Though Bill Pickett may be buried in Oklahoma, the Taylor Conservation and Heritage Society will be commemorating
the legendary bulldogger closer to home.
The society will have a Cenotaph Dedication, which is a monument erected in honor of a person whose remains are buried elsewhere, at 10 a.m. next Saturday, Dec. 10 at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin — a place where many other Texas dignitaries are buried, including past governors, senators, congressmen, judges and others. District 1 Councilman Gerald Anderson, the great great nephew of the famous cowboy and rodeo star, whose family settled in Taylor in the late 1800s, said this honor is one of a string of recognitions that have happened in recent years—from being inducted into the Oklahoma City’s Rodeo Hall of Fame, to proclamations being read in the cities of Taylor and Austin, to the bronze statue being erected in his honor at the corner of Second and Main Streets. Anderson is also the director of the Bill Pickett Educational Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides scholarships and educational opportunities to area youth.
“It’s amazing to see how many different things have come about over the last 10 years,” said Anderson, who still lives with his family on the same property of his great uncle. “My grandmother, who was named after Bill Pickett, was always trying to get his name recognized … so to just see him receiving all these accolades and awards almost a hundred years after he is gone is pretty remarkable, and the family is extremely proud.”
Anderson said the cenotaph, which was paid for by the society, will be unveiled Saturday, is a monument engraved with his name, date of birth, death date and other information. Society President Frances Sorrow said officials from the Texas State Cemetery were enthusiastic about the idea of including Bill Pickett in their list of Texas dignitaries who are buried or memorialized there.
“The cemetery gave us a beautiful site,” said Sorrow said. “When I called the cemetery (administrator) Nathan Stephens, he was so excited about the idea of having a huge cenotaph, he filled out the paperwork for the application for us. It was a level of excitement you don’t see so often.”
Sorrow said it was fitting for Pickett to be recognized in this way at the state level. “Bill Pickett was the first person from Taylor who gained an international reputation,” she said. “He was an early movie star, he travelled through Europe. He invented bulldogging … We felt with his reputation there should be some representation in the state of Texas of this extraordinary man.”
The public is invited to this event. Following the ceremony, there will be a reception. Parking is available at the visitor’s center of the cemetery, located at 909 Navasota Street
in Austin. For more information, call 512-365-3363.
