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AHS Alum Among 2011 Comeback Guests

With both distinguished military and writing careers under his belt, Roy "Bud" Strom returned to the University of Illinois as a 2011 Illini Comeback Guest. Initiated in 1980, the Comeback program honors prominent and accomplished alumni. They are invited to return to campus and interact with students, staff, and faculty through formal programs, classroom visits, and social activities held during Homecoming.

Bud Strom

Mr. Strom named a number of highlights of the weekend, including meeting the other Comeback Guest honorees, renewing friendships with former classmates, meeting University of Illinois President Michael Hogan and AHS Dean Tanya Gallagher, and enjoying the excitement and enthusiasm of the students. "Of course, winning the game topped it all," he said.

Orphaned at the age of 15, Mr. Strom worked as a ranch hand during summers between academic years at Shatuck Military Academy in Minnesota. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he joined the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. He holds a master’s degree from Boston University.

Mr. Strom had a 30-year career in the Army before retiring with his wife Joan, who also completed her degree in AHS in 1954, to their ranch in Arizona. At the Single Star Ranch, they have dedicated themselves to the care of the land, horses, and cattle. He also has pursued his love of writing, and specializes in cowboy poetry. He has shared his poetry with two U.S. presidents, an attorney general, and thousands of people who attend cowboy gatherings, some of which Mr. Strom helped to organize. His greatest pleasure, however, comes from sharing his passion, advice, and expertise with students in grade schools, middle schools, and high schools throughout the country.

Invited to speak to students in Kinesiology 364 Experiences in the Common School, Mr. Strom shared the message of a man who certainly has practiced what he preached. "Make an informed decision, and give 100 percent to it," he told the students.

Bud Strom has received both citizen and artist of the year honors in Sierra Vista, Arizona. He is a member of the Sierra Vista Tourism Hall of Fame, the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, and the Phi Kappa Psi Hall of Fame. He has published two collections of cowboy poetry, Dry Lightning and Cowboys and Angels, and released a CD of his poetry called Lightning and Angels. While he considers his most important job to be raising his horses and cattle, he says he will continue to write and demonstrate to others that the cowboy is alive and well. "He is just hard to see from the interstate," he said.

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