Purebred Pigeon Sept/October 2025

46 – Purebred PIGEON Gene Autry andChampion, Gene AutryOklahoma & the Portuguese Tumbler Club of America By Pat Stuart I guess you are wondering how Gene Autry fits as an article in the Purebred Magazine. Well as a kid he was my favorite cowboy. Gene and his horse Champion. Gene was the most popular singing cowboy back in the day. Not even Roy Rogers came close to him. Others tried to copy him but didn’t stand a chance. Gene and his horse Champion were the best. To this day at Christmas, you will hear Gene singing songs like “ Here Comes Santa Claus, ” “ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ” and “ Frosty the Snowman ” on the radio and in many retail stores. Back in the day it was very common to have pigeons at your home in the backyard and even a horse on a small lot close to neighbors. I was lucky enough to have both pigeons and a horse. When Deb and I attended the National in Oklahoma we saw brochures in the hotel lobby about cowboy museums. We were very interested in going to them, but we had no time since the days went by very fast attending the National. Since once again the next National in 2026 will be held in Oklahoma Deb went online to check out where the cowboy museums are located. She came across something very inter- esting to us. There is a Gene Autry Museum in a small town about an hour south of where the show hall is located. Gene was born in Texas but because of his fame and contributions to Oklahoma, on November 16, 1941, the small town of Berwyn Oklahoma changed its name to Gene Autry Okla- homa which happened to be the 34 th birthday of the state. How exciting it was to me to find out this information about my favor- ite childhood cowboy and his horse Champion. Today seventy plus years later I still have pigeons in my back- yard and a quarter horse named Zoey. So, in addition to the PTCA club award for champion at the 2026 NPA Grand National in Oklahoma Deb and I are donating an Oklahoma belt buckle to the Champion Portuguese Tumbler in honor of Gene Autry and his horse Champion. This buckle can be worn or simply displayed recognizing the cham- pion Portuguese Tumbler at the 2026 NPA Grand National. One of Autry’s most popular songs was “ Back in the Saddle Again. ” Every time we attend a pigeon show it feels like we are back in the saddle again . Thank you, Gene Autry and Champion, and the pigeon hobby for being a large influence in my life.• Oklahoma belt buckle to be awared to the Champion Portuguese Tumbler at the 2026 PTCA meet at the NPA National. Donated by Pat and Deb Stuart in honor of Gene Autry and his horse Champion. Wondering When Your Subscription Expires? Check your address on the mailing label when you receive your magazine.