WILLCOX Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees

Rex A. Glenn
1917- 1989
2026 COWBOY HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

When you examine the 72 years that Rex Alvin Glenn lived ranching in Cochise County, you learned that Rex was one of the very few who knew what it was like to travel in a wagon, or ride the caboose of a train or drive a pick-up truck pulling horses. When you were born in 1917 and lived until 1989 you kinda got to see it all.

Rex Glenn was born in Douglas, AZ and lived his early years on a ranch in the southern foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains. It was in 1922, making Rex 5 years old, when the family loaded their belongings in a wagon and headed for the San Pedro River. It took 3.5 months as they drove 300 head of cows, 10 head of horses and 2 mules to the mouth of Page Canyon. It was here they homesteaded the Hollow T Ranch, right about where the village of Cascabel sits today.

Having a ranch on the San Pedro River meant driving your cattle through Redington Pass to reach the 36th Street Rail corrals in Tucson. In 1932, the railroad built a set of shipping corrals in Mescal so the Glenns drove the cattle 17 miles up the river and put them on a train to Los Angeles.

One year the cattle were loaded on the cattle cars and Rex accompanied the cattle from Mescal to Los Angeles. He made the trip to LA riding in the caboose. He made the sale and returned home with the money. That was a lot of responsibility for a 15-year-old.

In 1941, Rex married Laura Sorrels and they had one son, Richard, aka Rusty. They lived on the San Pedro Ranch for the next 18 years. Rex was an excellent roper and Gold Card member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He won the Phoenix rodeo and the Yuma rodeo. Two different world champion ropers said that he could have been a world champion if he would just go down the road. Rex chose his family and ranching instead. Rex chose not to hit the road to rope professionally, but he did like to rope with his son. In fact, Rex and Rusty won the father and son team roping for the State of Arizona in 1961, 1962 and 1963.

In 1965, the ranching life took Rex back to the original Glenn Ranch when he bought the Buckskin Ranch. Rex was back where it all started ranching in the Chiricahua Mountains. Rex had left here as a 5-year-old and now 48 years later he was back home.

At this time his life Rex was living the life he loved. He was raising cattle and Redman colts, as he was a half owner in the AQHA foundation horse Redman, with Kenny Gunter. Life was good. Rex was a patient man, tough, quiet, but ornery as hell. However, very few knew that he was the one on round-up that carried lemon drops in his pockets just in case the little ones got thirsty. He took the job of being a parent seriously.

Rex was a lifetime member of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association. He was known for his honesty and his handshake was better than any contract on paper. Rex knew the best contract he ever signed was when he married Laura. She was everything to Rex. She was his rock.

Ranching was the only life Rex A. Glenn ever knew and it was his life-long passion. His entire 72-year life was ranching in Cochise County. Rex passed away on July 26, 1989. Tonight, he becomes a member of the Willcox Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Rex A. Glenn