Letter to the Membership Regarding Bill Pendergrass
Dear Beefmaster Nation and Family,
A few days ago we were delivered unfortunate news regarding the health of our Executive Vice President. Bill Pendergrass suffered a stroke the night of August 10, 2017 while he was in Tennessee visiting his mother, who was in the hospital. His timing of being in the hospital during the stroke proved to be a blessing because he received immediate medical attention. The last few days have been filled with texts and phone calls with updates from the family and through God’s will, Bill is continuing to improve. To date, the swelling in his brain continues to recede and his numbers continue to stabilize with the passing of each day. The outlook, as described by the neurological team, is promising.
Currently Bill is in an ICU in Johnson City, Tenn., where he will remain until the physicians are confident that he is strong and stable enough to transport to a recovery center. The plan is to move Bill to TIRR Memorial Herman in Houston, Texas, as it is closer to home, but more importantly it is one of the best stroke recovery units in the United States.
The family is asking for continued prayers as they work through this time. If you would like to send cards of well-wishes, please send them to the BBU office in Boerne, Texas and we will make sure to get them to the family, as soon as the move to Houston is complete.
As members of Beefmaster Breeders United, I want to assure you that we are working through this difficult time and we will continue our current programs and projects. We have a GREAT staff in place and each staff member will pick up any necessary rolls in order to continue business as usual and meet the needs of our members.
We are in the middle of some very exciting times. We are gathering more and more data for existing programs and working to enhance our already robust data sets. We continue to look at adding new programs to make sure we continue to move forward with the cattle industry. Your Board of Directors is set to meet with industry professionals and specialists this week to discuss the future of the cattle industry and how to better position Beefmasters to gain more market share. We will keep the breed moving forward and help you continue to provide quality Beefmaster genetics to the beef industry.
As always, if you have any questions or thoughts to share with us please do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to serve you as members and will do so in the most professional manner possible.
Most of all, we do ask that you keep Bill and his wife Cathy in your thoughts and prayers as they work through this difficult time and begin the road to recovery. God has a plan for all of us, even if we do not understand it sometimes. Bill is strong and determined to overcome this road block. Help us lift him up in prayer.
Sincerely,
Collin Osbourn
CFO, Beefmaster Breeders United
mobile – 325-347-7507