RECIPIENT

Red Steagall has held celebrity status since the 1970s as a Western entertainer who emphasizes ranch life, Western heritage and cowboy values. He has spent a lifetime telling the story of ranching through his music, poetry and syndicated radio and television shows. Steagall has kept the rancher and cowboy in front of a mainstream audience and helped ensure that the stories of the real West don’t fade into obscurity. Even more important, Steagall reflects the values, integrity and character that have always been part of ranch life. He has been inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City as well as numerous other Halls of Fame. In 2006, he became the only cowboy poet ever named Poet Laureate of Texas.