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C.O. Talking To The Kids
On April 13th our students enjoyed a visit from cowboy author C. O. Sage, and some returned with their parents that night, for Family Reading Night. A true “gentleman cowboy,” Mr. Sage told us that he grew up in Kansas, but now lives in Gainesville, Texas, and that his journey has taken him for quite a ride. He’s been an oilfield rough-neck, a rancher, a competitive calf roper, a private pilot, assistant to the Oklahoma State Treasurer, and a businessman. But the job that led him to write children’s books was being a substitute teacher at his grand-daughter’s school. While reading to children, he decided he could write stories kids would like, and he was right.
Cowboy Author Really "Got Along With Our Li'l Doggies" at C. E. S.
He began like lots of great writers do, by writing about something he knows about: cows and cowboys. His first book, Mabel: A Wild Longhorn Cow, was the story of one tough, smart longhorn, who was so clever to avoid capture by ranch hands, that one determined ranch owner finally resorted to using cowboys on horseback, coordinated by helicopters with radios! When he finally caught her, he faced one really tough cow and one really tough decision.
Mr. Sage’s second book was Patches: A Bucking Bull, who happens to be Mabel’s son. In this story, although fictional, children learn a lot about the rodeo sports of both bull riding and rodeo clowning (called bull fighting in the business.) For instance, we found out that some real rodeo bucking bulls actually attend “bucking school” to get really good at bucking cowboys off their backs. When asked by the students if he had ever ridden bulls, Mr. Sage replied that he’d gotten on about ten back in high school. He guessed it just took that many to decide he didn’t want to keep on doing it.
His next two books are about Pete, the Orphan Skunk, which are based on a family of real skunks who lived under a building on Mr. Sage’s property. Pete was invented for his grand-daughter, and in the second Pete book – a travel tales book in post card format – she couldn’t wait to hear the next tale from the feisty little skunk.
Overall, our students enjoyed his books, and adults who spent time with him all said the same thing: “That’s one gentleman who has lived quite a life!”
– A very fitting assessment of a man who repeatedly shared his best life lessons: listen to your teachers, stay in school, read and learn everything you can, and always try your hardest to be the best you can be at whatever you choose to do.
by Tina Parker
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