It is our pleasure to introduce the 2026 Grand Marshal, Steve Corey!
Steve has over 70+ years as a volunteer for the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon.
He has worked on both sides of the fence. At age 5, he was in the Happy Canyon show as the little boy in the tent scene. His keen acting ability led to his becoming the Show Director – a position he held for 5 years. Ultimately, Steve rose to serve as President of Happy Canyon. You can still find Steve in the Show where he now participates as the narrator.
On the Round-Up side of things, Steve’s involvement has been almost as long. At an early age, he helped his uncle, Lou Levy, as a “runner.” Steve recalls that one of his more dangerous jobs was waking up the Indian Beauty contestants using a loudspeaker in the Indian Village at dawn to get them ready for the Westward Ho! Parade. As you can imagine, some in the Village didn’t appreciate the wake-up call. Steve went on volunteering with his dad, George Corey, who was the 2005 Grand Marshal and, like Steve, both an HC and RUP Director.
Steve is old enough to recall helping his dad with Indian travois at the “old” Happy Canyon downtown. The Corey family is synonymous with RUP. Steve’s late wife, Susan Olsen Corey, was a RUP princess and queen. Susan’s father, Jack Olsen, was a RUP Director who sadly died during his term on the Board.
During his time on the Round-Up Board, Steve wore just about every hat there is… Queen and Court Director, Sponsor Director, Publicity Director, and ultimately President. Along the way, he helped shape what many experience today, from bringing barrel racing back to building the sponsor program to helping secure partnerships like Pendleton Whisky, and even playing a role in making PBR in Pendleton what it is today.
And somehow, beyond all of that, he’s continued a distinguished legal career and served on boards across the state. Steve is also a true student of history, a passion that shows up in everything he does. His service includes AAA Oregon/Idaho, the Oregon Transportation Commission, the Pendleton Foundation Trust, the Oregon Community Foundation, the Oregon Historical Society, the Oregon Trail Community Foundation, the Museum of the American Cowboy & Western Heritage Foundation, and the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute.
It’s hard to sum up a lifetime like this. But if you had to try… it would look a lot like service, legacy, and showing up year after year. Steve Corey isn’t just part of the Round-Up story. He helped write it.