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Bill House was born Swain William House at the home place in Cedar Vale (KS) on January 23, 1916.
Mr. House graduated from Cedar Vale High School in 1933. Mr. House was a resident of Cedar Vale until moving to Arkansas City to attend Arkansas City Jr. College graduating in 1935. Mr. House continued his education at University of Kansas in Lawrence (KS) completing a Bachelor’s Degree in 1937 and a law degree in 1939 when he was awarded “The Order of the Coif” (top 10% of his class).
Mr. House died March 8, 2009 having lived a full life.
House was a friend to everyone. He lived the saying attributed to one of his favorite cowboy philosophers, Will Rogers, “I never met a man I didn’t like.” Mr. House supported education, was philanthropic in his giving and worked tirelessly as an active participant on behalf of the beef industry. His work included serving as legal counsel for Caney Valley Electric Cooperative, Board Member of Home National Bank, School Board Member in Cedar Vale (KS), Cowley County Community College Endowment Board Member, and Trustee of the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City where he pulled up the Kansas State flag on the day it opened.
His work was wide and deep in scope, but he was dedicated to the beef industry. Recognition of special note:
1963-1964 – President of the American Hereford Association
1964-1965 – President of the Kansas Livestock Association
1968 & 1969 – Two-term President of the American Cattlemen’s Association and the first Kansan to head the organization. During his tenure he worked on the beef import bill with Australia, created “Cattle Fax” to aid producers in analyzing and predicting their market, and spent a great deal of time in Washington D.C. lobbying for the cattle industry.
At home in Kansas, Mr. House ranched establishing Bill House Hereford Foundation.
The mission of the Bill House Hereford Foundation is to provide educational, both academic and apprenticeship instructional opportunities to citizens of the state of Kansas who are dedicating their lives to Hereford ranching or parallel activities that foster Hereford beef cattle raising.
The mission of Bill House Hereford Foundation intentionally includes “parallel activities,” as Mr. House was committed to raising purebred Herefords. Though there are not many people raising purebred Herefords, Mr. House would not cross breed and was the recipient of great criticism over the years as many people went to Angus. “He couldn’t be swayed and that is one reason we (Bill House Hereford Foundation) care so much about carrying out his legacy by continuing to do things as he wished,” shared Carol House, “My favorite quote of Bill’s was, ‘There is nothing prettier on white snow or green grass than a Hereford cow.’”
The family of Bill House includes:
Wife: Carol House
Stepsons: Jason Smith, Jeffrey Smith and wife, Eryn (daughter in law)
Grandchildren: Micah Jeffrey, Addie Mae, and Canaan Swain
Bill House is an outstanding model of a successful, genuine and generous self-made man that made a difference through his actions. The legacy of Bill House lives on through the Bill House Hereford Foundation, his family, his many friends, and the results of his life’s work. He was a boy from Cedar Vale (KS) that impacted the world.
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Guidelines
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