Well-known Kern rancher dies at 89
He was born a cattleman and died a cattleman.
But Kern County rancher Kenneth C. Twisselman was also a farmer, a businessman, a school board member, a patron of the arts, an avid dancer and photographer, and as one longtime friend said, something of a renaissance man.
Twisselman was surrounded by family, including, Rosemary, his wife of 68 years, when he died Sept. 14 at his daughter’s home in the mountains above Maricopa. He was 89.
“We knew the end was near,” said Kenneth Twisselman II, the elder Twisselman’s son, and a Kern County Superior Court judge.
Despite the grief and the loss, Judge Twisselman said, there was beauty and comfort as well.
“It was a wonderful experience to be there and help him through,” he said.
The elder Twisselman was born March 19, 1931, and was raised on his grandfather Chris’ ranch headquarters in the Shandon-Cholame area in San Luis Obispo County.
In 1945, Ken’s father, Carl, moved his family to their present ranch headquarters in the arid Temblor Range west of McKittrick. Much of the ranch land was purchased by the Twisselmans from homesteaders whose dreams of a productive farmstead had failed, the Twisselman family said in a bio of Ken.
“It is a historic ranch that used to be part of the Miller & Lux empire,” Judge Twisselman said. “It was also a stage coach stop from the valley across the Carrisa Plains to the coast.”
Ken attended Taft High School — where he served as student body president — and Taft Junior College. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from UCLA in 1953. He married Rosemary Rees of Taft in 1952.
“I was 16 and he was 21,” Rosemary Twisselman remembered Wednesday. “We had four children in five years.”
Besides running cattle, the Twisselmans ran a dry-land farming operation, growing barley and wheat. In the dry hills of the Temblor Range, both endeavors are fraught with risk.
“I would always ask Ken, ‘Well, how’s the feed?’” recalled Les Clark, a longtime friend who, in his younger days, spent a few years working on the ranch before becoming an independent oil producer.
“The feed is the grass,” Clark said, and when it didn’t rain, the grass didn’t grow.
“You were always prepared for the hard times,” Rosemary said. “You never could be extravagant with your lifestyle.”
It was a lot of hard work. And the kids got involved as young as 3 or 4, riding and working with cattle and horses.
But eventually, the successes outweighed the bad years, and the cattleman was able to give his attention and share his wisdom with the larger community.
He served 25 years on the school boards at McKittrick Elementary and Taft Union High School. He served as president and longtime director of the Kern County Cattlemen’s Association.
He represented the interests of his family — and the larger industry — by making connections with public officials whose decisions would impact the cattle industry.
And he never stopped learning.
“He was not only a cattleman, he was a renaissance man,” Clark said. “He was
well read and explored a wide range of topics and opportunities.”
Kenneth and Rosemary were known in their circle for their love of dancing, and at association dinners and other events, Kenneth’s skills drew invitations
to the dance floor from young women to grandmothers.
“He was always a leader,” said his son, Kenneth. “A leader in ranching, a leader in the community.
“I always felt he was trying to do the
right thing to help his family and his community.”
Clark agreed.
“I can’t say enough good things about him,” he said.
“He will be missed.”