A rancher and former schoolteacher, Gene Baldwin was known by most around Weston County as the “Voice of the Dogies” announcing Newcastle High School football games.
“Dad just had a love for life,” said youngest son, Mike Baldwin, about what made Gene so beloved. “He had a love for people. He didn't really know a stranger.”
Gene died in December at the age of 99, and his legacy in Newcastle includes ranching, teaching, radio, his passion for golf, and volunteering to help children in need through programs like the Shriners.
He was a familiar face around town and drove himself to his favorite haunts even in his advanced years.
“Dad would go eat at a local diner and he'd give the owner a high-five, and they always had something to say back,” Mike said.
At Donna’s Diner where Gene was a regular, a new breakfast special is going to be named the “Gene Bene.”
Mike said his dad loved gravy, and his go-to meal at the diner was hash browns, a sausage patty, and an egg smothered with gravy.
The Cowboy Humor
Gene sparkled with good humor that was reflected in his original cowboy poetry, which he would recite for gatherings and was always good for a laugh.
“One of his favorite ones was called 'A Nervous Twitch' about being a rancher,” Mike said. “Dad would wink and turn his head and say, ‘It gave me my nervous twitch.’”
In the poem, Gene wrote about the hard knocks of ranching, saying that he may lose all his cattle and the ranch itself, but the banker couldn't take his nervous twitch.
“They were always (stories) about how things kind of would go downhill, but it always had a positive message,” Mike said. “They were always humorous and poked fun at life in general.”
Another family favorite is about barrel racing. Gene wrote about entering the competition because he thought he and his horse, Slim, were the fastest things.
That bubble was burst in the last line: “We zoomed across the finish line and the announcer said, ‘Congratulations, you finished dead last.'”
Early Years On The Ranch
Gene was born in Nebraska in 1926, and it was shortly after that his family moved to the MW Ranch south of Newcastle.
It was there that Gene and his brothers, Robert “Red” and Donald, were raised.
“John Mead made the MW famous in the early 1900s, and it has been in the Baldwin family for 100 years,” said local historian Lucas Keeler.
The ranch is located on Stockade Beaver Creek and, according to Keeler, the MW brand likely came up on the Texas trail in the 1870s or 1880s before becoming a ranch.
“Dad had a love for the ranch growing up and was proud of the ranching heritage that he had,” Mike said. “He said they didn't have much money, but they got by with what they did.”
When he was young, Gene’s mom sold eggs to pay for piano lessons for him during the Depression, and he always felt rather bad that all the hard work his mom did for his piano lessons never paid off.
Despite his lack of piano skills, Gene went on to perform in high school and college plays.
“Dad was always positive and upbeat,” Mike said. “He never focused on what he lacked and was always a positive person to be around.”
Another one of Gene’s cowboy poems illustrates this philosophy by talking about how bad ranching can get, how ranchers are a hardy bunch, and how things will get better — next year.
Gene also shared his life growing up and the stories of the historic ranch through presentations with the local historical society.
“His mind was so sharp, and he could tell stories about the old cowboy days,” Keeler said. “Gene had a lot of these old cowboy stories passed down to him when he was a kid and was able to keep a lot of those stories alive and fairly fresh.”
Gene Baldwin, 99, leaves behind a legacy of humor and love. His family treasures the note they found that Gene wrote to his wife, Jane. (Courtesy Mike Baldwin) 
Gene Baldwin of Newcastle, Wyoming, was a Cowboy Poet who would often recite his original poetry at gatherings and museum presentations. (Courtesy Mike Baldwin)
Not Lawyer Material
After graduating from Newcastle High School in 1944, Gene had planned to be a lawyer, but decided that was not his calling.
Instead, he took his love of performing and earned a degree in broadcast journalism.
“He loved radio,” Mike said. “He worked for KFRC out of Greeley, Colorado, and would say that it was the oldest radio station west of the Mississippi River.”
Gene had his own radio show and covered the market report.
When he moved to Denver, however, he couldn’t find another radio job and ended up teaching at Adams City High School.
“Dad wasn't sure what he was going to teach until the day before,” Mike said. “The principal came in and said, ‘Here's your classroom, and you'll be teaching English literature. Here are your books.'”
While in Denver, he met his future wife Jane, and they were married in 1961.
Soon after the birth of their first son, Robert, they moved back home to Newcastle. There, Jane was a nurse while Gene continued to teach English literature and journalism.
“He quit in the early '70s before my brother and I got into high school,” Mike said. “I think we kind of scared him.”
After retiring from teaching, Gene continued to work on the MW Ranch and to announce at local games.
Voice Of The Dogies
Keeler is the third generation of his family to know Gene and as a kid in sports, said that everyone could count on Gene to be there.
“At every single game there was Gene, always friendly and always with a big smile on his face,” Keeler said.
When Gene worked for KASL radio in Newcastle, he broadcast the football and basketball games for the high school teams.
After quitting the radio station, Gene went on to become the “Voice of the Dogies.”
“He loved doing the public announcements for the high school football games,” Mike said. “He really enjoyed having people help him and would get people in the community to be his spotters with him.”
Gene constantly had friends with him in the announcing booth and made good memories calling the games.
“Broadcasting came natural because he also enjoyed doing plays in high school and in college,” Mike said. “Dad enjoyed being in front of people and performing.”
The Thrill-Seeker
Gene kept active on the family ranch even after selling out his interest to his niece, Donna Baldwin Hunt.
Age would not slow him down as he helped chase cattle on his four-wheeler.
“One day my wife, Rose, joined him on the four-wheeler and the road went up this hill,” Mike said. “He was supposed to turn and go along the top of the ridge and kind of wind his way back down.”
Instead, Gene decided to take the route that went straight up and over the hill.
“He revved the gas and Rose was on the back, and he just shot up, tearing up this hill,” Mike said. “Rose started screaming because he acted like he was just going to fly right over the top, and she was beating on him.
"'Quit it! Stop! Stop it!' And finally, at the very top, he quit.”
It was this sense of adventure that kept Gene young.
He was a rancher who also water-skied and loved downhill skiing as well. He shared these passions with his family.
“He taught all our children to drive out at the ranch,” said daughter-in-law Rose Baldwin. “They all drove the tractor, built fence and they did everything with grandpa.”
When his granddaughter Stephanie was in fifth grade, Rose was watching her drive toward the shop when she suddenly asked Gene if her daughter knew how to stop the tractor.
Gene paused a moment and then replied that he thought so.
“He always rolled with the punches,” Rose said.
Another time Rose was riding horses with Gene when he took her into a canyon and said that there was only one way out of the canyon. He picked the route and Rose followed him.
“My horse was straight up and literally crawling up the hill,” Rose said. “We get to the top and Gene looks at me and said that wasn't it.”
Love Story
Gene’s main love in life was Jane, who he affectionately called “Bug.”
“He would call her every day at lunchtime when he'd work on the ranch and make sure she knew he was OK,” Mike said. “Dad said that God sent him an angel.”
They were married for 59 years before Jane died in 2020.
In her later years, Jane had dementia and it was during the COVID era, so the family couldn't visit her.
That didn’t stop Gene, who would visit with his wife every afternoon through the window at the nursing home.
As the family grieved Gene’s passing in December, they found a note he had written to Jane that summed up the love he had for her, and his sense of humor.
“Thank you much, my honey bunch,” he wrote. "I really did enjoy my lunch. I'm off to golf, and when I'm through, I'll hurry right on home to you. (Sometime)."
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
