Leadership in the Panhandle

Joe Batson, the President of Coldwater Cattle Company, has dedicated much of his life to improving the Panhandle community of Amarillo, Texas. His family led fundraising efforts to establish the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation in the early 1960s.  Mr. Batson assisted the nascent foundation as a volunteer in 1965. Working with his university colleague, the photographer Bill Rhew, Mr. Batson designed a technical installation that demonstrated the feasibility of an amphitheater performing arts production in Palo Duro Canyon. The next summer, the initial production of TEXAS, the Official Play of the State of Texas, took place in the Pioneer Amphitheater.

Joe Batson continues to be active as a founding member and lifetime member of the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation. He has been a prominent financial supporter of the nonprofit organization, notably donating $1 million in 2004. Today, TEXAS continues as an educational musical pageant that vividly brings Texas pioneer experience to life. In 2009, he received the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce’s Golden Nail Award in recognition of his contributions to local performing arts.

Mr.Batson’s commitment to charitable activities extends to board membership in the Humane Society of North Texas. Working in collaboration with the Potter County Sheriff’s Department, he helped establish a local investigative committee that focused on cruelty to animals. Joe Batson is also Chairman of the Board of the Amarillo chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and an Executive Board Member of the Amarillo Symphony.