Sissy Thurman

Elenor Sissy Thurman was born Eleanor Marie Regini in Galveston, Texas, on March 29, 1934. Thurman was married to Doug Thurman until her death.[3][4] Thurman started riding horses at age 5. 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, she was one of the top-ranked and fastest barrel racers in the country. She set the fastest time in the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) and held that record for a time. She held barrel racing clinics. She 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.[5]

Thurman first competed in the time when barrel racing was a 1940s-era "paid performance" of "Ranch Girl" event. But as her career evolved, the sport developed into true competition that established itself as a real rodeo event.[5] When she was 34-years-old, Thurman was a nine-time qualifier of the NFR and was ranked second in the World Standings. This was the same year that she was killed in an automobile accident.[6]

In 1968, Thurman accepted a ride from another rodeo family, last name Lewis. They were headed her 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, and some of the Lewis family, along with two barrel racing horses.[6][7]