Tad Herz started his journey with CFD in 1967 at the age of four by following his stepfather, Bud Racicky around the park when he served as an Assistant Committeeman on the Indian Committee. Tad remembers how exciting it was from the first moment he stepped into the park. His family developed close relationships with others on the Indian Committee and had friendships with several tribal members.

Tad and his stepfather Bud tried their luck as contestants at CFD during the 1973 show. Following an unexpected breeding of their mare at their boarding facility, they had a mare and colt. After encouragement from Dave Carmichael and Larry Rezack, the two entered Misty, the mare and Kodak, the colt in the George Guy Memorial Dinner Bell Derby or the Mare and Colt Race. They raced the pair at every rodeo that year winning third place at one of the shows. It was exciting, but Tad knew he was not cut out to be a rodeo cowboy.

In 1975, Tad worked with Boy Scout Troop 101 and parked cars in C Lot, thus beginning his volunteer service. The following year, he was placed into service selling Souvenir Programs, a calling that would last decades as he is still managing the effort to sell the programs at the park. In 1982, Tad formally joined the Public Relations Committee as a volunteer working for Dick Patterson to manage the sale of the annual Souvenir Programs. He also worked on the Host Sub-committee preparing the various sponsor areas for use. Tad always made it a priority to attend as many workdays as possible. In 1984, he was recognized as the PR Committee “Rookie of the Year.” He worked in these roles until he went to work in Denver the day after the 1985 Cheyenne Frontier Days™ celebration. Tad worked at Arthur Andersen & Co. for four years and felt the immense time constraint that comes with being in public accounting. When he had time, he would work as assigned by the PR Committee during each celebration up to the 1988 show. At that point, Tad became an inactive member of the PR Committee and later took a position with Apache Corporation in Denver. In 1991, he was relocated by Apache to Houston, Texas. Again, as time would allow, he would help where needed on the PR Committee primarily during the show, though it became difficult for him to attend workdays.

In 2001, Tad’s prayers were answered as he was given a new career opportunity with Cordillera Energy Partners in Denver. Bob Anspauch suggested he formally re-join the PR Committee and went right to work for Jay Guerin managing the sale of the Souvenir Programs. Tad worked for Jay until 2010. In 2011, he was promoted to Assistant Committeeman on the PR Committee and was given responsibility to lead and direct sales of the Souvenir Programs. He has also worked in the “Howdy Information” booths (wagons, hut, house) striving to provide information for our visitors to the show and park. These positions are ones he still enjoys today. Throughout his CFD tenure, he has either sold or managed the sale of over 100,000 programs, selling out the programs on three occasions.

In 2010, Tad developed his passion for the CFD Old West Museum. Throughout the years he always liked the museum since his parents, Arloa McGinnis and Bud Racicky, were part of the founding of the Museum in 1978. He has been an active participant in purchasing art from the Western Art Show and Sale and has prioritized making contributions for the preservation of the facility and its mission to capture the history of CFD and the Western heritage that we enjoy in Cheyenne.

In 2012, Tad decided to become involved with the CFD Volunteer Crisis Fund and has tried to sponsor the annual banquet and fundraiser. Tad appreciates the truly exceptional effort and as he has told Joe Lopez, the founder, that the CFD Volunteer Crisis Fund does the Lord’s work for the volunteer workforce when needs arise.

In 2014, Tad received the honor of being elected to the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ HEELs organization. He accounts this accomplishment as one of the biggest honors of his life and he relishes the opportunity to be a part of the team. He prioritizes the sale of 50/50 raffle tickets during the show and enjoys the fellowship with other volunteers while raising meaningful money for several well-deserving charitable organizations in Cheyenne.

In 2021, Tad was appointed to the Cheyenne Frontier Days™ Board of Directors, a position he is currently serving and thoroughly enjoys.

Cheyenne Frontier Days™ has been a big part of Tad’s life and is at the core of who he is. He feels blessed to have been raised with the Code of the West as his guiding principle remembering the specific point of “Do what has to be done,” as he remembers his years as a CFD volunteer. From the first time Tad worked at the park until now, he wanted to make a difference through the work he has accomplished. He feels honored that the Committee allowed him to a be volunteer despite living and working in Denver. Tad has always enjoyed bringing friends and colleagues to Cheyenne to experience the rendition of Western heritage and its preservation. It has been his pleasure to manage the sale of the souvenir programs, given that it is the only written historical record of the show for any given year.

He never worked for any formal recognition by CFD as he believes it is a privilege to be a volunteer and ride for the brand of CFD. As he thinks about being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Tad is humbled beyond words and considers it an honor. He is reminded of something that he recently heard Tom Hirsig say about CFD, recounting his services and commitment to CFD, Tom said: “it is easy when you love it.” That summarizes Tad’s feelings about volunteering for the state, community, and celebration that he deeply loves.