Page 327 of The Texas Sterling Collection
After supper, Rod picked up his Mac laptop and sat on the couch. “Come on, Wyl, let’s look up Felix Bonner and see what happened to him.”
Searching the Internet, they found one result that looked like a fit.Felix Cornelius Bonner; b. 1880; d. 1973.He clicked the link, and he and Wyl read through the information.
Bonner, Felix. BS/MS, University of Texas. Ph.D., Harvard University. Noted psychologist in the early half of the twentieth century. Pioneer in the recognition and treatment of child and adolescent emotional abuse. Developed many theories still used today by sociologists and social workers. Instituted the Joseph Sterling Foundation. Resident of Fort Worth, Texas, for most of his adult life.
“Oh, wow,” Rod exclaimed. “Great uncle Felix put his education to good use. I hope your great-grandparents knew what a positive influence they had on him.”
“Let’s look up the Joseph Sterling Foundation." Wyl motioned to the keyboard. “We need to find out if it still exists and what the purpose was.”
Rod keyed inJoseph Sterling Foundation,and a website link popped up at the top of the list. He clicked on it, and they read through the information on the foundation's home page. Rod clicked on the link forAbout Us.
The Joseph Sterling Foundation was established in 1920 by Dr. Felix Bonner, who led the foundation until he retired from the board in 1950. The foundation has two primary purposes: providing scholarships to young men and women who pursue rodeo careers in college, and hosting a free summer rodeo camp for underprivileged and abused children and adolescents to introduce them to the world of rodeo competition.
“Gosh, it looks like the foundation is still in existence.” Wyl squirmed with excitement. “Can we go and visit?”
“We can go later this week if you want, babe.” Rod smiled at his husband.
“Where is the foundation headquartered?”
Rod scrolled down theAbout Uspage and found the address in Fort Worth. “The foundation's main office is only about four hours from here. Let’s drive over on Thursday.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Rod and Wyl saddled their horses the following day and rode to the spring. While the horses drank from the spring and grazed on the surrounding grass, Wyl and Rod replaced the stones they had used for their campfire. Everything in place, they stood together at the grave, Wyl behind Rod, holding him in his arms.
“I am so glad we discovered our Great Uncle Joseph’s burial place,” Rod said. “He died too young, but it’s nice to know a Bonner man and a Sterling man were lovers long before we were born.”
“It gives our union a historical validity we didn’t have before,” Wyl said.
Rod tightened his arms around Wyl’s. “Yes, it does, babe.” Rod twisted in Wyl’s arms to face him and gave him a quick kiss. “Let’s get a headstone for Joey’s grave. We could even put a little fence around it or find a natural way of setting the burial site apart. Our Great Uncle Felix would want us to do that for our Great Uncle Joseph.”
Wyl smiled and leaned in for a quick kiss. “I like your idea. There is a place in town that does headstones for the local cemeteries. I bet they can help us with an era-appropriate headstone for a burial in 1898.”
“After we do that, let’s take photos and record the coordinates,” Rod said. “We can give the information to the Joseph Sterling Foundation. I am sure they would appreciate knowing the final resting place of the man whose name the foundation carries. Great Uncle Felix may have told them, but actual photos and a verified location have historical significance.”
“Good idea, babe. Now, how about we look for your great-great-grandmother Sara Bonner’s gold cross?”
“You know where to look?”
“Walt and I used to ride up to an outcropping as teens. We enjoyed the view and the isolation. Based on the information in Felix’s diary, I bet we enjoyed the same place Jacob, Joey, and Felix did.”
They mounted up and took the steep trail up to the outcropping.
“Dad said he heard that buffalo and Indians roamed this land. That was long before our great uncles explored up here, but this looks like a great spot for Indians to keep an eye on things.”
“When you first took me horseback riding, we went up on a hill. But this is higher than that. You can see the entire ranch from up here.”
Wyl dismounted, and Rod followed him. They stood closer to the edge. “Look, there is the spring.” Rod pointed to a green spot to the southeast.
“And over there is the homestead.” Wyl pointed southwest to the buildings that made up the ranch headquarters. “And way over there are the quarters for the hands.” He pointed south.
“Okay, babe. Let’s see if we can find Great Uncle Felix’s necklace.” Rod inspected the boulders and found a small crevice between two stones. “Do you think this is the place?”
“It seems to match what was in the diary.” Wyl retrieved a stick strapped to his saddlebags. “I found this in the garage.” He pointed to a hook on the end. “Dad used it to pick up horseshoes when he played in tournaments.”
He used the stick to poke down in the crevice. No buzzing. He rotated the stick and used the hook end to drag along the bottom. When he pulled the stick from the crevice, a delicate chain dangled from the hook, a small gold cross hanging from one end. Wyl offered it to Rod, grinning.
“That matches the description in the diary, babe.” Rod reached for the chain. Dirt covered the chain and the cross, but it brushed off when he rubbed his fingers over it. Wyl joined him, and they spent a moment of silence in awe of the history that one small item represented. It belonged to Felix’s grandmother, so it was probably 200 years old. “Let’s take it back to the house and clean it up, then place it in the diary.”
