Appreciate. I can’t say it enough.
Katy, our first child, has just driven Zee and me to the Stanford Medical Clinic to determine if Zee is a candidate for noninvasive surgery to stop her right hand shaking caused by Parkinson’s disease. We will know for sure in a week or two but it looks very promising that she will be a candidate. For some reason, while Katy was driving the three of us back to the ranch my mind took me back to my school years and graduating from Palo Alto High School.
Louie Lugo in 1965
Louie was Jack’s mentor and boss for nine summers on the JG Cattle Ranch where Jack learned all he wanted in life was to become a Cowboy.
The summer of my 14th year my father asked if I wanted to work for him and his brother Russel at their new startup company Varian Associates. I said okay and my first job was making metal frame boxes to protect Klystron tubes that my father and uncle had invented that made Radar possible. I started my job on a Monday and the work was simple and repetitive. I suffered through Tuesday and by Wednesday I knew that this was not how I wanted to live my life. Thursday I told my dad that I had an offer to work for the summer on a friend's ranch, perfect for a guy that wanted to be a Cowboy. Well, son if you don’t think you’ll like it here you won’t be very good at it so I think you should accept your job offer. My new life wanting to be a cowboy started on the JG cattle ranch that was located about twenty miles east of Milpitas. The house was typical board and bat construction with no electricity which meant no lights, no television, no telephone but we did have a battery-powered radio. To cook we had a propane refrigerator and a wood stove. I slept outside on a porch and I loved everything about it. What a start for a summer vacation. This brought me to present times and as I look out the window of my pickup truck at the working world of today. I wish all the bosses of today had the opportunity to work with me in trying to become a Cowboy.
My mentor at the ranch was Louie Lugo and he was a true California Indian Cowboy in every sense of the word. He had an infectious personality that made me laugh, smile, and think a lot. He had a way with horses and cattle that most others in the ranching world would never attain. Louie started by saying I won’t ask you to do anything I won’t do myself. Little did I know that Louie had no fear that I could ever see which meant from time to time while gathering cattle in some rough mountainous terrain I had to hold my breath, let out a little whoop and follow. I worked for Louie for nine summers and we became fast friends. Without me even noticing the passage of nine summers it became clear to me what I was going to do with the rest of my life: it would be a cowboy's life. Thank you Louie for showing me my wonderful lifestyle and how to live a life that requires a wide variety of skills. Each day is never the same, which has given me a most rewarding and satisfying way to follow my lifelong trail. There have been some bumps, potholes, and a couple of real Chuck holes along the way, and still with never a thought of regrets.
See Ya,
Jack
Are you dreaming of the cowboy life to but don’t know where to start?
Jack's journey into ranching was profoundly influenced by mentors like Louie. Our Ranch Internship Program continues this legacy, offering hands-on experience and mentorship to those passionate about ranch life. Apply today!