The 2010 Cowgirl Hall of Fame Inductees and Ruth Carter Stevenson, winner of the Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award, have been announced.

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is proud to recognize the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees: Joyce Gibson Roach, Temple Grandin, Betty Dusek, Hortense Ward and Kay Gay. They will be honored along with Ruth Carter Stevenson, recipient of the Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award, during the 35th Annual Induction Luncheon Ceremony on

Oct. 28, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

Joyce Gibson Roach – With roots in Jacksboro, Texas, Roach is an author and

lecturer on the Southwest. She has published countless articles, and short stories and is the author of the foundational text The Cowgirls published in 1990. Gibson is a three-time Western Writers of America Spur Award winner for both fiction and non-fiction. She has been a columnist for the Star-Telegram, a professor at Texas Christian University, is a Fellow of the Texas State Historical Association, and Fellow of the Clements Center for Southwest Studies

at Southern Methodist University. Passionate about Western heritage, Roach has cemented her place as a

historical preservationist in cowgirl culture.

Temple Grandin – Grandin, Ph.D., is a champion of the agriculture and livestock industry. Grandin has published four books and well over 200 articles and essays on the subjects of animal welfare, livestock handling, and other topics relevant to the livestock industry. Having designed the livestock facilities for six different countries, at least 30 percent of the handling done in North America is done through one of Grandin’s designs. She developed a system which causes the animal to feel minimal anxiety while providing greater safety and efficiency for the plant. Grandin overcame double adversities of being female in a male-dominated industry and the challenges associated with being autistic. She has published on the subject of autism and speaks publicly to better inform others about the developmental disorder. Grandin is currently a professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University.

Betty Dusek – Part of the golden age of the All-Girl Rodeo, Dusek aided in the early development of the Girls Rodeo Association as director of Calf Roping Contests. Dusek won several awards including World Champion calf roping, team roping, flag racing and ribbon roping through the GRA. Dusek is a long time member of several organizations, including the 4-H Adult Leaders Association, Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association, American Quarter Horse Association, West Texas Barrel Racer Association,

and Women’s Pro Rodeo Association. Receiving her GRA Gold Card in 1985, Dusek is an All-Around Champion,

having won 14 titles.

Hortense Ward – Known as a defender of women’s rights and as the first woman

admitted into the Texas

Bar Association, Ward broke

barriers for women during the beginning of the 20th century. Five years after being admitted to the Texas bar, Ward became the first woman from Texas, as well as the first woman below the Mason-Dixon line admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ward was the president of the Houston Equal Suffrage Association, Chief Justice of the All-Woman Supreme Court, and Vice-President of the Women Lawyers Association; she was also the first woman registered to vote in Harris County. In the 1920s she publicly supported the campaign of Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson, the first woman governor of Texas. Ward spearheaded the Married Woman’s Property Rights law – which became known as the “Hortense Ward Act,” and allowed married women in Texas to control their own property and earnings.

Kay Gay – Gay is an important part of Texas rodeo

history. From scheduling long-haul truckers for rodeo stock to serving as secretary to

keeping time, she has filled most roles within the rodeo arena. For the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, among others, she coordinated the grand entry and opening ceremonies, carried the American flag and competed as a barrel racer. Her interest in the preservation of Western culture is evident through not only working with the Mesquite Rodeo and others, but also for taking charge of the Pivot Setters and Rodeo costumes at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Her work with the wardrobe often meant designing and even sewing costumes. Gay is generally acknowledged as being one who is encouraging and nurturing to all competitors and her dedication to

maintaining and promoting professional rodeo and the Western heritage is readily seen through her life’s work.