Donor Spotlight | Witwer Family

Located within the Hutchison Family Stockyards Event Center, the Stow L. Witwer Memorial Show Arena will honor the Witwer family’s legendary history with the National Western Stock Show.

Harvey E. Witwer, who raised Herefords on the SLW Ranch east of Greeley, was showing horses and cattle at the Stock Show by 1916 and was elected to the National Western board in 1924. Harvey served until he passed away in 1941, after which the board adopted a memorial resolution declaring that Harvey’s “sound judgment and foresight has been of extreme value to this association, and his friendship has endeared him to all members and directors. . . .”

Harvey’s son Stow, after whom the Stockyards Show Arena is named, was elected to the board in 1944 and became the long-term chairman of the Junior Show Committee. After Stow passed away in 1991, the National Western, along with the family, established the Stow Witwer Legacy Award, given each year at the Stock Show to a person who has demonstrated an enduring commitment to youth involved in agriculture and the livestock industry.

Today, Stow’s 10 grandchildren, along with Stow, Jr., still own and operate SLW Ranch.

“The Stock Show is in our blood. We’ve been showing here for more than a century, and my dad and his dad before him took great pride in helping lead the National Western,” Stow, Jr., said. “My whole family has so many great memories of those 16 days in January. Giving back just made sense.”