In 1954 my tour of duty in the Navy was up. I was discharged at Key West, where I had served in a helicopter squad. In the meantime, my father had gone into farming on his own at Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale. I knew he was looking forward to putting me on a tractor, but I had other plans. I consented to help him until my brother Jerry graduated from Pahokee High School in 1955, about a year away.
I was biding my time and checking out the possibilities of some local cow work. As had happened to me a few times before, dumb luck was on its way. One morning I was on my cultivating tractor heading to the field. In the distance I saw some dust and a big Brahman bull was coming toward me with two cowboys right behind him. Just before the bull ran over me and the tractor, both men roped him at the same time. I got my tractor back out of the way and walked up a little ways, but not too close because the bull was giving them all they could handle. I asked the closest cowboy what they were going to do with him. "We`re not sure," he said."We chased him from where he had got out of our pasture and into your field, but we need something to tie him to while we get a stock trailer and haul him home." It was for sure they weren`t going to drag this bull anywhere. He weighed almost as much as their two horses combined. About this time my dad drove up in his Jeep pickup. The cowboy that had been doing the talking to me introduced himself. "I`m Jim Day and this feller with me is Gene Couch." When he said "Jim Day," I knew him from his reputation as a topnotch calf roper. I asked him when had he switched to roping bulls. He was pleased to be recognized (even my Dad had heard of him). My Dad sized up the situation and told Mr. Day that we had a big old flatbed truck that they could tie the bull to. Mr. Day was afraid the bull would damage the truck. My Dad told him to tie him short to the back of the truck and as long as he didn`t eat the seat covers he couldn`t hurt anything.
Dad sent me to the shop to get the old truck. I got it as close as I could and they tied the bull to the back of the flatbed. Well, I could see providence at work, and while Mr. Day was feeling a little obligated, I asked if the Ranch needed help with the cattle work. He hemmed and hawed but Mr. Couch reminded him about a round-up that they had coming up and they could definitely use the extra help. That afternoon they came and got the bull and I made sure they remembered the job offer. I told them I didn`t have a horse or a saddle at this time. They said this was no problem, they had more horse and saddles than they had help. I worked for Mr. Day several times after that. The outfit was a part of the Powell Bros. Construction Co and I learned that Mr. Couch was not an amateur when it came to roping either. | 
