This story was originally told by me back on Oct. 4, 2016.

When You’re Me, I Never Know What I’m Going To Be Thinking About When I Wake Up In The Middle Of The Night.

This morning I woke up around 3:30, which happens way too often. The first thing that popped on my mind was a fellow I met in about 1971. I knew Leroy fairly well for a few years. He worked for another utility contractor, one that we had a working relationship with. Leroy ran their shop and was very mechanically inclined.

As I got to know him more I heard of an invention that he made and received a patent on. It seemed very cutting edge for the time. It was like a robot of sorts. A remote controlled mechanical cutting calf, to be used for training and working cutting horses.

I saw plenty of drawings and photographs of it. I actually saw it work once and for the life of me I can’t remember where. I recall that it worked very well and was pretty nimble.

By the time I came around, Leroy had sold the manufacturing rights to it or at least some interest in it. I always wondered what happened to that machine.

I got online and found the actual patent and an article about it and where it ended up that I’ll attach to this story.

It wasn’t too long after meeting Leroy I got to know his father-in-law. He also worked for the same construction company as Leroy.

Some of you reading this may know all about this contraption I’ve been talking about. You see, his in-laws had roots in Marble Falls and many people are related to or grew up with them. His father-in-law was August Whitehead who had married Ilene Wall of the Marble Falls Walls.

I enjoyed knowing August for many years. After he retired I would go by and visit He and Mrs. Whitehead at their home in the Travis Heights area of Austin.

I remember August being very fastidious but a cantankerous old fellow. But around the house Mrs. Whitehead seemed to rule the roost.

The most memorable thing I recall August saying connected to the mechanical calf. I ask him something about it and he said “you know money really messes people up. After Leroy sold that thing, he had too much money. One day he and my daughter got on an airplane and flew all the way to San Francisco just to eat supper”. I always figured they probably stayed for a little longer than just for supper, but I figured I’d just leave that subject alone.

I ran across Leroy down in San Antonio sometime in the mid 1970s. He was involved in the horse business and Kenny and I went to visit him over at the Old Alamo Downs on the west side of San Antonio. I think that was the last contact I ever had with him. I remember that because Kenny was still in the Army and was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston. He exited out of the Military in 1976.

This is a link to a story of the man that bought mechanical calf. (sadly this link is no longer active, but I had captured much of it in the screenshot – below)

http://m.fbherald.com/cowboy-s-no-cowboy/article_dfc42f11-2460-53de-8f31-abfd891fd478.html?mode=jqm

This is an excerpt from the article above that speaks to the Mechanical Calf.

“In the 1960s, Jack’s love of cutting horses and desire to improve their performances led to his acquisition of the mechanical calf invented by Leroy Harris of Austin. Once Jack saw the calf, which was operated by remote control, he knew it had potential to perfect the skills of both cutting horses and their riders.
He bought into it, and eventually bought control of the mechanical calf,” Cowboy said. “Now I’m in the process of trying to get it back on the market. It was taken off the market back in 1971, when Daddy dies, and it was sitting in my sister’s barn until about for years ago.”

The Patent: (if this link is not live, you can copy and paste it in your browser to see it)

http://www.google.com/patents/US3303821

Lee Harris Obituary

Lee Roy Harris, 78, a resident of San Antonio, passed away Sunday, December 10, 2006, after a four-year battle with cancer. Lee Roy was born in Marlin, Texas on August 30, 1928, to Nealy Harris and Opal (Davis) Harris. He lived in San Antonio for approximately 40 years having formerly lived in Austin except for his time in the Military. Lee Roy had numerous careers throughout his life. He served in the Air Force for the 3595th Installations Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada for almost three years. He was a heavy Equipment Operator for Karl B. Wagner Construction Company in Austin, Texas prior to his military service and upon his return. During his employment with Wagner Construction Company he designed, built, established and was shop manager of Austin Machine & Supply Company (AMSCO). Lee Roy had a love for horses and rodeoed throughout the 50’s and 60’s and was well known throughout the PRCA. In the 60’s Lee Roy invented and patented the Mechanical Calf to train cutting horses. He then opened and operated a welding shop for several years. The next chapter of Lee Roy’s life started with training and racing quarter horses and he continued to do so until the 80’s. In 1971, Lee Roy received Texas Racing Commission’s Horse of the Year for Ajax Straw, a horse he owned and trained. He then ranched, bought and sold used cars as well as drove an 18-wheeler for numerous years. Retiring was not in his plans. Throughout his later years he continued to ranch and you would always find him out on a dozer clearing land, digging ponds or putting up fences. The only thing that would pull him away from working was the love of hunting, the outdoors and watching the Dallas Cowboys or UT football games. Lee Roy is survived by his beloved wife, Blanca Gloria Harris; two daughters, Rebecca Vogt, Anita Vernon Wilson and husband James Wilson; stepson, Paul L. Freedman and wife Barbara. Granchildren, Lee Vernon and wife Lesli, Kenny Vernon, 1st Lt. Mark Vernon, Brian Vogt; step-grandchildren, Paul Samuel Freedman, Amanda Katie Freedman and Kristen Wilson. Uncle, R.D. Davis and wife Fran. Sisters, Trudie Neal, Doris Jean Grimes and husband Joe David. Brother-in-law Omar Bishop and wife Minerva; sister-in-law Minie Bosquez, numerous nieces and nephews on both sides of the family and special friends and loved ones who have been so supportive and helpful throughout Lee Roy’s battle with cancer. The family would like to express a special thank you to the VA nurses from 2-C, Dr. Anand Karnad and Partricia Wolff, APRN, both with Medical Oncology for all of their assistance and kindness throughout Lee Roy’s illness. A celebration of Lee Roy’s life will be held on Sunday, December 17, 2006, at 1:00 p.m. at the Retama Park Race Track Pavilion, located at 1 Retama Parkway, Selma, Texas 78154. Park in the valet parking area (at no charge) located in front of the Pavilion. Please contact Brookehill Funeral Home in San Antonio, Texas for additional information regarding the service at (210) 923-7523. You can also express your condolences online at http://www.brookehillfh.com In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 8115 Datapoint Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78229, (210) 614-4211 or to the Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund at prorodeo.org/jccf