The Pendleton Round-Up is pleased to announce that Mr. Robert “Bob” Stangier will be the Grand Marshal for the 2021 Westward Ho! Parade, which is scheduled for Friday morning September 17, 2021 (10:00 a.m.)

Bob Stangier was born and raised in Pendleton. He was born in 1923 and graduated from Pendleton High School in 1942 before enrolling at Oregon State College, now known as Oregon State
University. Bob married his wife Mary Jane (deceased) in 1949 and raised four children in Pendleton.

He now has four grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
Bob is a decorated War Veteran serving in the Army Air Corps as a B-25 bomber pilot, flying seventy (70) missions while stationed in Italy. Bob earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with seven clusters for his service during WWII.

After the war, Bob attended Oregon State before returning to Pendleton to begin his business career. Bob’s businesses included an ice cream manufacturing plant, a children’s clothing store and a Hallmark gift shop.

Bob Stangier has been involved with the Pendleton Round-Up beginning in 1935, when he was 12 years old. He served as a Round-Up Director from 1950 to 1957, where he performed as the Accommodations Director, Concessions Director, and the Policing Director, as the positions were titled during his years of
service. He is credited for establishing the Buckle Club, which is an event put on by past Directors of the Round-Up and Happy Canyon for their members and guests each year.

Bob is the oldest living past Round-Up Director and likely the youngest Director to ever serve on the Round-Up Board of Directors. He is also believed to be the longest serving volunteer with more than 80 years of volunteer service! Bob doesn’t believe that he has missed a Round-Up, except the four years he
spent serving our country during World War II.

Bob being a lifelong volunteer with the Pendleton Round-Up has a history of involvement with the Pendleton Round-Up and as well as many other organizations in the community. Bob’s community involvement includes numerous organizations including but not limited to the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce, the Pendleton Downtown Association, the Rotary Club and the Umatilla County Historical Society. Bob was also an Ex-Officio Pendleton Round-Up Director while serving as the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce President in 1975.

Bob continues to be an active and valuable Round-Up volunteer and can be seen volunteering in the Retail Store.

Bob Stangier’s extensive contributions to the Pendleton Round-Up allow him to be recognized and honored as the Grand Marshal for the Westward Ho! Parade this year.

The Pendleton Round-Up Board of Directors is donating the cash award for winning the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year to Farmers Ending Hunger. “We are pleased to make this contribution on behalf of the Pendleton community to such a worthy local charity. The $1,250 for being named Large Outdoor Rodeo of the Year, coupled with the $15,000 raised by Farmers Ending Hunger during the 2017 Round-Up and Happy Canyon, will help reduce hunger during this long, cold winter season,” said Round-Up President Dave O’Neil.

The Round-Up has enjoyed a long association with the Farmers Ending Hunger organization. Founded by Hermiston entrepreneur Fred Ziari, past Round-Up Directors Boby Levy and Ty Hansell were guiding forces in the formation of Farmers Ending Hunger, Levy serving as an original FEH board member. Farmers Ending Hunger is unique in that farmers in Umatilla and Morrow agree to purposefully plant a set amount of their farm’s acreage to feed the hungry. Adding to the program’s success, food processing and transportation companies have agreed to package the foods and deliver them to the hungry via the Oregon Food Bank.

In 2017, the Round-Up and Happy Canyon formalized their relationship with Farmers Ending Hunger. Kenzie Hansell, a Happy Canyon Director and Farmers Ending Hunger Director, and son of Ty Hansell, captured the importance of the partnership when he observed, “The Round-Up and Happy Canyon began as a celebration the bountiful harvests of Umatilla and Morrow County ranchers and farmers. Partnering with Farmers Ending Hunger allows us to build on our commitment to better our community and state.” To symbolize the commitment of the two organizations, Round-Up and Happy Canyon adopted thirty acres as part of the Farmers Ending Hunger Adopt an Acre program with the help of sponsors like River Point Farms and Northwest Farm Credit Services. Through the efforts of Farmers Ending Hunger and its friends; over five million pounds of food, nearly 80% of which was raised in Umatilla and Morrow Counties, have been donated to feed hungry Oregonians this year.

The Round-Up, Happy Canyon and Farmers Ending Hunger are currently planning to expand Farmers Ending Hunger activities at the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon on September 12^th through 15^th, 2018. If you would like to become involved with Farmers Ending Hunger or learn more about their activities, please contact John Burt at (503) 623-3188 or visit their web site at www.farmersendinghunger.com.