Dec. 17, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Clint Mefford, director of communications
816-383-5143
Tom Burke to Appear in New “I Am Angus”
“The Art of Greatness” film premieres Christmas Eve at 7 p.m. on RFD-TV.
“Greatness is not something you can weigh or measure scientifically,” said Richard Halstead, portrait artist of the five Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery inductees featured in “I Am Angus | The Art of Greatness.” “Greatness is not fashion. It’s not fame either. It’s not someone who’s making the biggest splash, the biggest noise. It’s someone who has a lasting quality. It doesn’t have to be earth shaking. It doesn’t have to follow any pre-conceived concept of greatness. There’s no one strict formula for making greatness. It’s what people do with what they have.”
Minnie Lou Bradley. Dave Nichols. Tom Burke. Mick Colvin. Dr. David Hawkins. Though inducted into the famed Saddle and Sirloin for different reasons, all have contributed in substantial ways to the Angus business and cattle industry as a whole. Premiering Christmas Eve, this year’s “I Am Angus” – produced by the American Angus Association® – explores the meaning of greatness through the portraits of Bradley, Nichols, Burke, Colvin and Hawkins and their contributions to the industry.
For 50 years, Burke has been the face of the Angus Hall of Fame. One might say he’s the breed’s number one fan. His relentless passion to promote and sell Angus cattle is unrivaled. It’s fitting because Burke’s been at his job, selling Angus cattle, for half a century. He’s worked sales in every continental state aside from Rhode Island, and his job has taken him overseas, too. Burke has probably been on more planes in a year than most people get on in their life. In 1994, USA Today recognized his extensive travel, dubbing him one of the most traveled people of the year. And with an average of 340 nights a year away from his home, it’s easy to see why. Despite so much time on the road, when Burke shows up to work a sale, he’s 100 percent present. It takes a special kind of person to thrive in such a demanding field of work.
Tune into RFD-TV on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve at 7 p.m. CST to hear about how Burke and four other very different people are great in their own ways and how their accomplishments have forever changed the beef cattle industry. The film will also be available on our YouTube channel – Angus TV – after the premiere.
“The Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery is one of the most prestigious honors available in the cattle industry,” said Josh Comninellis, Association video production director. “We are thrilled to showcase these five icons and dig into what makes each one great in his or her own way.”
Telling the story of cattlemen and women, cattle feeders and beef industry icons give the rural community a voice in both the cinematography and printed journalism realms. Reaching thousands with each film and Angus Journal story, the “I Am Angus” productions allow the American Angus Association to broaden the reach of the Angus breed’s role in the beef industry.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel – Angus TV – to be notified when “I Am Angus | The Art of Greatness” and other videos and films are produced. Watch the trailer here.
--Written by Rachel Robinson, Association Communications
ANGUS MEANS BUSINESS. The American Angus Association® is the nation’s largest beef breed organization, serving nearly 25,000 members across the United States and Canada. It provides programs and services to farmers, ranchers and others who rely on the power of Angus to produce quality genetics for the beef industry and quality beef for consumers.
For more information about Angus cattle and the American Angus Association’s programs and services, visit www.angus.org.
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