Texan named to hall of fame

   Texas-born cowgirl Velda Tindall Smith has been inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame along with three other women: Glenna Goodacre, Ann Seacrest Hanson and Sheila Varian.
   Velda Smith (1908-1990) was a classic cowgirl from the golden age of rodeo.
   Her career began at age 12 when she learned to trick ride. Smith continued to consistently place high in trick riding, flat races and relay races in major competitions.
   Smith began a new career as a barrel racer and helped form the Texas Barrel Racing Association. She served as president for five years and at age 54 won the title of Grand Champion Barrel Racer at the 1964 Dallas Fair.
   Glenna Goodacre reflects her lifelong passion in her work as a sculptor of the human figure.
   Ranging from small head studies to public monuments, expression and composition are staples of her bronzes.
   Her most well-known works include the Vietnam Women’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1993; the Irish Memorial installed in Philadelphia in 2003; “Crossing the Prairie,” which won the 2002 James Earl Fraser Sculpture Award at the Prix de West Exhibition in Oklahoma City; and her rendering of Sacagawea that appeared on a new dollar coin issued by the U.S. Mint in 2000.
   Goodacre’s abilities have earned her an extensive list of honors including honorary doctorates from Colorado College (her alma mater) and Texas Tech University. In 2003, she was also awarded the Texas Medal of Arts.
   Ann Seacrest Hanson has lived a life of ranching and rodeo. Growing up on a ranch in eastern Montana, she traveled two miles to grade school on horseback and later settled down to ranch with husband Walt Seacrest.
   She and her husband began to work as professional pick-up riders at Miles City Montana Bucking Horse Sale, making her one of the few women to ever work as a pick-up rider.
   Hanson was also known for organizing rodeo schools and is a recognized musician and cowgirl poet.
   Sheila Varian made her mark in the Arabian horse community from her first champion mare, Rotenza to the Varian Arabians she breeds today.
   Varian’s program of horse breeding has risen to worldwide acclaim. She is currently the leading breeder of Arabians in the United States and Canada.
   The Arabian Professional and Amateur Horseman’s Association has awarded her the Arabian Breeder of the Year four times.
   In 2001, she received the Ellen Scripps David Memorial Breeder’s Award from USA Equestrian.
   To honor these women, the 28th Annual Induction Luncheon of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame was held Nov. 14 in Fort Worth.