Morgan and her best friend and husband, Will Brigham live on a cotton farm near Tuxedo, Texas. They, along with Will's parents, own and operate Brigham Farms.
Morgan graduated at 20 from Angelo State University with her Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science. A few years ago, Morgan left the corporate banking world to help Will and his dad on the farm. Thanks to the new digital age of publishing, she is able to assist in the production of The Observer/Enterprise. Morgan is also a Realtor with Pitcock Properties.
Wayne & Melinda have been married 40 years this year. They met when she purchased a gelding from his father that Wayne had trained. She jokes that "I sold the horse, but kept the guy!"
After the girls were born, the family moved to the hill country and Wayne served as an apprentice cutting horse trainer.
Although successful in that field, Coke County ties are hard to break and the family moved back to Bronte in 1988. Wayne was hired by the Coke County Sheriff's Department soon after where he has remained since except for a time as Coke County Commissioner.He was elected Sheriff in November 2008.
Once the girls were a little bigger, Melinda went to work for the county newspaper, The Observer/Enterprise. She and Wayne began a
McCutchen Ranch
McCutchen Ranch is a multi-purpose equine facility, as well as Wayne & Melinda's home. In the large outdoor arena, you can rope steers and calves. Also, the Pro-Cutter mechanical cow is set up in the arena. The 120' round pen is specifically designed for training cutters. It is completely enclosed by cedar stays, with approximately two feet of sand to soften the ground. The barn & pens are "cowboy", but extremely safe with pipe construction in all pens and stalls. There are two stallion stalls with steel sides in the barn. Also in the barn, is a guest house for visiting clients, customers, family & friends. The land boasts numerous live oak trees, several tanks (ponds), and all manner of wildlife including, but not limited to, deer, turkey, quail, and dove.
buyout of the paper several years ago and took over completely on December 31, 2010. In March 2012, Melinda's first book was published. "The Biggest Lie" is based upon John 10:10 and is available as an e-book here. In addition to The Observer/Enterprise, Melinda is also a Realtor with Pitcock Properties.
In Coke County, the local arena has always been owned and operated by the Coke County Roping Club. Wayne is a past President and both he and Melinda spent many years serving on this Board, in the announcer's stand, and also working on the grounds and competing in the arena. The couple has produced Junior Rodeos, Open Rodeos, Ranch Rodeos, Playdays and Ropings of all kinds. Wayne has served as a judge at many events in Texas.
After being active in the Foundation Quarter Horse world, Wayne and Melinda were two of the people brought to Amarillo by the American Quarter Horse Association to help in the formation of the Ranch Horse Versatility division.
After years of concentrating on our own horses and general training for the public, God led Wayne to accept outside horses for cutting training in 2005. This continued until he announced his candidacy for Sheriff in July of 2008. At that time, Wayne sent all of his customers' horses home. Wayne has also presented seminars and demonstrations on cutting horses, starting a young horse on cattle, working with young horses, and horse safety. In these, he always includes his faith and gives God the glory for our success.
Ashley and her best friend and husband, Reese Braswell, live a couple of miles away from Wayne and Melinda. Both Angelo State University graduates, Reese is a Vice President with First National Bank in Sterling City and is the Manager of their bank in Bronte. After several years in the insurance industry, Ashley is a full time mama to our most recent family member, Lucy Ruth. Lucy was born August 28, 2018, and is our very first grandchild. Ashley is also a realtor, although currently inactive, and is in charge of all social media for Melinda's real estate and The Observer/Enterprise.
