Walt Garrison, Jamie Foxx among 9 to be inducted into Western heritage hall of fame

Former Dallas Cowboy Walt Garrison is no stranger to hall-of-fame inductions.

His skills in football and rodeo, as well as his devotion to western culture, have earned four such honors in Texas and Oklahoma. This weekend he’ll join the 2015 National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame in Fort Worth.

“Anytime you’re inducted into a hall of fame it’s an honor,” Garrison said. “This one is a special hall of fame because it’s multicultural. I’m in great company.”

Great company, indeed. Award-winning actor/singer and Texas native Jamie Foxx also is being inducted in the Saturday event that caps three days of celebrating cowboys. Unfortunately, Foxx won’t be able to attend, said Jim Austin, cofounder of the multicultural museum.

“We recognized him for his title role in the movie Django Unchained,” Austin said. “The problem is that he’s working on a new movie project in Atlanta.”

The annual ceremony and banquet will induct nine men into a group whose contributions to creating and preserving Western history and heritage deserve recognition, Austin said.

“Most people don’t realize that 40 to 50 percent of the cowboys of history were African-Americans, Mexicans and Native Americans,” Austin said.

A Native American who is among this year’s posthumous inductees is Gordon Tonips. The artist and sculptor had ancestors in the Comanche and Kiowa nations and distinguished himself with his talents and community involvement, said Clara Holmes, the museum board member who nominated Tonips.

“He lived in Fort Worth,” Holmes said. “The man’s dedication to the community was admirable. He was a wonderful artist and used that forum to educate the people about being a Native American.”

The inductees

Walt Garrison: A star football player at Lewisville High School, Garrison played college ball at Oklahoma State and was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1966 NFL Draft. When not playing football he was a real cowboy on the professional rodeo circuit. Garrison, a running back, played nine seasons for the Cowboys.

Jamie Foxx: A native of Terrell, Fox is an actor, singer, comedian, writer and producer. He was awarded an Oscar for his role in the film Ray, in which he played Ray Charles. Other prominent films in which he has had major roles: Collateral, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Django Unchained.

Randy White: The first pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1975 NFL Draft, White had a stellar defensive career, including being named NFC Defensive Player of the Year in 1978, before retiring in 1988.

Judge Paul Brady: Born in Flint, Mich., Brady was the first African-American to be appointed a Federal administrative law judge and he also worked for 25 years as a commission judge for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. He lives in Atlanta and is the author of The Black Badge: Deputy United States Marshal Bass Reeves from Slave to Heroic Lawman, a book about his great-uncle.

Danell Tipton: A native of Spencer, Okla., Tipton is an accomplished bull rider, finishing seventh in the world in 1993. In 1998, Danell joined the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and was named Rookie of the Year.

Steve Murrin: A fourth-generation Texan, Murrin has long been described as a visionary for the Stockyards’ tourism industry. Known as the “Mayor of the Stockyards,” Murrin is a civic leader, Realtor and developer and lives at West Fork Ranch, which has been in his family since the 1930s.

Holt Hickman (posthumous). A Fort Worth businessman and philanthropist who helped redevelop the Stockyards, Hickman first took an interest in the historic area in 1988, when he and two other investors resuscitated Billy Bob’s Texas. In the ensuing years, Hickman became an owner, partner or cheerleader for a variety of other venues designed to revitalize the Stockyards. He died in 2014 at age 82.

Gordon Tonips (posthumous). Born in 1950 in Oklahoma, Tonips was a Comanche and Kiowa artist and sculptor. His work has received numerous awards in art markets around the country.

Harvey Means (posthumous). Means was a noted civic leader and barber to two generations of prominent Texans. He spent his last 31 years in Fort Worth, where he helped establish a hospital and city park for African-Americans.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Walt Garrison, Jamie Foxx among 9 to be inducted into Western heritage hall of fame."