People

: Robert Frederick "Bob" Mulford; He was born in Whittier, California to Charles Mulford, a World War II veteran and worker for Union Carbide, and Shirley (Essig) Mulford, a homemaker. His family moved to Palisade, Colorado in 1957, when he was about eight years old. He graduated from Palisade High School in 1967. While at Palisade he was involved in the P Club, and played baseball and football. He began attending Colorado Mountain College in Leadville. Because the college was not yet certified, he was denied a college exemption at his draft physical. He joined the US Army on February 14, 1968 in Grand Junction. He attained the rank of E5, sergeant. He joined the jump school in the Army, serving at Fort Bliss, Fort Gordon, Fort Benning, Fort Lee, and in Vietnam. While in Vietnam he did reconnaissance, and manned observation stations and pacification missions. He returned to the United States via Seattle. His transition back to civilian life was very difficult. He married Yvonne Brownell on October 28, 1969 in Fruita. He was a father of four: Ami, Cari, Scott, and Doug. He started taking French at Colorado Mountain College, and later double majored in Psychology and History, though he did not quite obtain his degree. He worked as a grocery clerk, a plumber, and a field office manager for Norton Natural Gas. According to his obituary, he eventually “found his passion as a registered nurse.” He joined the Vietnam Veterans of America and the Disabled American Veterans. He died at the age of sixty-nine and is buried in the Grand Junction’s Veterans Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado. *Photograph from 1967 Palisade High School yearbook

: Robert Frederick "Fred" Burford; He was born to Roland "Tank" Burford and Caroline (Newton) Burford in Fresno, California. His father was an attorney and his mother was a homemaker. He became a Mesa County, Colorado pioneer. In the early 1880's, he arrived in Fruita, Colorado on the narrow gauge railroad. He took a job with the Thompson brothers, who had a cattle ranching outfit on Pinon Mesa. According to Lawrence Aubert, a longtime sheep rancher, the Burford family was also involved in sheep ranching. He later moved to Whitewater, where he ran his own ranching operation. He married Mary Dodgion on July 14, 1894 in Mesa County.

: Robert G. Porter; One of the five men who where instrumental in reviving the Cattlemen's Days celebration in 1935 (the other four were Mike Verzuh, John Rozman, Glen Berry and Richard Vader). Served as Vice President of the rodeo committee from 1935 - 1944. Cattlemen's Days Parade Marshall in 1970. (source: Cattlemen's Days 1970 Souvenir Program)