ArizonaRealCountry.com 33 November 2018 ProRodeo Hall of Fame rodeo clown/bullfighter Chuck Henson rode off into the sunset on August 11 in Tucson, Arizona. He was 87. He was born with rodeo blood in his veins on Feb. 4, 1931, in Arcadia, Florida, where his parents, Charlie and Margie Henson, were competing at a rodeo. Margie was one of the famous “Riding Greenoughs.” Henson competed in five rodeo events but considered bull riding his forte. In the mid-1950s, he traded his boots and hat for baggy pants and a red wig, and his clown/bullfighter career took off. Chuck made people laugh and saved cowboys from disaster until the 1980s. He served on the PRCA’s Board of Directors as contract member director from 1974-77. He was PRCA Clown of the Year in 1977. Of his rodeo career he said, “It made me feel mighty good when some kid who had drawn a bad bull would say, ‘Boy, I’m glad to see you here.’” Henson compared bullfighting to football. “You fake a bull quite a bit, use your hands to grab hold or to push off,” Henson said in the March 19, 1980, issue of ProRodeo Sports News. “You just always keep moving. If you are standing still and he hits you, it’s like breaking an egg. If you are moving, he just boosts you along a little faster or tosses you in the air a little. Sometimes a little has become a lot. I’ve been in orbit a couple of times.” When Henson hung up his rodeo clothes, he took on Hollywood as a stuntman double. He was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1995. Chuck is survived by his wife of 59 years, Nancy; daughters Nancy Jane (Jerry) Dorenkamp and Leigh Ann (Eric) Billingsley; and granddaughters Kaylee and Rayna Billingsley. I regret never having met Chuck Henson. I would have loved to meet him back in his rodeo days. I talked with him on the phone just before I wrote the article about him in the May 2018 issue of ARIZONA REAL COUNTRY - The Magazine. He said if I ever get down his way to come to visit the ranch. I didn't make it, so now whenever I get down their way and meet his daughter Nancy Jane and her husband Jerry Dorencamp, I can tell them that I truly regret not actually having met Chuck. He lived a very full life, leaving family and friends with memories of a life well lived. I don't think he had any regrets, except maybe leaving us too soon. Thanks for the memories, Chuck. –BOB ROLOFF, ARIZONA DUUUDE A COWBOY RESTS IN HEAVEN CHUCK HENSON Your Property Is My Priority! • From my years of riding and showing horses, as well as using them on our ranch, I understand the needs of horse owners. • Whether you are looking for a home to call your own or an investment property, I can help you find it. • I am a resident of Wickenburg, a full time Realtor and I love what I do.