then a widower. She took Jeanette with her; Doris was sent to California to live with an aunt. Jeanette was 13 at the time, an eighth grader. Edith and Joe eventually married. She died in 1939. With little to no formal elementary education, Jeanette drifted between the occasional one-room schoolhouse and studying on her own. Once moved to Montana, Jeanette attended Hobson High School, where she met her future husband, Jamie R. Stevenson. She was the valedictorian of the Class of 1931. Son Jim noted his mother was very smart and was always very hardworking. "If it wasn't for her," Jim said, "there wouldn't be a ranch." After high school graduation Jeanette traveled to Missoula, where she attended the university for a year, beginning nurse's training. Jenni Hammontree, Jeanette's granddaughter, said her grandma had always told her that she had to quit college because after her frst year her dad quit sending her money for tuition. Jamie and Jeanette were married in 1936. Their main concern after marriage was how to put food on the table. They simply did what they could to survive. "We were married in the height of the Depression, and we didn't have an acre of land," Jeanette told Nancy Klemens for the Angus Journal. Eventually they were able to fnance and buy 240 acres of land near Hobson on Gumbo Flats. Together with Jamie's parents, they managed 40 cattle and 120 sheep. In time, the couple moved to Hauck Coulee; it is still called the homeplace, 1½ miles southeast of Hobson. They raised fve sons, Jim, Wesley (aka Sam), Wayne, Keith and Rick. Together, Jamie and Jeanette continually upgraded their assets. In 1946 they bought three registered-Angus heifers, the beginning of Stevenson Angus Ranch. By the early 1950s the majority of their herd was Angus. Jeanette became a charter member of the Montana Angus Auxiliary in 1960, serving as vice president from 1960-1962 and as president from 1962-1964. She served as the editor of the Montana Angus News magazine from 1967 until the early 1980s. Many of Jeanette's grandkids remember gathering together to get the magazine ready for mailing. Jeanette volunteered much of her time, working with the Hobson Woman's Club and the Methodist Church, helping to organize Sunday School. She was president of the PTA, served as Worthy Matron of the Eastern Star, helped to charter the Hobson FFA, and served as a 4-H leader for more than 20 years. Jeanette never missed a livestock or 4-H show if her grandchildren were showing. Son Keith said she was instrumental in convincing Katie Williams to serve as a swimming instructor, which helped to jump- start swimming in the area. He also noted Williams had told him his mother was involved in getting the hot-lunch program at the Hobson School and the senior center. Jeanette had a hand in saving Hobson's library, as well. "We called her 'Wheels,' " Keith said. "We lived down in a coulee and all you did was see the backend of her wheels as she drove away." Jeanette loved to travel and experience the world. Throughout her life there were many trips to the California coast to visit extended family. She attended the annual livestock shows and meetings, and anything to do with Angus. Some of the most memorable trips included a visit to the Holy Land, travels in Australia and France, riding a camel in Egypt (in her 70s) and viewing the Serengeti from a hot-air balloon (in her 80s). Jeanette's family describes her as straightforward. "She didn't ask for anything," Keith said. "She told you what to do." However, she got things done that way. Jeanette was the Stevenson matriarch. She July 2015 n ANGUSJournal n 29 Jeanette Stevenson CONTINUED ON PAGE 30