Man who gave voice to ‘Big Tex’ at state fair dies after fulfilling his boyhood dream
As a boy, Robert “Bob” Boykin dreamed of being the voice of Big Tex, the 55-foot tall cowboy who stands at the entrance to the State Fair of Texas, welcoming visitors from around the world to the North Texas event.
Mr. Boykin relished his position mostly anonymously during the past seven years, according to a news release from the State Fair of Texas.
Mr. Boykin, 73, died on Jan. 23 and was buried in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, with honors, on Jan. 29. A celebration of Mr. Boykin’s life was held Saturday in Kaufman.
After the the 2012 Fair, Mr. Boykin’s wife of 10 years, Terri, asked how someone would audition to be the voice of Big Tex. Mr. Boykin never expected this dream to become reality and almost didn’t throw his hat in the ring.
He waited until 10 p.m. the night before the deadline to apply, and showed up for the final round of auditions. The field was whittled down from 150 applicants to four, and Mr. Boykin ultimately was offered the job.
Terri Boykin recalls that he was absolutely stunned upon hearing the news that he had been selected as the next voice of Big Tex.
“People have bucket list items of things they want to do in their life,” Terri Boykin said in the news release. “Bob never dreamed he would have the opportunity to voice Big Tex. But he was able to finish that item. He lived his dream.”
Mr. Boykin was born in Dallas, raised in Richardson, and he graduated from high school in North Texas. He worked as an announcer for Green Valley Raceway to put himself through college at what is now the University of Texas at Arlington.
Mr. Boykin joined the United States Marine Corps and after leaving the armed services, had a career at Lockheed Martin that lasted more than 40 years. During that time, he had a hand in designing projects like the stealth bomber and F-16, in addition to guiding tours around the Fort Worth plant for visitors from all over the world.
Mr. Boykin was known for talking with fair visitors on the grounds, and one of his favorite parts of voicing Big Tex was being able to watch the crowds and see the look on a child’s face the first time they saw the 55-foot cowboy in person.
Mr. Boykin also enjoyed seeing the United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps march by Big Tex, and made a special announcement when they did so.
Mr. Boykin was a lifetime member of the Shriners and was a Freemason. He is survived by his wife, family, friends, and five Great Pyrenees dogs, which are the namesake to his Polar Bear Ranch located in Terrell, Texas.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 2:35 PM.
