S & S Korea Press, July
18, 1959
Seoul-----An Air Force C-130 Hercules loaded with
20 calves from Texas touched down at Seoul International Airport at
6 p.m. Wednesday to end one of the longest cattle drives in history.
The calves, which arrived here from Connally AFB,
Tex., were donated by ranchers and citizens in the lone star State
for 630 Korean Orphans at the Garden of Children Home in Seoul.
Col. Dean E. Hess, the flyer, ROK person who founded
the orphanage and made it famous in his book Battle Hymn," arrived
on the plane with Jimmy LeBlond, a Waco, Tex., real estate man and
rancher who is representing Texas Gov. Price Daniel.
The children put on cowboy suits and turned out
in full force with a band and banners that honored Col. Hess and "The
Great State of Texas."
Col. Hess said that the ocean spanning cattle drive
originated with LeBlond and a group of Texas cattlemen.
"We decided to try and get more help for the orphanage,"
said LeBlond, "To make it as self-supporting as possible. What could
be better than calves to form a beef and dairy herd from Texas stock."
LeBlond brought with him a specially made 10 gallon
hat for Republic of Korea President Syngman Rhee and a certificate
signed by Gov. Daniel that makes the chief executive an honorary Texan.
Fred Lege of the Department of Agriculture, a
rancher in Weatherford, Tex., was in charge of the welfare of the
20 Herefords, Guernseys, Holsteins, Black Angus, and Jerseys. All
of the imported stock was housed four-to-a-stall in aluminum pens.
PSS-623
18 July 59
