Days of the Old West Rodeo

Gary Robins was born July 21, 1941 to Mont and Maxine Robins. The white house on the
corner of Center Street and 100 W in Scipio, was where they raised him and his two
sisters, Essie and Janeal. Gary has been a lifelong resident of Millard County.

After graduating from Millard High School, he married his high school sweetheart, and the
love of his life, Rosa Lee Ashman. Soon after, they packed up and moved their lives to
Cedar City, Utah where he played football at CSU, which is now known as SUU. During his
time at CSU, he received his bachelor’s degree in education, and became a father for the
first time. After graduation, they headed back home to Scipio so he could start his lifelong
career as an educator, and set permanent roots to grow their family. Gary started as a
teacher at Meadow Elementary School, gradually moving to Fillmore Middle School, where
he taught Math and History, and coached baseball and football for the Eagles. During the
growing years, Gary and Rosie had five more children, making it a grand total of six. All
proud Millard Eagles: Scott, Stephanie, Kurtis, Thayne, Rick and Angela. Their family has
always been his greatest treasure.

Throughout his life, he has been active in the riding club, rodeo, and all things athletics. In
the riding club, he was on several teams, excelling in all events. Gary was especially tough
in the team roping, calf roping, and wild cow milking. He taught himself how to tie down
calves, and is proud to say that he is one of the first calf ropers in Utah to get off the right
side. Gary had a phenomenal rodeo career, and owes a lot of his success to his equine
teammates, Red Rocket and Robin Ross. Together, they competed in some of the early
PRCA Rodeos in Deseret, Utah, in which at this time, locals could enter without a pro card.
This allowed Gary to rope against several world champions and big names, where he held
his own. The rodeo in Deseret was one of the best rodeos in Utah, and is still known today
as the Days of the Old West Rodeo.

As his family started to grow, his talents shifted gears to just doing some team roping and
coaching high school sports. He taught and coached for 30+ years, in which he has several
accolades. He helped in winning several state titles in two different sports, as a competitor
and coach, and has won many rodeo prizes to boot. The students he coached still call him
“Coach” to this day. Most of his grandkids carry on his athletic talents, showcasing their
skills not only on courts and fields, but in the arena as well. To this day, he loves to watch a
good game or rodeo on TV, and catches a great grandkids game of t-ball every now and
then.

His dear wife, Rosie, passed away a few years ago, and although we know she is still
cheering him on from her heavenly throne, Gary has now married Elaine Robins.
Together, while still residing in Scipio, they are living out the legacy that Gary and the
Robins’ family have created here in Millard County.