National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame inducts 5 at Fort Worth luncheon, ceremony

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame this month inducted five women in its 2019 class and bestowed a new award at a luncheon and ceremony.

“Every year we are awed by the accomplished cowgirls that continue to be inducted to our Hall of Fame,” Patricia Riley, the executive director of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, wrote in a press statement. “This year’s Inductees define and represent all of the diverse qualities that uphold the standards of a cowgirl’s true character.”

The 44th induction class, according to the museum and hall of fame’s statement:

▪ Mayisha Akbar established the Compton Jr. Posse Youth Equestrian Program, a nonprofit. The program provides opportunities that include training and apprenticeships.

▪ Janell Kleberg is the author of “Waiting for Daylight: King Ranch Images from the Past.” She has been involved with ranch work, from breaking, training and showing horses with her husband to working cattle in Texas, Brazil, Argentina and Australia.

▪ Stacie Dieb McDavid lives in Fort Worth and is the CEO of McDavid Investments Company. She is a competitor in the National Cutting Horse Association.

▪ Retired Rear Admiral Christina Alvarado Shanahan, the Hall of Fame’s first Navy inductee, was the first nurse to command Naval Reserve Expeditionary Medical Facility Dallas One, a commissioned unit whose mission is expeditionary medicine.

▪ Photographer Laura Wilson documents the work of mountain lion hunters in Arizona. Her books, photography exhibitions and articles show the ruggedness and individuality of people in the American West.

In addition, inaugural Sergeant Reckless Award-winner Robin Hutton is the author of “Sgt. Reckless: America’s War Horse.” She is president of Angels Without Wings Inc., a nonprofit that spearheaded the development of three monuments to Sgt. Reckless.