美国国家公共电台 NPR--Baxter Black, cowboy poet and 'Morning Edition' commentator, dies at 77

Baxter Black, cowboy poet and 'Morning Edition' commentator¹, dies at 77

Transcript²

Baxter Black — the cowboy poet, philosopher, large-animal veterinarian and longtime Morning Edition commentator — died at age 77 on Friday.

He is being remembered for his witty³ and insightful analysis on a wide range of issues — from Thanksgiving turkeys to childrens' names to the Supreme⁴ Court — always from the perspective of a Western farmer and rancher.

"He was sort of a Will Rogers kind of a character and that he saw things clearly and he knew how to say them in a humorous and nonthreatening way," recalls folklorist⁶ and musician Hal Cannon⁷, who was friends with Black for more than 30 years.

Take a visit to Baxter Black's ranch⁵ in this profile from 1999

Black was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1945 and grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He was a senior class president and National FFA Organization president, and also rode bulls throughout high school and college. ("You either are [a cowboy], or you aren't. You never have to decide," he wrote in an FAQ on his website.)

After graduating from veterinary school at Colorado State University in 1969 Black went on to practice as a large-animal veterinarian, where he remembered his most thrilling call was "looking at a cow that might have been rabid or one that might have had anthrax."

He was simultaneously⁸ honing his skills as a poet and public speaker, which would go on to become his full-time⁹ career.

"The last company where I was working as a tech veterinarian changed hands and let me go," he said, describing the transition. "I was doing 'speaking' on the side and people just kept calling, so here I am."

Black's first column was published in Colorado's Record Stockman in 1980. Several years later, he made his way to public radio.

During the Yellowstone park fires of the 1980s, Black wrote a poem called "The Range Fire," in one memorable¹⁰ line comparing lightning in the sky to veins¹¹ on the back of a hand.

"I looked up 'public radio' and the address, and I just recorded it," he recalled in an interview on the Cowboy Crossroads podcast. "In those days it was reels, and so I got it done on tape and I sent it to whom it may concern."

To his surprise, several days later he got a call from someone at NPR verifying his identity and asking for permission to run his words — and his voice — on the national airwaves. Black gave the go-ahead, sparking a partnership¹² that would run for two decades.

"The next week after it ran we got 70 some-odd letters ... It was a nice response for somebody like me. He called back and said, 'Do you have any other of those?'" Black remembered. "Public radio was good to me."

Here are years' worth of Black's Morning Edition commentaries, on topics ranging from the superiority of horses and media coverage¹³ of the avian flu to a potential screenplay for a Western about a wrestling llama and a guest commentary from his dogs.

"Given the opportunity to poll candidates, there are several questions that I would proffer¹⁴, i.e.: Do you consider Miracle Whip and jalapenos essential nutrients¹⁵ in the food pyramid?" he asked in 2008. "Number two: do you prefer Copenhagen or Skoal? Number three: do you have any nieces, nephews, cousins, or children named after [coonhounds] — Blue, Jake, Badger¹⁶ or Whoop¹⁷?"

Black was keenly aware that he didn't sound like anyone else on public radio, with former Morning Edition host Bob Edwards recalling that "he knew our audience and he knew how he fit in."

"He would gear some of his commentary in that way, like the people who were against .... fur coats, use of fur, and Bax thought you should recycle roadkill and use the fur as clothing for dolls," Edwards said. "So Barbie would have a fur coat from a dead possum or something. That was one of his tweaks at public radio right there."

When he wasn't on the air, Black spoke¹⁸ at conventions and events across the country, appeared on television programs including The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, wrote a weekly column and published and recorded audiobooks — of which AG Daily says he sold more than a million.

His column, "On the Edge of Common Sense," was published by more than 100 newspapers across the U.S. and Canada over the years.

Black and his wife Cindi Lou announced at the end of 2021 that he would be retiring due to unspecified health problems, prompting an outpouring of tributes and support from the agriculture world and others.

In his undated website FAQ, Black dodged¹⁹ a question about his top three accomplishments²⁰, saying, "I haven't accomplished²¹ them yet." But he did reflect on how he'd like to be remembered: "As someone who didn't embarrass his friends."

1 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 witty   

adj.机智的，风趣的

参考例句：

• Her witty remarks added a little salt to the conversation.她的妙语使谈话增添了一些风趣。
• He scored a bull's-eye in their argument with that witty retort.在他们的辩论中他那一句机智的反驳击中了要害。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 ranch   

n.大牧场，大农场

参考例句：

• He went to work on a ranch.他去一个大农场干活。
• The ranch is in the middle of a large plateau.该牧场位于一个辽阔高原的中部。

6 folklorist   

民俗学研究者

参考例句：

7 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。

8 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。

9 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

10 memorable   

adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的

参考例句：

• This was indeed the most memorable day of my life.这的确是我一生中最值得怀念的日子。
• The veteran soldier has fought many memorable battles.这个老兵参加过许多难忘的战斗。

11 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

13 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

14 proffer   

v.献出，赠送；n.提议，建议

参考例句：

• He rose and proffered a silver box full of cigarettes.他站起身，伸手递过一个装满香烟的银盒子。
• I proffer to lend him one.我表示愿意借他一个。

15 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 badger   

v.一再烦扰，一再要求，纠缠

参考例句：

• Now that our debts are squared.Don't badger me with them any more.我们的债务两清了。从此以后不要再纠缠我了。
• If you badger him long enough,I'm sure he'll agree.只要你天天纠缠他，我相信他会同意。

17 whoop   

n.大叫，呐喊，喘息声；v.叫喊，喘息

参考例句：

• He gave a whoop of joy when he saw his new bicycle.他看到自己的新自行车时，高兴得叫了起来。
• Everybody is planning to whoop it up this weekend.大家都打算在这个周末好好欢闹一番。

18 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

19 dodged   

v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避

参考例句：

• He dodged cleverly when she threw her sabot at him. 她用木底鞋砸向他时，他机敏地闪开了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He dodged the book that I threw at him. 他躲开了我扔向他的书。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

21 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。