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"Growing up on a small horse farm in Indiana," Max writes, "Ann Judge-Wegener has ridden, shown, judged and trained Arabian horses for almost her entire life. She is known by Denver Broncos fans as 'The Bronco Girl,' riding Thunder, the Broncos' mascot, onto Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium at every home game."
Max and Phyll Ann Judge have two other daughters, Amy and Jill. Jill Briggs is executive vice president of the United Way of the Lowcountry. Max and Jill previously wrote a book about the late Gen. Howard A. Davis Sr. of Hilton Head, and Max has written "Chronicles of Life in the Midwest."
In his new book, edited by island writer Sansing McPherson, Max shares the following inside look at the girl with whom Broncos fans love to be photographed.
The Bronco Girl
By Max Judge
In the background of the searching period of Ann's life there was a young man. Ann and Terry began their relationship as pen pals, after a sorority sister told Ann about meeting someone at a guest ranch in Colorado who seemed to be a perfect fit for Ann.
After an extended period of letter writing, there followed an airplane ticket for Ann to spend a week at the guest ranch. Then there was an opportunity for Ann's family to meet Terry Wegener when he traveled by car from Colorado to West Lafayette, Ind., in midwinter. As Terry was leaving, he backed through the snow into a ditch in front of our home. He still chuckles about Ann's dad getting the tractor out of the barn to pull that cowboy out of the ditch without delay!
At the end of Ann's internship at Dixieland Arabians (in Eastover), word came that Terry had been hospitalized for cancer surgery. She immediately moved to the Denver area and lived with the sorority sister who had put her in touch with Terry.
There followed a series of cancer treatments and surgeries that could defeat the most optimistic of attitudes. Instead of adopting a cautious, prudent perspective, Ann and Terry decided to get married.
Their marriage ceremony at Central Presbyterian Church in Lafayette revealed a bridegroom with dark circles under his eyes, nearly bald from chemotherapy, professing and matching the optimism of this bride about their future together.
But the cancer treatments were not over. There would be challenging times ahead as well as a profound serendipity.
While still working at the guest ranch, Terry was standing in the chow line among the guests. The man behind him in line asked if Terry was undergoing chemotherapy. He identified himself as Dr. Randy Roland, an oncology surgeon at the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis.
Terry explained that the chemo was not working, and his doctors were considering radiation therapy. Dr. Roland indicated that Terry's type of cancer was his specialty. "Don't let them give you radiation. Here is my card. Call me."
Terry did call him, and surgery was scheduled soon after in Indianapolis. We vividly recall meeting him and Ann at the hospital the night before the surgery. We were worried beyond words, but Terry and Ann seemed to be preoccupied with the outcome of a horse show they had attended that day. Terry had the attitude of someone checking into the Holiday Inn.
The next day he underwent a 13-hour surgery that completely eliminated all evidence of cancer. He is cancer-free to this day. We always have been convinced that a large reason for Terry's complete recovery was the love he felt from Ann and his determination that he was not going to be denied a lifetime of that love.
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