Paniolo Purdy named to
cowboy hall of fame

Waimea's Ikua Purdy won the
1908 World Roping Championship

Star-Bulletin staff

Ikua Purdy of Hawaii has been named to the National Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Gov. Ben Cayetano last week said Purdy's election to the cowboy hall of fame comes after a summer-long drive by the newly formed Paniolo Preservation Society.

The society and Cayetano persuaded members of the National Cowboy Historical Society to add Purdy to its roster of famous cowboys.

Purdy was born in Waimea, the Big Island, in 1873 and died in 1945 on Maui.

He is most famous for winning the 1908 World Roping Championship in Cheyenne, Wyo. Purdy's election was supported by nearly 200 Hawaii residents who joined the society.

"You can hear the cheers from paniolo households through the state," said Dr. Billy Bergin, president of the paniolo group.