Mildred Farris (August 8, 1933 – May 13, 2013) is a

ProRodeo Hall of Fame The ProRodeo Hall of Fame and Museum of the American Cowboy was opened in August 1979 as a museum designed to "preserve the legacy of the cowboy contests, the heritage and culture of those original competitions, and the champions of the past, pr ...

inductee, who was inducted with her husband John.

Life

Mildred Farris was born Mildred Lois Cotten in

Andrews, Texas Andrews is the county seat of Andrews County in the Permian Basin of West Texas. Andrews sits to the far southwest within the Texas Panhandle's plains, about 30 miles east of New Mexico. Andrews was incorporated on February 2, 1937. Both th ...

, on August 8, 1933. She worked on her father's cattle ranch. She graduated from

Sul Ross State University Sul Ross State University (SRSU) is a public university in Alpine, Texas. The main campus is the primary institution of higher education serving the nineteen-county Big Bend region of far West Texas. Branch campuses, branded as Rio Grande Colleg ...

Alpine, Texas Alpine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Brewster County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,905 at the 2010 census. The town has an elevation of , and the surrounding mountain peaks are over above sea level. The university, hospi ...

, with a B.A. in Physical Education in 1955. She attended a rodeo reunion where she met John Farris, and the two were married in May 1955.

Career

Farris is a five-time National Finals Rodeo (NFR) secretary. She is a five-time NFR assistant secretary. She is an eight-time

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) is the largest rodeo organization in the world. It sanctions events in the United States and Canada, with members from said countries, as well as others. Its championship event is the National F ...

(PRCA) Secretary of the Year. She is a PRCA Contract Personnel Executive Council from 1988-2002. She carried the American flag at NFR opening in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, for 17 years. She qualified for the NFR 12 times as a

barrel racer Barrel racing is a rodeo event in which a horse and rider attempt to run a cloverleaf pattern around preset barrels in the fastest time. In collegiate and professional ranks, it is usually a women's event, though both sexes compete at amateur and ...

. She served as the Girls Rodeo Association (GRA) and also served when it was renamed the

Women's Professional Rodeo Association The Women's Professional Rodeo Association (WPRA) is one of the largest rodeo sanctioning bodies in the world and is open exclusively to women eighteen years of age and older. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the Association curren ...

(WPRA) director. She also served as its vice-president, and president from 1965-1971. From 1955 to 1957, Farris was the Texas Barrel Racing Association's champion barrel racing. She was the runner-up to the World Barrel Racing Champion at the NFR in 1959, 1960, and 1969. In 1968, she ran the fastest time at the NFR. Farris attended Sul Ross University and graduated in 1955. She also served as secretary to many producers including Tommy Steiner, Harper and Morgan, Neal Gay, the

Fort Worth Stock Show The Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo (formally the Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show) is the oldest continuously running livestock show and rodeo. It has been held annually in Fort Worth, Texas since 1896, traditionally in mid-January throu ...

and others. She also served as the secretary for the Dodge (now RAM) Texas Circuit Finals for 17 years. She was the WPRA Secretary of the Year in 1998. She was the WPRA Woman of the Year in 1996.

Honors

* 1994 Sul Ross Rodeo Hall of Fame * 2004

Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame The Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas, dedicated to the sport of rodeo. History This hall of fame was founded by Johnny Boren. Also contributing to the foundation were a group of Belton, Texas, bu ...

* 2010

Rodeo Hall of Fame The Rodeo Hall of Fame was established by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in 1955. Located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S., the Hall was created to celebrate the contributions of cowboys and cowgirls from around the world. The ha ...

of the

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is a museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, with more than 28,000 American West, Western and Native Americans in the United States, American Indian art works and Artifact (archaeology), ar ...

* 2012

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educ ...

Death

Farris died on May 13, 2013, in

Addington, Oklahoma Addington is a town in Jefferson County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 114 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 2.6 percent from the figure of 117 in 2000. The town was founded in 1890.

References

Bibliography

External links

Women's Professional Rodeo Association

Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association

National Finals Rodeo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farris, Mildred 1933 births 2013 deaths People from Andrews, Texas People from Alpine, Texas American barrel racers American female equestrians Cowgirl Hall of Fame inductees ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees 21st-century American women