Robert Francis Greenwell
Year Inducted: 2003
Palani Ranch | Hawai'i
As the oldest son, Robert was destined to work with his father, Frank Radcliffe Greenwell, founder and owner of Palani Ranch. Upon his father’s death in the early 1960’s, Robert carried on as Manager of the ranch.
He devoted his entire business life to continuing the work his father started, building and developing Palani Ranch. He became an expert in animal husbandry and was an accomplished horseman and working roper. Like all true paniolo, Robert excelled in saddlery construction and repair, rawhide curing and leather work.
Robert managed by example. He never assigned another cowboy to do a job that he could or would not do himself. He worked shoulder to shoulder with the ranch hands doing all the ranch chores, including fencing pastures, building water troughs and water tanks, repairing stone walls, log splitting, weed control, planting pasture grass and hunting to provision the outfit on long drives.
A straightforward person, Robert would always “tell it like it is”, and expected that if you were good enough to come to work, you were good enough to do it right.
When the day was done, Robert went to his desk and did the book keeping, taxes and correspondence. He was a true “all around” cowboy, with the kind of versatility and overall expertise that is now nearly extinct.