Each year, the National Cowgirl Museum selects a handful of amazing western women to feature in the Cowgirl Hall of Fame. This year, the organization has selected four very diverse women from varying backgrounds and eras.
Photo Courtesy Cowgirl Hall of Fame
Cornelia “Ninia” Wadsworth Ritche
Ninia Ritche owns the JA Ranch, the oldest ranch in the Texas Panhandle. She is the fourth generation of her family to make roots on the ranch, which was founded by her great-grandfather and Charles Goodnight in 1876.
Ritche is heavily focused on sustainability. So much so that she placed the entire JA Ranch in Colorado under an environmental easement in 1999. She lives at the ranch headquarters and is heavily involved in all aspects of its management.
Photo Courtesy Cowgirl Hall of Fame
Mary Jane Colter (1869 - 1958)
Mary Jane Colter was one of the few female architects of her time. Eleven of her buildings are National Historic Landmarks.
After graduating from design school, Colter became an art teacher in Minnesota. In 1902, she began working for the Harvey Company as a designer and architect. While working for Harvey, Colter designed a multitude of projects, including several landmark hotels in the Southwest U.S.
Photo Courtesy Cowgirl Hall of Fame
Kay Whitaker Young
Kay Young began barrel racing professionally at the age of 12. Since that time, she has contributed to many of rodeo and barrel racing’s top organizations.
Young has been a member of the Barrel Futurities of America board of directors since the association began. She has also held the offices of President and Vice President of the GRA/WPRA.
A seven-time NFR qualifer, Young also hosts clinics and trains horses.
Photo Courtesy Cowgirl Hall of Fame
Deborah Copenhaver Fellows
Deborah Fellows grew up in Northern Idaho with a passion for horses and art. Her family had a strong rodeo background and she competed as a barrel racer. After winning the Miss Rodeo Washington pageant, Fellows was runner-up for Miss Rodeo America.
After earning her degree in Fine Arts, Fellows purused her career as an artist in Italy. After the Vietnam war, Fellows won competitions for creating soldier memorials. She also created monuments of Bing Crosby, Benny Binion, and Boy Scouts of America. Fellows has combined her love of art and Western lifestyle by creating bronze sculptures of pioneer cowgirls and other Western personalities.
In addition to the Hall of Fame Inductees, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame honored former first lady Laura W. Bush with the Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award for her devotion to improving literacy. Her lifelong work has now earned her the title of Honorary Embassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade.
For more information on the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, its services, and missions, visit http://www.cowgirl.net.
