BY MARIA PREKEGES
Two of the Wood River Valley’s own will be inducted into the Idaho Rodeo Hall of Fame on June 4 in Twin Falls. Longtime residents David Stoecklein, a photographer who was inducted posthumously, and rodeo performer Kelly Wardell are among 10 inductees who will be honored that day.
The Idaho Rodeo Hall of Fame was formed to honor and preserve for future generations the legacy of rodeo and the individuals who participated in rodeo, their history, heritage, Western traditions and Western way of life. This will be the 16th year of inductions.
Stoecklein is known for his Western photography, and Stoecklein Photography still is considered a leader in this field. Stoecklein Photography’s website sums up Stoecklein’s passion for the West:
“After many successful projects producing exquisite lifestyle images for some of the largest companies in the world, David decided to follow his childhood dreams by using his talent to show people what he had grown to respect and love – the culture of the American West and its foundation that is built on truth, honesty and courage. David’s fascination with the ranching heritage of the West led him to befriend and, subsequently, photograph the men and women still breathing life into the mythical figure of the cowboy.
“David’s passion for preserving the traditions and beliefs of the country’s honest, hardworking cowboys and cowgirls gradually earned him their respect. With that respect came an open invitation to share in their lives, and the great responsibility to honor their trust.”
Mary Stoecklein, David’s widow, is thrilled with the Hall of Fame induction.
“I got the news and I thought, my goodness, he is a legendary photographer of the West and he dedicated 40 years of his life to the West and these people,” she said. “This would make him very proud and it makes all of us very proud.”
Stoecklein moved to Sun Valley in 1979. He loved to hunt and fish and ended up doing a lot of it in Mackay.
“We bought a ranch there and he was drawn to the cowboys,” Mary Stoecklein said. “He would hunt and fish with them and then he thought he should document it. You don’t have to set up scenes with the cowboys – they just live in the code of the West. All the ranching families welcomed him into their homes and that was incredible to him. He wanted to protect and educate people on the Western way of life.”
David Stoecklein passed away on Nov. 10, 2014.
Kelly Wardell started riding bareback horses in high school and rodeoed professionally in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association for 30 years.
“I started riding when I was a sophomore in high school,” Wardell said. “I grew up close to world champion bareback rider Joe Alexander and my dad also rode, so it was all I ever wanted to do.”
And riding he did, winning numerous rodeos along the way. Wardell was also a four-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier – the NFR being the Super Bowl of rodeos. Wardell can still be spotted on the dirt at the NFR as part of the arena crew in front of the bucking chutes. Wardell also served on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association board of directors for 10 years and served as bareback director for 10 years. He began coaching the College of Southern Idaho rodeo team this past August.
After earlier retiring, Wardell came out of retirement in 2013.
“I started riding again in 2013 to try and make The American – the world’s richest one-day rodeo,” he said. “I did make the semifinals but not the finals. After that I just kept going. I was in better shape and I was having a blast and winning against guys half my age.”
Wardell retired again after the Circuit Finals Rodeo this past November, where he placed in all three rounds and finished one point behind four-time world champion Kaycee Feild in the average.
Wardell said he is humbled by being a part of the Idaho Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.
“I found out about the honor the middle of March and I was very excited when they told me,” he said. “It’s quite an honor and very humbling considering the great cowboys who are already in the Hall.”