While the Roundup changed dramatically over the years, one feature of the Roundup never differed: Gene Rightmyer was its moving force. Among the hundreds of persons interviewed by the OIG, virtually all perceived Rightmyer as the leader of the Roundup. Because Rightmyer also was clearly associated with ATF, many people viewed the Roundup as an "ATF event."
In the early 1980s, the Roundup, except for the cooking, was organized and directed solely by Rightmyer. As the Roundup grew and required more effort, volunteers began to assume particular responsibilities. A civilian in New Jersey who was experienced with computers maintained the mailing list and sent out the fliers. An attendee from a federal agency [/ This person was not employed by DOJ or Treasury. ] organized the registration process.
In 1986, Rightmyer began to think about incorporating the Roundup, but never did so. [ / Although the 1986 invitation suggests that the Roundup was incorporated, Rightmyer informed us that while at the time he believed his lawyer had sent the incorporation papers to the Tennessee Secretary of State, they in fact had not been sent. When Rightmyer learned they had not been sent, he decided not to incorporate after all. OIG checked the state's business records and could find no record that the Roundup had been incorporated. ] That year he also formalized an election for a president and a vice-president of the Roundup, who were chosen during a general business meeting of all registered Roundup attendees who wished to participate. These officers had no substantive responsibility except to run the Roundup business meeting.
As the Roundup grew in size, it became clear to Rightmyer that he needed additional help with organizational matters. Although Rightmyer could not recall the exact year, by 1989 he had created a board of directors known by the acronym, MOB, which stood for "members of the board," or "mean old bastards." Rightmyer assumed primary responsibility for selecting the MOBs and chose people who had worked hard on previous Roundups. The MOBs changed each year, although a core group appears to have been selected year after year in recognition of their contributions to organizing the cooking, registration, security, or various competitions. Attendees at the Roundup could identify MOBs by the hats they wore with "MOB" written on them. Rightmyer always ordered a few extra of these hats for deserving volunteers who made special contributions that year. Many people who received these hats (and thus became MOBs) did not know how or why they had been selected.
From the inception of this group, the MOBs were almost exclusively white males. Membership in the MOBs was not restricted to law enforcement attendees, federal or otherwise. Indeed, over the years most MOBs were not federal law enforcement officers. At the 1995 Roundup, for example, only two of the thirty-four MOB members were ATF agents. Two others in the group work for the Department of Treasury and none for the Department of Justice. Only one DOJ employee has ever served on the MOB.
Another organizational body created by Rightmyer in 1989 was the Roundup Executive Committee, or the REX. Whereas the MOB consisted of the people who actually did the work, such as cooking and organizing the sports events, the REX oversaw the entire operation by monitoring the work of the MOBs and setting policies for the Roundup. REX members received hats with gold braid on the bill. This group was composed of some of the people who had attended the first Roundup, the past Rednecks of the Year, and past presidents. Because all of the people in these categories were white males, only white males have been members of the REX. Of the 1995 REX, thirteen of the twenty-six members were not employed by any federal law enforcement agency. Six REX members in 1995 are employed by ATF (five of whom were chosen for their having attended the original Roundup in 1980) and four additional members are retired ATF employees. No one employed by the Department of Justice has ever served on the REX.
Sample "REX" hat
Fig. 5