legal and judicial career, he competed in rodeos and is a twotime
43
Florida state champion steer wrestler. At age 69, he still
competes in rodeo steer wrestling competitions.
William ‘Bud’ Hallman
Bob Enns began
working as a
volunteer cowboy
at Cow Creek in the
early 1960s on his
off days as editor
of the Fort Pierce
News-Tribune and
soon began writing
about ranch life
in stories and his
column, On the
Level. He had a
camp on the grove
side of the ranch
until the grove was
sold in 1981. At
the invitation of Bud Adams, Bob moved his camp to Punkin
Hammock on Adams Ranch after the sale. Bob died in 1990 at
the age of 63 and his ashes were spread at Punkin Hammock.
His wife, Katie, Jo Ann Sloan’s birthday twin, died in 2021 at
the age of 90. Bob and Katie were the parents of eight children,
including Gregory, author of the Cow Creek Chronicles series
and publisher of Indian River Magazine.
Jimmy Percy started working as a
summer cowboy at Cow Creek in
high school in the 1960s. After attending
the University of Florida, he
returned to Cow Creek and became
its general manager until the final
sale of the ranch property in 1981.
After Cow Creek, he was fresh fruit
manager at Ocean Spray in Vero
Beach, general manager of the Winter
Haven Growers Association, and
later a real estate agent with Mark
Walters & Co. He died in 2009 at the
age of 61. His wife of 39 years and
high school sweetheart, Julie, died in 2006. Their sons, Jamie
and Jason Percy, are Marine Corps veterans. Jamie is owner of
J.S. Percy & Associates LLC Home Inspection and Renovation
Group in Port St. Lucie and Jason is operations manager for
Reliance Orthopedics in Nashville, Tennessee.
Jamie Percy
Jimmy Percy
William “Bud’’ Hallman was raised in Palm Beach County and
as a young boy worked at his grandfather’s Red Cattle Ranch.
Wanting to strike out on his own, he worked as a summer
cowboy at Cow Creek in 1970 and 1971. While working
as a day cowboy at Circle H Ranch, he earned a bachelor’s
degree from Nova Southeastern University. After attending
law school at Nova, he worked as an assistant state attorney
in the 5th Judicial Circuit and later in private practice before
being appointed by former Gov. Jeb Bush as a judge in the
5th Judicial Circuit, where he served from 2003 to 2021. Now
retired, he has his own herd in Sumter County. Throughout his
West Palm Beach psychiatrist
Jack Wright and wife, Sally, had
a small house at the Cow Creek
home place in the 1970s next
to their friends, Tommy and Jo
Ann Sloan. The Wrights would
visit and hunt during the weekends,
traveling from their home
in Palm Beach County. A World
War II veteran, Wright died in
2011 at the age of 89, just three
months after his wife of 56 years. Sally and Dr. Jack Wright
Katie and Bob Enns
who also worked for V Bar 2 Ranch, now works part time for
the Martin County Sheriff’s Office after retiring as a lieutenant
with 35 years of service. Howard Pickering Sr.’s wife, Phyllis
Story, lives in Okeechobee.