Chuck with Baxter in 2007
I had the pleasure of meeting Baxter in 2007 when he was working with the Beef Checkoff on radio spots and he would entertain at the Beef Board dinners during the annual meetings. He was the real deal, a rodeo cowboy and and large animal vet with a clever wit and a lot of energy. He was hilariously funny, so funny that he gained a national attention as a regular guest on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson between 1987 and 1992.
Baxter was a prolific writer. According to Wikipedia, he wrote over 30 books of poetry, fiction—both novels and children’s literature—and commentary, selling over two million books, CDs, and DVDs and his weekly syndicated column, On the Edge of Common Sense, was carried by more than 150 publications.
He did a lot of radio too. During 2002–2009, he was a regular commentator for National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. Baxter Black on Monday, the weekly syndicated radio program, went on the air in 1989.
The last time we saw Baxter was at the 2020 Cattle Industry Convention in San Antonio where he was two-stepping in the trade show and snapping pictures with fans. So many pictures and memories of him are on Facebook this weekend. He touched a lot of lives and will be missed.
Listen to my 2008 interview with Baxter and two clips of his stories at Beef Board meetings in 2007 and 2008.
Baxter Black Interview 2008