Owls celebrate Rice Night at the rodeo

Rice University’s cowboys, cowgirls and Sammy the Owl donned their finest Western attire to celebrate Rice Night at the 2014 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLSR) March 13.

The evening events kicked off with a reception in the Tejas Room at Reliant Center, where Rice President David Leebron joked that everyone got to see him dressed “totally like a Texan.”

“It’s always exciting to be here,” he said. “It’s the best way to spend a few hours in Houston. And (the rodeo) is such a great organization and contributes so much to education. It’s a great symbol of Houston.

Steve Stevens, chairman of HLSR, greeted the crowd assembled inside the Tejas Room.

“We always like to remind people of our mission, and that’s youth and education,” Stevens said. “And that’s why we go hand in hand with Rice University.”

Stevens noted that 35 students are currently attending Rice on HLSR scholarships, and he said 202 Rice students have received scholarship support totaling more than $2 million in the scholarship program’s history.

Following the reception, members of the Rice delegation headed to Reliant Stadium, where they climbed into wagons and mounted horses for the evening’s Grand Entry, a colorful parade opening the night’s events. Leebron and his wife, University Representative Y. Ping Sun, were among the Rice representatives participating in the event and rode into the stadium on horseback.

After the Grand Entry, members of the Rice community enjoyed watching traditional rodeo events like bareback riding, barrel racing and roping, riding carnival rides and taking in a concert by Maroon 5 and a wide selection of rodeo delicacies ranging from funnel cakes to oversized burritos.

Jimmy Comerota ’10, director of Rice’s R Association, called the evening a great event.

“I’m happy to be here and see so many familiar faces,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a different setting, and I love the rodeo and love supporting Rice. And the university really embraces the city of Houston, and we’re happy to be part of [the rodeo] – we appreciate all their support and hospitality.”

Sun, dressed in a black jacket with elaborate silver trim and a matching cowboy hat, said the evening was exciting.

“We’re so grateful to HLSR for providing scholarships to Rice students,” Sun said. “They’re making a huge contribution to educating the future leaders, and we hope that our students will be inspired by this generous spirit so they will go on to be contributing members of our community as well.”

Provost George McLendon called it another great year for Rice Night at the rodeo. “And Ping had an even better jacket this year!” he said.