A true cowgirl, Janell Kleberg has been involved with all aspects of ranch work, from breaking, training and showing horses with her husband to working cattle on properties in Texas, Brazil, Argentina, and Australia. She also captured the images for her book Waiting for Daylight: King Ranch Images from the Past on horseback, working in the heat and dust while moving the massive herds. Always involved in a myriad of projects aimed at serving her community, she led a trailblazing effort to establish a laboratory high school on the Texas A&M University – Kingsville campus, where self-paced students have successfully earned up to 60 hours of college credits debt-free since 1998. Kleberg’s dedication to the native lands of South Texas supports the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute for Wildlife Conservation. She collaborated with Texas artist Kermit Oliver and Hermès for six years on a silk scarf that would speak to protecting the delicate ecosystem of the Laguna Madre and the coastal region, which host more species than the Everglades. The resulting limited-edition scarf, named for the research institute, is still highly sought after. It is resplendent with Texas wildlife, and a portion of the proceeds benefit their protection. For her service, she was awarded the 2010 A&M Kingsville Alumni of the Year, the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute Charity Weekend 2013 Honoree, the 2018 North American Interfraternity Conference Foundation Philanthropist of the Year, and the 2019 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Cowgirls Live Forever Award Recipient.
