Portfolio of Photographs
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A Buffalo Soldier, a Native American scout re-enactor, at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, at a Black Cowboy Rodeo in May 2004.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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A contestant steer-wrestling at a Black Cowboy Rodeo at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, in May 2004.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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A Buffalo Soldier re-enactor as flag bearer in Dallas, Texas, in May 2004.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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Lil’ Terrence and Pepe the horse walking around the Roping Pen in Dallas, Texas. Photographed in 2002.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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A black cowboy leading a herd of Texas longhorn steers down a stockyard loading ramp leading to the streets, where visitors will see the animals. Photograph taken in March 2002 at the Fort Worth (Texas) Stockyards.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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A black cowgirl riding into the Grand Entry at the beginning of a rodeo event. Photographed in August 2002, at the Okmulgee Black Invitational Rodeo in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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A cowgirl riding in the parade in downtown Okmulgee, Oklahoma, before the Okmulgee Black Invitational Rodeo events begin. Photographed in August 2002.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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The re-enactment of a campsite with a chuck-wagon and outdoor-cooking utensils. Photographed at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, in May 2004.
Photograph by Wendell Earl Gorden.
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Wendell Gorden, or “Mister Wendell” as he is frequently called, is a self-taught photographer, born in Oklahoma. His initial pursuit of photography began in 1967 in Phu Loi, South Vietnam, while he was repairing and rebuilding helicopters. After he had photographed many difficult war-time experiences, he soon became estranged from the camera. “Those visual and emotional experiences,” he says, “were just too real.” Wendell Gorden did not pick up another camera seriously until 1982, when, he says, “A friend offered to sell me a camera for $35.00, and I took the offer. I have not been without a camera since that day.” In his retirement, he spends much of his time photographing people, places, and things, some of his favorite subjects being cowboys, dancers, wideopen spaces, flowers, and the innocence of children. He also enjoys volunteering for nonprofit organizations in Dallas, where he does digital editing and teaches photography to children. A doting husband, father, and grandfather, this Vietnam Vet lives with his wife, Margaret Gorden, in Dallas, Texas.
