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Chester A. Reynolds Award
Awarded in 1998
Constance Douglas Reeves
Connie Douglas Reeves (September 26, 1901 – August 17, 2003) earned the reputation as “America’s oldest cowgirl,” a title that reflected both her longevity and her spirited devotion to Western life. The oldest member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Reeves blazed trails long before the term “trailblazer” was common. She was raised in Eagle Pass, Texas, and often joked that she sat on a horse before she could sit up by herself. Her love of horses shaped a remarkable century-spanning life.
Reeves earned an undergraduate degree in speech from Texas Woman’s University and became one of the first women to study law at the University of Texas School of Law. When the Great Depression forced her to withdraw to support her family, she turned to teaching. At Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, she founded the “Lassos,” the first girls’ drill team or pep squad, a tradition that continues today. She also taught riding at a local stable, combining education and horsemanship in ways that would define her lasting legacy.
In 1936, Reeves joined Camp Waldemar, a Hill Country summer camp in Hunt, Texas, where she spent 67 years teaching horseback riding. It is estimated she taught 30,000 girls how to ride, inspiring generations with her philosophy of confidence and self-reliance—summed up in her famous motto, “Always saddle your own horse.”
She married Jack Reeves in 1942, and the couple managed 10,000 acres of ranch land owned by former President Lyndon B. Johnson, raising sheep and cattle for more than four decades. Reeves continued riding into her centennial years, even participating in the parade celebrating the Cowgirl Hall of Fame’s new Fort Worth headquarters in 2002.
Reeves passed away in 2003 at age 101 after a horseback accident, remaining a cowgirl to the very end. She chronicled her remarkable life in her 1995 autobiography, I Married a Cowboy, leaving behind a legacy of grit, humor, and independence.
Connie Douglas Reeves (September 26, 1901 – August 17, 2003) earned the reputation as “America’s oldest cowgirl,” a title that reflected both her longevity and her spirited devotion to Western life. The oldest member of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, Reeves blazed trails long before the term “trailblazer” was common. She was raised in Eagle Pass, Texas, and often joked that she sat on a horse before she could sit up by herself. Her love of horses shaped a remarkable century-spanning life.
Reeves earned an undergraduate degree in speech from Texas Woman’s University and became one of the first women to study law at the University of Texas School of Law. When the Great Depression forced her to withdraw to support her family, she turned to teaching. At Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, she founded the “Lassos,” the first girls’ drill team or pep squad, a tradition that continues today. She also taught riding at a local stable, combining education and horsemanship in ways that would define her lasting legacy.
In 1936, Reeves joined Camp Waldemar, a Hill Country summer camp in Hunt, Texas, where she spent 67 years teaching horseback riding. It is estimated she taught 30,000 girls how to ride, inspiring generations with her philosophy of confidence and self-reliance—summed up in her famous motto, “Always saddle your own horse.”
She married Jack Reeves in 1942, and the couple managed 10,000 acres of ranch land owned by former President Lyndon B. Johnson, raising sheep and cattle for more than four decades. Reeves continued riding into her centennial years, even participating in the parade celebrating the Cowgirl Hall of Fame’s new Fort Worth headquarters in 2002.
Reeves passed away in 2003 at age 101 after a horseback accident, remaining a cowgirl to the very end. She chronicled her remarkable life in her 1995 autobiography, I Married a Cowboy, leaving behind a legacy of grit, humor, and independence.
