Who invented the bola/bolo tie?

[Bapopik at AOL.COM]

"Bolo tie" is being proposed as the official neckwear of Texas. In 1971, it  
was declared the official neckwear of Arizona. Supposedly, Victor Cedarstaff  
invented the tie in 1949 in Wickenburg, Arizona.
...
However, his patent is 1954--after Newspaperarchive ads. 
...
OED has no entry whatsoever, despite this being list in Barnhart's New  Words 
by 1980--over a quarter of a century ago. DARE also has no entry.
...
Any bola/bolo tie thoughts or help?
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...
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_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/bola_tie_bolo_tie/_ 
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/bola_tie_bolo_tie/) 
...
 
Bola Tie (Bolo Tie)
 
The bola tie (or bolo tie; “bola” meaning ball) was declared the official  
neckwear of Arizona in 1971. In 2007, the Texas legislature had a proposal to  
make it the official necktie of Texas as well. 

The official Arizona line  is that the bola ties was invented by Victor 
Cedarstaff in Wickenburg, Arizona  in 1949. What’s not in dispute is that the ties 
became very popular in the  1950s, especially when certain restaurants wanted 
their customers to wear ties.  

Some say that the bola tie was invented by Native Americans and is of  
uncertain date of origin. In 1953, “bolo ties” appears in a shoe advetisement  (not 
the necktie use). In a 1954 ad, “bolo ties” appears in the necktie form, a  
product of Hickok (a company based in Rochester, NY and in Texas).  

Patents records show a “Slide for a Necktie” patented by Victor  Emsiihiel 
Cedaistaffi on May 24, 1954—AFTER Hickok was already selling bola  ties? 


_Wikipedia:  Bola Tie_ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bola_tie)  
A bola tie or bolo tie is a type of necktie  consisting of a piece of cord 
fastened with an ornamental bar or clasp. The bola  tie was created in 1949 by 
Vic Cedarstaff in Wickenburg, Arizona and later  patented. 

In the United Kingdom, bola ties are known as “Bootlace ties”.  They were 
popular with 1950s Teddy Boys, who wore them with drape suits.  
In the United States bola ties are widely associated with traditional cowboy  
dress, and are generally most common in the western areas of the country. The 
 bola tie was made the official neckwear of Arizona in 1971.  

_Bolo Tie Shop—Glossary_ (http://www.bolotie.com/glossary.htm)  
Bolo -  is a western type tie with a decorative plaque strung on a lanyard 
and having  decorative ends 

_Arizona State Library_ (http://www.lib.az.us/museum/symbols.cfm)   
State Neckwear 
The Bola Tie 
adopted 1973 
Arizona’s  official state neckwear was invented in Wickenburg, Arizona. It is 
worn around  the neck in the same fashion as a necktie. It consists of a 
cord, usually made  of braided leather, which is held together by a decorative 
clasp and often has  some form of ornament on the ends of the cord. 

_Town of Wickenburg,  AZ_ (http://www.ci.wickenburg.az.us/index.asp?NID=300)  
In 1971 the Arizona Legislature decreed the bola tie the official  state 
neckwear.  Vic Cedarstaff invented it in 1949 in Wickenburg.  

_The  Arizona Republic_ 
(http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/eastvalleyopinions/articles/0604cr-lawrence04.html)  
Who knew there were so many bola lovers? 
by  Star Lawrence 
Jun. 4, 2005 12:00 AM 
(...) 

I have been rather  starchily informed by several computer-lovin’ cowboys 
that the thing is even  legislatively approved. Sure enough, in 1971, Barry 
Goldwater, with some assists  from the Bola Tie Society of Arizona, convinced the 
Arizona Legislature to  declare the bola tie Arizona’s “official neckwear.” 

An online search  reveals several variations in spelling and origins for this 
accessory. A bolo is  a knife used in the Philippines and a bola is an animal 
leg tangler called a  “boleadoros,” made of leather thongs, which is used in 
South America to bring  down game. 

I am going with the one with the strings, the bola, as the  “official” 
spelling. (I can just see certain people who have written me this  month starting 
to jump off their chairs. Easy, easy.) 

One Web site I  dredged up was written by a man who declared all ties stupid, 
but the stupidest  of all, he said, is the bolo ("o-speller"). 

He says a cowboy from  Wickenburg (Vic Cedarstaff, if you must know) was 
riding the range in the 1940s,  when his hat blew off. Before he could grab it, 
his horse either stomped it or  defecated on it (the truth has been lost to 
history, blessedly) and all he had  left was the band and a concho. He placed this 
around his neck for safekeeping,  this gentleman says. One of his men, the 
story goes, then said, “Nice necktie,”  and a fashion statement was born. 

Another version has Vic’s wife seeing  this breathtaking piece of bling and 
being swept away. 

Later, the story  goes, “the hatband that crawled out from under some horse 
poop” was patented,  then made official. 

Don Langlois, a librarian at the Arizona State  Library in Phoenix, notes 
only that the bola originated in Wickenburg. He makes  no comment on the rest of 
the story. He is, however, an adamant “a-speller.”  

Another reader, Gigi Stacy, is an “o-speller.” She describes as “dim  bulbs”
 those who prefer the “a.” 

But when her letter to the editor was  printed in these pages, she was 
whacked by the style book and ended up talking  about “bola ties.” 

Joe Sharpless of Sun Lakes is an “a-speller,” though  he notes that he 
originally spelled it with an “o.” 

He believes the cord  and rock arrangement may have originated with the 
Native Americans as a way of  protecting particularly tasty chunks of turquoise or 
gold. 

_Lufkin  Daily News_ 
(http://www.lufkindailynews.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/12/27/poly/fun_legislation.html)  
Legislators set to address issues of importance and of  frivolity 
By DENISE HOEPFNER 
The Lufkin Daily News 
Tuesday,  December 26, 2006 

When the 80th Legislature convenes on Jan. 9, 2007,  lawmakers will have over 
670 pieces of proposed legislation to consider,  including those relating to 
hot-button issues like health care, education,  criminal justice, the official 
state tie of Texas — and football.  

District 39 State Rep. Armando “Mando” Martinez of Weslaco filed House  
Concurrent Resolution 12 to designate the bolo tie as the official State Tie of  
Texas because of its close association with images of cowboys and the western  
frontier. 

According to the proposed legislation, the bolo tie, which was  patented in 
1959 by an Arizona silversmith named Victor Cedarstaff, resembles a  type of 
tie worn by Native Americans in the early 1900s which consisted of a  bandana or 
string fastened by a silver concho ornament and is also similar to  the 
string ties popular during the era when Texas was being settled. 

16  October 1953, Newark (OH) Advocate and American Tribune, pg. 2 ad:  
BOLO TIES 
(On “fine shoes for men”—ed.) 

9 April 1954, Lincoln  (NE) Star, pg. 16 ad: 
The New HICKOK 
BOLA TIES 
The  solution to your sport shirt-necktie problem. Hickok designed and 
approved for  dining by the finest hotels and restaurants. Bola Tie slips on and off 
easily,  fits any neck size. In a wide range of sport motifs. 
One lot 2.50 

3  May 1954, Charleston (WV) Daily Mail, pg. 2: 
Don’t be surprised if it  looks a little like Wyoming rodeo time in town this 
summer when sports shirts  blossom out. 

Some restaurants insist that men wear ties. So, Hickok has  come out with a 
thong (a strip of metal-tipped fiber or leather, to meet the  dress decor 
requirements). 

Already the “Bolo Ties” are the rave in  southwest resorts and in cities 
such as Fort Worth and Dallas—and Chicago.  

The “knot” is a handsome metal emblem. 

15 March 1955, Ames  (Iowa) Daily Tribune, pg. 22 photo caption: 
Ryerson thinks bolo ties,  like those on the sports shirts he is arranging, 
will increase in popularity for  local men. 

_Google  Patents_ 
(http://www.google.com/patents?vid=USPAT2896217&id=OBQCAAAAEBAJ&dq=cedarstaff&ie=ISO-8859-1)  
SLIDE FOR A NECKTIE Victor Emsiihiel Cedaistaffi  
Patent number: 2896217 
Filing date: May 24, 1954 
Issue date: Jul 28,  1959 
Inventor: Victor Emsiihiel Cedaistaffi 
Patent Number Title Issue  date 
5008981 Enclosed yoke clasp for bola-style necktie Apr 23, 1991  
5664297 Bolo tie-type device and securing means therefor Sep 9, 1997  
Drawings 

(Trademark) 
Word Mark BOLA TIE SOCIETY OF ARIZONA  
Goods and Services (CANCELLED) IC 042. US 100. G & S: ASSOCIATION  
SERVICES-NAMELY, PROMOTING INTEREST IN THE BOLA TIE. FIRST USE: 19661027. FIRST  USE IN 
COMMERCE: 19661027 
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING 
Design  Search Code 
Serial Number 73097082 
Filing Date August 19, 1976  
Current Filing Basis 1A 
Original Filing Basis 1A 
Registration Number  1066507 
Registration Date May 24, 1977 
Owner (REGISTRANT) Bola Tie  Society of Arizona UNKNOWN Phoenix ARIZONA 
(LAST LISTED OWNER) BOLA TIE  SOCIETY OF ARIZONA ARIAONA UNINCORPORATED 
ASSOCIATION 2650 W. UNION HILLS DRIVE  PHOENIX, ARIZ. 85027 
Type of Mark SERVICE MARK 
Register SUPPLEMENTAL  
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD 
Cancellation Date October 18, 1983  

(Trademark) 
Word Mark HICKOK 
Goods and Services (EXPIRED) IC  026. US 040. G & S: BUCKLES NOT OF PRECIOUS 
METAL FOR PERSONAL WEAR. FIRST  USE: 19091100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19091100 
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED  DRAWING 
Design Search Code 
Serial Number 71534779 
Filing Date  September 17, 1947 
Current Filing Basis 1A 
Original Filing Basis 1A  
Registration Number 0515573 
Registration Date September 27, 1949  
Owner (REGISTRANT) HICKOK MANUFACTURING CO. INC. CORPORATION NEW YORK 850  
ST. PAUL STREET ROCHESTER NEW YORK 
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED  
Prior Registrations 0177816 
Type of Mark TRADEMARK 
Register  PRINCIPAL-2(F) 
Renewal 1ST RENEWAL 19690927 
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD  

(Trademark) 
Word Mark HICKOK 
Goods and Services (EXPIRED) IC  025. US 039. G & S: BELTS IN THE NATURE OF 
GARMENT SUPPORTERS, SUSPENDERS OR  BRACES; MEN’S GARTERS AND CRAVATS. FIRST 
USE: 19191100. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE:  19191100 
Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING 
Design Search Code  
Serial Number 71547546 
Filing Date January 20, 1948 
Current Filing  Basis 1A 
Original Filing Basis 1A 
Change In Registration CHANGE IN  REGISTRATION HAS OCCURRED 
Registration Number 0517146 
Registration Date  November 1, 1949 
Owner (REGISTRANT) HICKOK MANUFACTURING CO. INC.  CORPORATION NEW YORK 850 
ST. PAUL STREET ROCHESTER NEW YORK 
(LAST LISTED  OWNER) TANDY BRANDS, INC. CORPORATION ASSIGNEE OF DELAWARE 
SUITE 660, WEST SIDE  PLAZA 550 BAILEY AVENUE FORT WORTH TEXAS 76107 
Assignment Recorded  ASSIGNMENT RECORDED 
Attorney of Record DAVID S. ABRAMS 
Prior  Registrations 0274484 
Type of Mark TRADEMARK 
Register PRINCIPAL-2(F)  
Affidavit Text SECT 15. 
Renewal 2ND RENEWAL 19900315 
Live/Dead  Indicator DEAD 

(Trademark) 
Word Mark HICKOK 
Goods and Services  (EXPIRED) IC 025. US 039. G & S: BELTS IN THE NATURE OF 
GARMENT SUPPORTERS,  SUSPENDERS OR BRACES; MEN’S GARTERS AND CRAVATS. FIRST 
USE: 19191100. FIRST USE  IN COMMERCE: 19191100 
Mark Drawing Code (3) DESIGN PLUS WORDS, LETTERS,  AND/OR NUMBERS 
Design Search Code 24.01.01 - Shields or crests (plain) with  neither a 
figurative element nor an inscription contained therein or  superimposed thereon 
26.15.21 - Polygons that are completely or partially  shaded 
Serial Number 72467048 
Filing Date August 30, 1973 
Current  Filing Basis 1A 
Original Filing Basis 1A 
Registration Number 1031094  
Registration Date January 20, 1976 
Owner (REGISTRANT) HICKOK  MANUFACTURING CO., INC. DBA HICKOK CORPORATION NEW 
YORK 845 AVENUE G EAST  ARLINGTON TEXAS 76011 
Assignment Recorded ASSIGNMENT RECORDED 
Prior  Registrations 0274484;0557328;AND OTHERS 
Description of Mark THE DESIGN  ABOVE THE LETTER “O” IN “HICKOK” IS LINED 
TO INDICATE THE COLOR RED. 
Type of  Mark TRADEMARK 
Register PRINCIPAL 
Affidavit Text SECT 15. SECT 8 (6-YR).  
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD 

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