Another of Kearny County’s finest will soon be inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame. Brad Tate will receive the honor in the Ranchers/Cattlemen category at the Hall of Fame’s induction ceremony slated for November 2. Born with ranching in his blood, Brad is the fourth generation of his family to reside in southwest Kansas and make a life from horses, cattle, and agriculture. His maternal great-grandfather, Alonzo Boylan, established a horse ranch on White Woman Creek 40 miles north of Lakin, capturing, breaking and selling hundreds of wild horses. Boylan also farmed, raised cattle, and built up a prized Jersey dairy herd. Brad’s paternal great-grandfather, George H. Tate, Sr., arrived in Lakin 10 years later and opened a general store on Main Street. The elder Tate also had interests in ranching and agriculture.
Brad’s grandparents, Harry and Lena Tate, acquired land in several southwest Kansas counties. They raised cattle, work horses, brood mares and mule colts which they sold to the U.S. Army and farmers who were still using the animals to plant and harvest crops. Harry and Lena purchased 11,000 acres in Hamilton County in 1927, and Brad was born there on a ranch south of Syracuse in 1934, the son of Cecil and Maude Tate. His dad took baby Brad on the wagon when he ran windmills.
When Brad’s father became cashier of the Kearny County Bank a few years later, he moved his family to Lakin. Brad grew up working cattle and was involved in rodeo throughout high school and college. After graduating from Lakin High School in 1952, he pursued a degree in animal husbandry at Colorado State University where he was a member of a national championship rodeo team, won the regional championship in calf roping and was the runner-up in steer wrestling.
Brad also met his life partner while at college. He and Ann Counter were married in June of 1956 at Greeley, Colo. In 1957, Brad entered the Army and served two years at Fort Bliss where he achieved lieutenant status. The Tates came home to Lakin, and Brad ranched and farmed with his father. In 1960, the father-son duo started Tate Quarter Horse Ranch. They acquired some colts and started showing them at local shows, and in 1961, they bought their first race horse, a stallion named Bar Caro. This was followed by the purchase of Glory Be Good, a stakes-placed son of Top Deck. Later, a Kentucky thoroughbred by the name of Hannibal was acquired. Brad’s racing and breeding career took off. One of his biggest money winners in the 1980s was Fast and Racy which won two futurities and was undefeated as a two-year-old. A few of the Tates’ other top horses include Nu Gnu, Queen of Vail, Queen of Aspen, Tate Express, Sir Veza, Baja Jazz, and Wicked Valentine which earned eight wins in 44 starts from 2013 to 2020.
Brad became a member of the board of directors for the Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association in 1962, and during his three years as president of the KQHRA, he successfully lobbied for pari-mutuel wagering in Kansas. Brad became a director in the American Quarter Horse Association in 1967, and in 1977, he joined the AQHA Racing Committee. He was a chairman of that committee for two years. In 1985, he was elected to the AQHA’s Executive Committee and became president of the organization in 1989, the 50th anniversary of the AQHA. During his tenure, Brad was instrumental in increasing awareness of the AQHA and American Quarter Horse with the opening of the American Quarter Horse Heritage Center & Museum at Amarillo, TX. After serving on the executive committee, Brad continued to serve the AQHA by chairing the finance committee. In 1998, he was recognized as a 30-year cumulative breeder and was inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in 2000.
Through the years, the Tate family’s holdings continued to increase. Brad became a partner in Tate Enterprises and worked alongside his son, Bret, and cousin George Tate in running Tate Ranch and Triple T Farms. Brad was also a partner in Kearny County Feeders.
Brad and Ann Tate have been staunch supporters of the Kearny County Historical Society and our community. Both served as elders in the Presbyterian Church. Ann faithfully delivered Meals-on-Wheels for years, served on Medical Procurement Committees, and the Kearny County Hospital Board while Brad served terms on the USD 215 school board and the City Council.
In the early 2000s, the Tates moved their ranching operation to northeast Oklahoma, but Brad and Ann retained their Lakin home and return occasionally. Their eldest daughter, Tamara Meisel, resides in Lakin, and daughter Susan Locklear lives in McKinney, Texas. Son Bret was an accomplished horseman like his dad and held the local high school records for calf roping and steer wrestling and was the 1978 All-Around Champion. He too was on the Colorado State University rodeo team, and graduated with honors from the ranch management program at Texas Christian University. Bret passed away in October of 2008, and his son, Ben, now manages Tate Ranch, the sixth generation to have “ranching blood” coursing through his veins.
The Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame has proudly celebrated the enduring legacy of the cowboy since 2002, and Brad is the fourth inductee with Kearny County ties. Otis Jennings, Vicki Lohman Johnson and Jim Arnold were all inducted in the Working Cowboy/Cowgirl category. Several events surrounding the induction ceremony will take place at Boot Hill Museum in conjunction with the Western Cattle Trail Association’s annual conference which will be commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Western Cattle Trail. Events scheduled include speakers, trolley tours and museum tours. For tickets or information about this year’s induction ceremony and related festivities, check out the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/kscowboyhalloffame, boothill.org or westerncattletrailassoc.com.
SOURCES: Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame; “Pioneering Tate Family Celebrates 100 Years in Kearny County” by Florence Fletcher; “Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Him Away from the AQHA” by Barbara Oringderff; The Quarter Horse Journal; Kansas Horseman Magazine; Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; Tate Ranch on Facebook.com; equibase.com; racingandsports.com; archives of the Lakin Independent, and Museum archives