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Randy Rostetter, Stockyards icon, dies after being hit by drunken-driving suspect

FORT WORTH -- Randy Rostetter, whose trademark handlebar mustache and black-and-white steer Lone Star made him a Fort Worth Stockyards icon, was killed last weekend when he was struck by a drunken-driving suspect.

For the past two decades, Mr. Rostetter and Lone Star roamed East Exchange Avenue, stopping to greet children and tourists and posing for photos.

"He represented the Stockyards wonderfully," said Hub Baker, executive director of the Stockyards Championship Rodeo. "People from all over flocked to him. Everyone loved Randy and Lone Star."

Mr. Rostetter, 57, was walking home from the Stockyards early April 10 when a driver heading north on North Main Street jumped a curb and struck him. The vehicle then hit a light pole, which fell and killed Mr. Rostetter, a Fort Worth police spokeswoman said.

The vehicle spun sideways and was hit by a second vehicle, police said. The first driver faces a charge of intoxication manslaughter. The second driver faces DWI charges, police said.

Funeral arrangements are pending. A memorial observation in the Stockyards is in the works.

Originally from Kansas, Mr. Rostetter served in leadership positions for local beef and cattle associations before a car wreck left him with a severe head injury, Baker said.

About 20 years ago, Mr. Rostetter moved to Fort Worth with big ideas of how to integrate animals into the Stockyards, said Steve Murrin, chairman of the Fort Worth Stockyards Preservation Foundation. Once, he brought a yoke of oxen, each weighing a ton, to a parade. For a while, he had a steer whose horns were so wide he could barely fit safely on the street.

But for the past decade or so, Mr. Rostetter and Lone Star became nearly inseparable, Murrin said. Lone Star was so gentle and patient that he allowed people to pet him, sit on him and take photos all day.

"Randy liked the limelight," Murrin said, "and Lone Star loved being on camera."

Mr. Rostetter would never get rich off the tip money he made with Lone Star, Murrin said, but he made enough to live comfortably. Lone Star, now about 15, will retire to Murrin's private ranch west of Fort Worth and spend his days grazing and sleeping.

Lynn Hawkins, an administrative assistant at the Cowtown Coliseum, said Mr. Rostetter approached life with humility and kindness, often going out of his way to show his appreciation to Stockyards employees and tourists alike.

"We're a close-knit family here in the Stockyards," Hawkins said, "and it won't be the same without Randy."

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