When he was a kid, Joe Henderson showed cattle at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and roped competitively. Today, the claims process director for Progressive Insurance schedules one week of vacation each year so that he can volunteer at the rodeo, where he serves on the 1,000-member transportation committee.
That means he drives. And drives and drives.
Sometimes, it's chauffering a VIP guest from home to Reliant Park and back. Other times, it's manning one of the trams that move people from adjacent parking lots to the carnival, Reliant Stadium or Reliant Center. Or it could be tooling across the vast rodeo terrain in a golf cart. The terra firm role is a welcome change from the near-constant air travel required in his job that takes him throughout the western U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska.
Henderson beams when he talks about the joy of interacting with guests from all across the city and "making sure that everyone is having a good time."
Unlike the bankers and lawyers who pull out their jeans and boots once a year for the rodeo, Henderson is a cowboy at heart and in tradition.
"I was brought up in this way of life . . . it's nice to be back in it," he said.
Although he comes from country roots, Henderson is reluctant (too polite) to take on the difference between a real cowboy and an urban cowboy. "That's a million dollar question that I can't talk on," he said.
Henderson and his wife live in Katy, where they have enough land to raise four horses and three boys. Following in dad's footsteps, his three sons have competed in a cross-section of activities from showing hogs and cows to roping competitions. In fact, it is the kids' competitions that Henderson enjoys most at HLS&R. "The Mutton Bustin', the Calf Scramble — to me it's all about the kids and raising money for scholarships and allowing them to compete with their animals."
"It gives you the opportunity to give back," he said of the volunteer job. "You feel like you've gained a lot from the opportunity to participate."
This rodeo thing is so much a part of the Henderson family life that they carve time out each year not only for the HLS&R but also for the national rodeo championships in Las Vegas.
The Transportation Committee uniform is a crisp blue logo shirt, jeans and boots.
