Bob Bell was born to Judge and Mrs. Robert J. Bell, Sr. during the pre-depression years in McAlester, Oklahoma. Bell grew up with a love and respect for animals and the heritage he portrayed in his original bronzes. After graduating from the Oklahoma Military Academy, Bell served with the United State 3rd Marines in WWII and was wounded in action on Iwo Jima. After the war, he earned his B.S. degree in animal husbandry from Oklahoma State University and went on to manage a large ranch, Dillingham Ranch, Inc., and to eventually own and operate the Bell Ranch in Okmulgee, Oklahoma.

Bob, a proud member of the Choctaw tribe in Oklahoma, was my father’s best friend, and my younger brother Jamie spent many summers while growing up on Bob’s ranch working as a young ranch hand. Bob and his bronzes always have a very special place in my heart.