The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame (www.cowgirl.net) will add eight new honorees to its Hall of Fame during the 36th annual Induction Luncheon ceremony on Wednesday, October 26, 2011. This year’s inductees include Sandy Collier, author of REINING ESSENTIALS and the first female horse trainer to win the prestigious National Reined Cow Horse Association World Championship Snaffle Bit Futurity.
Other 2011 Hall of Fame inductees include Sarah “Sally” Buxkemper, known for her work in refining cattle pedigrees; Mary Lou LeCompte, an author and professor; Anna Mebus Martin, the first female bank president in the United States; Marie Gibson (deceased), an early women’s rodeo star and bronc riding world champion; Mary Emma Manning Lillie “May Lillie”, a sharpshooter and co-founder of Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show with her husband, Pawnee Bill; Pauline Nesbitt , 1938 Trick and Fancy Riding World Champion; and Eloise “Fox Hastings” Wilson, a multitalented rodeo cowgirl of the 1920s.
“Our eight inductees truly exemplify our motto, ‘The Women Who Shape the West… Change the World,’” said Pat Riley, Executive Director of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame.
In addition to recognizing these eight exemplary women, the Museum will honor Patti Colbert, Executive Director of the Mustang Heritage Foundation, with the Fern Sawyer Award. This award, created in 1994 as a tribute to 1976 Honoree Fern Sawyer, is presented to someone whose tireless dedication has contributed to the advancement of the Museum.
Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will address guests during the ceremony and remain for the Museum’s opening of its newest exhibition, “The Cowgirl Who Became a Justice: Sandra Day O’Connor.” This exhibit opens October 27 and will run through March 25, 2012.
We here at TSB are so proud of Sandy! Her book is a fantastic guide to the training and preparation of a solid reining horse—it’s available online at the TSB bookstore where shipping in the US are always FREE.