Speakers

Heritage Keeper Awardee Ramona Holt to speak

On October 11, our club is pleased to invite Ramona Holt, founder of the Holt Heritage Museum of Lolo, as speaker. She will share stories about her 40 years working on the rodeo circuit and the creation of the museum that she and her late husband Bill founded. 

Ramona was recently named a winner of the Montana Historical Society’s Heritage Keeper Award for 2023.  

Growing up on the family ranch in southern Colorado in the 1930s, Ramona understood the labors and hardships of ranch life. She took to the western lifestyle like a pro and made it her lifelong career.

Ramona relocated to Montana in 1948 to attend Montana State College (now Montana State University) where she met her husband, Bill. The couple moved to Lolo following graduation and Ramona still resides there. They ranched in the Lolo area for decades, raising and promoting Longhorn cattle nationally and internationally. The couple introduced Longhorns to Australia, for which the government later honored them.

Ramona and Bill raised four sons, two of whom were also MSU graduates. Her sons and their families are scattered around Montana and Australia. 

During college, Ramona competed in women’s events as part of the MSU Rodeo Team. She and her husband eventually became members of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and traveled to rodeos throughout the western U.S. and Canada. Bill was an announcer and Ramona was secretary and a timer. Their last contract ended in 1999.

Ramona has been active in community affairs ever since she arrived in Montana. 

“I always had an interest in community organizations and volunteering for events,” she says. 

Ramona’s love of her adopted State of Montana led her to be involved in many organizations. Her business and volunteer accomplishments would fill a book. A smattering of her achievements throughout her career include:

Business activities:

• First to export Longhorn cattle to Australia;
• Ranched and raised Longhorn cattle in Canada;
• Produced the Oral Zumwalt Memorial Rodeo and Cowboy Logger Days in Missoula;
• Built and operated the Longhorn Supper Club in Lolo;
• Built and operated the Wapiti Resort in Seeley Lake. 

Volunteer activities for Organizations and Boards:

• 4-H Clubs in Colorado and Montana;
• FFA (Future Farmers of America) - founded the John Bliss Memorial Scholarship; 
• Missoula County Fair; 
• Montana Tourism Advisory Council;
• Montana Glacier Country Tourism Board;
• Destination Missoula Special Events Board;
• Travelers’ Rest Preservation & Heritage Association;
• Community Medical Center;
• Community Medical Center Foundation;
• Soroptimist International of Missoula;
• Participated in the re-dedication of the Doughboy Statue at Missoula Courthouse.

Due to their love of history, Ramona and Bill built the Holt Museum and Visitor’s Center at Travelers’ Rest State Park to house their Native American Collection, which they donated to the park.

In 1999, Ramona and Bill fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning a museum when they constructed the Holt Heritage Museum to house their 50+ years of collecting Montana rodeo, Native American and western memorabilia.

“Volunteering has definitely enriched my life and made me appreciate the mission of each organization,” says Ramona. “My experiences with varied organizations and boards make me realize that our communities are the reflection of the people who take an interest in volunteering to make that community a better place in which to live.” 

                                    

 

Speaker to address important upcoming Government Review Vote 

Our speaker on October 18 will be Montana native Geoff Badenoch who will explain the important upcoming vote on government review. 

Born in Glendive, Geoff was raised in Bozeman. He attended the University of Montana where he received both his undergraduate (Political Science--1977) and graduate degrees (Master of Public Administration with an emphasis on urban studies--1982).

Geoff began working at the Missoula Redevelopment Agency (MRA) in 1982 and served as its executive director beginning in October 1985. Geoff left the MRA in January 2004. He is currently a private project management consultant and community volunteer.

In addition to his professional obligations, Geoff currently serves on the supervisory committee of the Clearwater Credit Union, the board of Missoula League of Women Voters and The Foundation for Missoula Public Library. Previously he served as chair of the Missoula County Election Advisory Committee and as a member of the City Club Missoula Board of Trustees. 

Geoff was elected to the City of Missoula Local Government Study Commission and co-authored the Missoula City Charter which was adopted by the voters of Missoula in 1996.