Faculty

A tale of two shepherds
Alex McKenzie and Bill Crutcher create a tradition of tending to sheep and students
By Jessica Stewart, Canyon Lake, Texas

Sheep bleat as the sun rises over the horizon. It is another day at the sheep barn, an 80-year-old fixture at Oklahoma State University.

But this is not a story about the sheep barn. This is a story about two shepherds — the only two shepherds in the history of the sheep farm — who have provided leadership in the sheep industry and to the students.

A Scottish start
Alex McKenzie was born in 1900 in Scotland and worked for various sheep farms in Canada, said Bob Kropp, animal science professor at OSU. In 1928, Oklahoma A&M College animal science department head Al Darlow managed to "steal" McKenzie from the farm from where he was working.
           
The university now had "the sheep man's sheep man," Kropp said. "He was one of the most respected sheepmen of the time."
           
McKenzie won countless awards at leading shows, including the Chicago International, Kropp said. His association with the OSU sheep farm was a reason students attended OSU.
           
Kropp said he remembered showing against McKenzie as a young adult in 1959.
           
"Showing against Alex McKenzie in Chicago was quite an experience," Kropp said. "He is one of the reasons why I selected OSU for my college education."
           
Bill Crutcher, current OSU shepherd, worked under McKenzie while pursuing a degree in animal husbandry. He said McKenzie was an influential character.
           
"There isn't one word to describe Alex," Crutcher said. "He was a kind, gentle soul. He was consistent, and he had high integrity. He was an admirable man."
           
During McKenzie's 38-year career at the sheep farm, he worked with the sheep and took care of the unit, Crutcher said.
           
"Alex and I put sheep in most states, Mexico and Canada," Crutcher said. "I think that speaks well for the program."
           
McKenzie was given the unsung right to choose a successor upon his retirement in 1966, Kropp said.
           
He chose Crutcher.

The protégé
"When I started, I was told, 'You have some big shoes to fill,'" Crutcher said. "[I said] 'I'm not gonna try to fill his shoes.' Alex would visit and could see I was doing things differently. But he never said anything about it."
           
Crutcher, a Lawton, Okla., native, worked temporarily at the sheep farm after graduation in 1963. He went to Kansas State University where he worked as a shepherd from 1964 to 1965. He accepted McKenzie's offer of shepherd in 1966.
           
During his career, Crutcher has promoted the sheep industry and has officiated at shows nationwide. Kropp said Crutcher has produced numerous national champions, as well.
           
However, while Crutcher is proud of his accomplishments, he said the sheep farm is about more than winning championships.
           
"It's about the students, the university and the sheep farm," Crutcher said. "It's not about me."
           
Those who know the significance of Crutcher's involvement in the program said he is an important aspect at the sheep farm.
           
"Crutcher is important to the sustainability of the sheep farm," said Don Wagner, former OSU animal science department head. "We do idolize him. He is an
elite shepherd."

More than a shepherd
It is sheep day in the introduction to animal science lab. Crutcher stands in the aisleway of the sheep barn, shepherd's crook in hand, eyeing the predominantly freshman students. The students converse with one another, halfheartedly listening to Crutcher as he begins telling the story of the sheep farm. But, Crutcher knows how to get their attention.
           
Suddenly, he pokes someone with his crook.
           
Crutcher laughs as the student jumps back. The others are now fully aware the sheep lab has begun. A few whisper to each other about Crutcher's actions.
           
"Part of the sheep barn is educational, I hope," Crutcher said.
"I always said I would beg, borrow or steal to make this work. I've had to beg and borrow, but I haven't stolen anything — yet."
           
Whether Crutcher cares to admit it, he has done more than just shepherd duties at the sheep farm, Kropp said.
           
"Not only has he been a shepherd, but also he's taught life lessons," Kropp said. "He learned this from Alex."
           
Larry Peck, who worked at the sheep farm from 1975 to 1979, said he considered Crutcher a "sign from the good Lord." Peck, about to begin his freshman semester at OSU, was hired at the swine barn in July 1975. Peck worked one day at the swine barn when his boss told him they had overhired and he needed to find a new job.
           
"As I was packing my things into my car, Crutcher drove by and said, 'Where are you headed, son?' I explained my situation, and he offered me a job.
           
"I owe my college education to him," Peck said. "I had no where to go and no where to live."
           
Peck said Crutcher also taught him important life skills.

“This is how you do it”
Crutcher lives by the characteristics of dependability, responsibility and consistency, Kropp said.
           
"He's very old school from the standpoint that there are things you do: You're responsible — you say you're going to be there — and you're dependable — you do it, and you do it right," Kropp said.
           
Peck said he remembered completing chores in the wrong order and facing Crutcher's reprimands, which usually came as a stern warning.
           
"Baby lambs had to be bottled before anything else was done every morning," Peck said. "He showed up on a Sunday morning, and I was doing chores instead of bottling lambs. He got really upset with me. Immediately, it was, 'This is how you do it.'"
           
Peck said he learned from his mistakes, and it has been something he has carried with him throughout his career.
           
"[Crutcher taught me] to do what's right, to do it consistently and everything else is good, whether chores or life itself," Peck said. "I look back and think, 'That was hard,' but I wouldn't trade it for anything."
           
Crutcher has had more than 100 student employees during his time at the sheep farm, and he said it has become increasingly hard to find student workers.
           
"My reputation precedes me," Crutcher said with a grin. "I demand respect. People call me the great intimidator."
           
Respect is not the only thing he demands. He said he challenges his student workers to prove why their method is right.
           
"There's a right way, a wrong way and my way," Crutcher said. "Convince me my way isn't right, then I'll try your way."

Spick-and-span sheep
Another trait preceding Crutcher is his ability to be dirt-free, even after working sheep. Some go as far as to say when there is a dust storm in Oklahoma, the storm parts its ways for Crutcher.
           
"He is the best-dressed individual ever," said Jerry Fitch, OSU extension sheep specialist and Crutcher's supervisor. "He never gets dirty."
           
Crutcher said keeping a neat appearance was something he and McKenzie worked on daily.
           
"[The sheep farm] is a landmark," Crutcher said. "It's highly visible. Probably 95 percent [of people] who come here don't know about sheep. But if it's clean, they'll be impressed."

Longevity
Crutcher said he attributes his 41-year-long stay at the sheep farm to his unrelenting attitude.
           
"If you're as progressive and assertive as I am, you're never going to quit," Crutcher said. "You have a great sheep crop one year, and you make a goal to get an even better one next year."
           
Wagner said it is "Crutcher's good genetics" keeping him at the sheep farm. But Crutcher said he has been "lucky," and he jokes about his permanence.

"I got caught up in what I like to do," Crutcher said. "The good die young, so I figure I'll live forever."

Alex McKenzie was an influential fixture at the sheep barn from 1928 until 1966. (Photo courtesy of OSU Archives)

Bill Crutcher, current OSU shepherd and McKenzie’s protégé, said the sheep barn is about the students and the sheep. (Photo by Julie Sackmann)

Dorset sheep (pictured), Suffolks and Hampshires are the primary breeds at the OSU sheep barn. (Photo by Jessica Stewart)