Gary J. Rapozo
Year Inducted: 2011
Parker Ranch | Hawai'i
Gary J. Rapozo started his career with Parker Ranch as a cowboy in 1972, and stayed for thirty years until 2002, working in various sections of the ranch and doing a multitude of jobs. He ended up as the Superintendent of Livestock Marketing. After working as a cowboy in Makahālau under the supervision of Charles T. Kimura, he was assigned to the Pa’auhau section for three years, and during that time went to school to learn and become an expert in artificial insemination and pregnancy testing.
By 1975 he was the Lead Man in Ka’u where he roped wild cattle over rough terrain and became proficient in doctoring and suturing horses under his care. From 1979 to 1980, his skills in pregnancy testing sent him to the Pu’uhihale section of the ranch where he pregnancy checked 3000 cows and heifers each year.
From 1980 to 1986, as foreman of the Pa’auhau section, he was responsible for the intensified grazing operation as well as the ranch’s A.I. program. At Pa`auhau, he achieved a 62% A.I. conception rate, and accolades from the University of Hawaii. At the request of the University, he wrote a paper outlining his methodology and procedures.
From 1986 through 1992, he was the foreman of the ranch’s enlarged intensified grazing program, and responsible for selecting and raising thousands of cattle for shipment to the U.S. mainland and Canada. In 1992, he became the Superintendent of Livestock Marketing for the Parker Ranch, almost solely responsible for selecting the cattle and preparing them for shipment.
Somewhere along the way, Gary found the time to be certified in horseshoeing and doing cancer eye surgery and learned the skill of vasectomizing bulls for use in the A.I. program. And by the way, he trains horses, too.
Described as diligent, eager to learn, responsible, quiet, confident, trustworthy, determined, efficient, astute, accomplished, humble and with skill sets that run the gamut of ranching from top to bottom, Gary has earned the right and privilege to be an inductee of the Paniolo Hall of Fame.