We in the Northwest have lost a One of a Kind, Wonderful Cowboy,
Tule Spud aka Tom Robison. He had been battling leukemia for over a year, and on 9 February 2013 the Lord called him home. His wife Karen Robison aka Juniper Jewel SASS Regulator #35181 was by his side as were his son Brian and his sister Nancy.
Tule grew up on the family farm and after graduating high school in Tulelake, CA attended college in Humboldt, CA majoring in Industrial Arts. Tule had real talent in woodworking, and was learning architecture as well. He told me in conversation that he had worked building homes for a while after college, and growing up on a farm it fits that Tule became a farmer, growing a few different crops, but mostly potatoes. He was also an inspector for the county agriculture department and for the last 10 years plus created the most Beautiful 3 dimensional metal works of art. He and Juniper's company Pacific Northwest Metal Arts took them to many a trade show up and down the west coast. They would also set up a booth at many a Cowboy match, and he would donate a piece of his artwork to the prize tables at many matches as well. His inspirations for his art came from a love of fishing, hunting and the outdoors. His artwork were cutout pieces of animals, fish, landscapes, etc. Tule would use grinders, sanders, or torches to give his objects texture and depth. He'd do ducks, eagles, a cut throat trout, with all the colors, with rocks in the bottom of the stream. I remember him showing me a Golden Lab that he made from a plow disc, the client had given him a color picture of, and when He was done you could see the hairs on that dog and it was like the dog was right there in front of you. Tule used heat to make different colors, Truly amazing work. Many a Cowboy shooter has a piece of artwork made by Tule. I'm Glad to say, I have one myself that I will cherish forever.
I don't remember exactly the first time I met Tule Spud, but I remember him being in my Posse in the late 90's at 'Lithia Springs' at monthly matches of the Jefferson State Regulators of which I was a member. My Brother Whiney Henry Yoho SASS Regulator/Life #19832 and I had been traveling 120 miles one way, each month to Ashland if we wanted to shoot, as this was the closest SASS club for us. In 2001 a local club was forming in Klamath Falls called the 'Klamath Cowboys' and with Tule living in Klamath Falls, he and his wife, Juniper Jewel, joined the club right away as did my brother and myself. The following year I was voted in as Marshall & Match Director and Juniper Jewel was voted in as our Banker. It was over those next 5 years our Friendship with Tule really grew, with him & Juniper becoming more like our Brother and Sister.
I would add that without Tule Spud our Club would not have flourished as it did. Making targets were not anything for a man with Tule's talents in metal, as well as making props & building fronts. He built us an ore cart that was on tracks so now we could have a moving target we could shoot at. Whiney and I came back from Hell on Wheels one year, I had taken pictures of their exploding door you would blast open with a shotgun and go through to shoot more targets after you entered, so Tule built us one.
On one Sunday morning Tule came into a monthly match with some new targets he'd been working on, and a story about bad dreams about Potatoes with Red Eyes. Those spuds were Evil !! He'd cut out some targets in the shapes of potatoes, with indentations for eyes and he also had a New target. Some rebar welded up like tree branches. He had a bag of taters with him, and Tule did grow some Giant size potatoes. He had drilled a hole up the center of each tater, about halfway or so, then slid those over the rebar branches, and now we had a potato tree. Well, we didn't know, what he already knew, when You put a dead hit on a potato with a shotgun round, that tater would Explode !!! There would be flying pieces of tater for 40 - 50 feet in all directions. That was Tooo much !! I could go on and on about other items we ended up shooting at our matches, and the most creative props too. When an artist such as Tule is involved, and his passion for Cowboy shooting was a Big as it was with him, well the Sky is the limit. He started a Black Powder Night Shoot that happens every year in October. He was a member of the Dammit Gang aka 'What's My Name' Dammit !!!
Tule also Loved to hunt and he Really Loved to fish. He mentioned on more than one occasion that this Cowboy shooting was sure ruining his Fishing time. He took many a Cowboy shooter out for fishing trips, and I know these Cowboys savor those memories of fishing with Tule. I never made a fishing trip with Tule, I know he would go out hunting with some of the local Cowboy's too, but I didn't do that either, But, Tule took a group of 6 of us, including Juniper on a trip to Montana and got Buffalo. We all dressed in our period clothes, and used 45-70's to take our buffalo down. It was a Great time. Tule wore a pair of buffalo chinks with his B-Western outfits, made from the hide of one of the buffalo he took. I too have a set of chinks and a vest from my buffalo that I took that year. A Very Fun Time that was !!!
I had the privilege of traveling/camping with Tule on numerous occasions to Cowboy matches throughout the pacific northwest, and we traveled to End of Trail, Founders Ranch together once. He was Very Fun to be around, and was an outstanding marksmen. Besides the Klamath Cowboys, He was a member of the NRA, and the local Jefferson State Shooting Association, a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. He donated artwork to Ducks Un Limited as a sponsor on many occasions. Tule also served on the board of Directors of the Klamath Sportsman Park where our shooting range was located. I could sure add a lot more about our Cowboy Brother, Tule Spud, I think Y'all know we love him very much and we will miss him. Tule Spud, Truly, a One of a Kind Cowboy, Rest In Peace Brother.
by Wimpy Hank Yoho Sass Regulator/Life #19831
