Hall Of Fame

Special Awards

Laura W. Bush
2009 Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award

The Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award, established in 1999, is awarded to an individual who has pioneered new approaches to public service in the areas of business, law, sports, the arts or humanitarian causes. This award recognizes the difficulty in creating new avenues of service, while applauding the determination and trailblazing efforts of those who have successfully created programs. Previous award recipients include philanthropist, Nancy Lee Bass; second lady of the United States and author, Lynne Cheney; and Presidential Medal of Freedom winner and diplomat, Anne Armstrong.

Laura W. Bush is the 2009 recipient of the Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award for decades-long service in the area of literacy. While serving as first lady of Texas from 1995 - 2000, she implemented several pioneering initiatives: Take Time For Kids, an awareness campaign to educate parents and caregivers on parenting; family literacy, through cooperation with the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, she urged Texas communities to establish family literacy programs; Reach Out and Read, a pediatric reading program; and Ready to Read, an early childhood educational program. Additionally, she raised funds for public libraries through her establishment of the Texas Book Festival and established the First Lady's Family Literacy Initiative, which encouraged families to read together. One of the most popular first ladies, Laura Bush was involved in topics of both national and global concern during her tenure as first lady from 2001-2009. In September 2001, she joined the Library of Congress to launch the first National Book Festival. The Festival has grown each year, drawing more than 120,000 book-lovers from across the nation to Washington, D.C. in 2008. In 2006, Bush hosted leaders from around the world for the White House Conference on Advancing Global Literacy, showcasing successful, culturally aware literacy programs from a diversity of countries. Her leadership of this effort led to her current role as Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade.

Anne W. Marion
1994 Fern Sawyer Award








Georgia Mae Ericson
2000 Fern Sawyer Award






Sheila Welch 2001
Fern Sawyer Award






Van Romans 2003
Fern Sawyer Award






Edward P. Bass 2006
Fern Sawyer Award






Nancy Lee Bass
1999 Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award






Lynne Cheney
2001 Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award




Anne Armstrong
2005 Gloria Lupton Tennison Pioneer Award






Emmylou Harris
1996 Patsy Montana Entertainer Award







Jessie the Cowgirl
2000 Patsy Montana Entertainer Award







Top photograph: Big and little cowgirls;
Bottom photograph:Honoree Lucyle Richards