Sissy Thurman

Elenor Sissy Thurman was born Eleanor Marie Regini in Galveston, Texas, on March 29, 1934. She was married to Doug Thurman until her death.^[3] She started riding horses at age five. She competed in her first barrel race at 11. Thurman was a rodeo queen at some nearby rodeo and stock shows. Prior to starting down the rodeo path, she was a tap dancer. She also taught tap dancing.^[1]

In her time, Thurman was one of the top-ranked and fastest barrel racers in the country. She set the fastest time at the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and held that record for a time. She held barrel racing clinics and held the position of barrel racing director in the Girl's Rodeo Association (the predecessor to the Women's Professional Rodeo Association).^[1] The GRA was founded in 1948. The foundation occurred one year after the first all-girls rodeo, which took place in Amarillo, Texas. She took advantage of her barrel racing experience while she was director to further develop opportunities for all who followed her footsteps.^[4]

Thurman first competed in the time when barrel racing was a 1940s-era "paid performance" of "ranch girls" event. But as her career evolved, the sport developed into true competition that established itself as a real rodeo event.^[4] By 1968, Thurman was a nine-time qualifier of the NFR and was ranked second in the World Standings heading into that year's NFR.^[5]

In 1968, Thurman accepted a ride from another rodeo family, last name Lewis. Among them was Ann Lewis, the leading barrel racer in the GRA standings. They were headed Thurman's way from a performance in Little Rock, Arkansas, to rodeo slack in Waco, Texas. On October 2, at 1:15 a.m, the Lewis vehicle slammed into an overturned 18-wheeler. The wreck killed Thurman, Ann Lewis, Lewis' twin sister Jan, their mother Rose, and two barrel racing horses.^[5][6]