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2004 Inductees
The Honorable Susan Combs
Susan Combs, a fourth-generation rancher and Texan, was sworn into office in 1999 as the state's tenth commissioner of agriculture and the first woman to hold this position in the state's history. She was overwhelmingly re-elected to the position in 2002.
Commissioner Combs received her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law and is a former assistant district attorney in Dallas. She served in the Texas Legislature from 1993 to 1996, writing the state's major private property rights legislation. She was also a member of the House Committees on Natural Resources and Criminal Jurisprudence. In 1996, she joined the staff of United States Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and worked as the senator's state director.
Commissioner Combs currently serves on the boards of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, Texas Wildlife Association, Texas Natural Resources Foundation and on the national advisory board for Texas Wild. She served on the board of directors of the Texas Beef Council and the Texas Production Credit Association. She is also a member of the Texas Farm Bureau and the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas.
In November 2000, Commissioner Combs received the Texas Tech University Gerald Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalist Award, which honors those who have made significant contributions to agriculture; she received the award for her work in public service. In 2002, she was named Progressive Farmer's Leader of the Year in Texas Agriculture. In 2004, Commissioner Combs was recognized at the Time - ABC News Summit on Obesity as one of six national heroes in the fight against obesity, and for her work to promote better nutrition in Texas schools.
Commissioner Combs still maintains a cow-calf operation in Brewster County on the ranch established by her great-grandfather over a century ago.
Trinidad Mendenhall
In 1972, Trinidad "Trini" Mendenhall and her late husband co-founded Fiesta Mart, Incorporated, a 50-store retail grocery chain in the Houston, Austin and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. With over 6,500 employees, she serves as vice chair of Fiesta Mart's board of directors.
Ms. Mendenhall is the president of Fulton Shopping Center, a real-estate investment company located throughout Houston. She also serves as vice president of First Quality Fruit & Produce Company, which brings fruits and vegetables from different parts of the world for sales and distribution in the Houston area.
In 1997, Ms. Mendenhall fulfilled her philanthropic dream and created the Trini and O.C. Mendenhall Foundation, which empowers women, minorities and children. In September 2002, she established the Mendenhall Asthma Research Laboratory at Baylor's Biology of Inflammation Center in memory of her husband.
Ms. Mendenhall serves on the advisory board of Economic Development Stakeholders, the board of trustees for the Baylor College of Medicine and is vice chair of the Capital Campaign Committee at Baylor. Ms. Mendenhall is a member of the board of trustees for the Diocese of Galveston-Houston Development Board, the University of St. Thomas and the Houston Ballet. In addition, Ms. Mendenhall serves as a member of the University of Houston's Center for Mexican American Studies Excellence Endowment Campaign Committee, and the United Way's Alexis de Tocqueville Society and Women's Initiative.
Ms. Mendenhall's deep commitment to children and the Houston community is reflected in her work on the board of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston. She served as board chair from 2002 to 2004. In addition, she serves on Catholic Charities' nominating, executive and finance committees.
Ms. Mendenhall is a recipient of the Gaia Award presented by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Woman of Distinction Award by the Crohn's Colitis Foundation of America, the Willie Velasquez Hispanic Excellence Award, and was named one of Houston's 2000 Millennium Makers by the Evin Thayer Foundation. In 2001, she was recognized as a Star Among Us by the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services.
Mary Meyers Rosenfield
Mary Meyers Rosenfield was born in 1910 in Lubcha, Russia. Mary and her family immigrated to the United States in 1911 and settled in El Campo, Texas, the following year.
Mrs. Rosenfield's first volunteer service was at the tender age of six, when she knitted blankets for the troops fighting during World War I. Her volunteerism continued into her teens, when she aided in the establishment of the first library in El Campo. As a young girl, she joined Hadassah, a volunteer women's charitable organization.
Mrs. Rosenfield graduated from El Campo High School in 1929 and furthered her education at the College of Industrial Arts in Denton, Texas. While in school, she studied Art and Design.
After giving birth to her daughter, Rita Sue, who was mentally challenged, Mrs. Rosenfield devoted her life to the care and education of Texas children and adults with mental retardation. Rita Sue was the catalyst for a new approach to education in El Campo. In1949, she organized the first home school for children with mental retardation. In El Campo, she sponsored doctors from Methodist Hospital of Houston, offering free diagnosis for children with mental retardation.
Mrs. Rosenfield became the founding President of the Association of Retarded Citizens in El Campo and served on their State Board. She lobbied the local public school system to hire the first special-education teacher. In 1952, Mrs. Rosenfield established the Opportunity Center, a workshop for adults with mental retardation, offering a means for both employment and independence. She also started a summer program for children with mental retardation that included swimming, arts and crafts.
In the 1950s, Mrs. Rosenfield became concerned that the needs of adults with mental retardation were not being met. She worked to help establish the Richmond State School, which opened in 1968. The school offers residents a full range of therapies, medical care, workshops and choices that foster independence in a safe community with a home-like environment.
Mrs. Rosenfield still remains an active citizen of El Campo and, in January of 2004, was named Citizen of the Year by the El Campo Chamber of Commerce.
Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Swoopes has stormed onto the sports scene as one of the nation's foremost athletes. She has received tremendous recognition both on and off the court.
Ms. Swoopes' career has been defined by record-breaking accomplishments. After graduating from Texas Tech University, she was named the National Player of the Year by eight different organizations, including USA Today and Sports Illustrated. In addition, she was honored with the Babe Zaharis Female Amateur Athlete of the Year Award, an ESPY for Best College Female Basketball Player and Team Player of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation.
Ms. Swoopes has made history as the first player to sign with the Women's National Basketball Association. As the star forward on the Houston Comets, she has led her team to three consecutive championships. She has been named to the All-Women's National Basketball Association First Team four times. A three-time Olympian, Ms. Swoopes earned gold medals at the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic Games. Acting as an ambassador of goodwill, Ms. Swoopes represented the United States in China during the 2002 World Championship Games.
Throughout her professional career, Ms. Swoopes has been honored with numerous awards for her achievements. She has been inducted into the Texas Tech University Hall of Fame, voted the Women's National Basketball Association's Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, received an ESPY for Female Professional Basketball Player of the Year, named one of Houston's Living Legends, and was the first female athlete to have a Nike shoe named for her: the "Air Swoopes."
Ms. Swoopes' achievements extend off the court as well. Inspired by her mother, she educates and empowers children through the Sheryl Swoopes Foundation for Youth. She also serves on the Board of Judges for the Talbot's Charitable Foundation's Women's Scholarship Fund, which awards $100,000 in college scholarships to women seeking an undergraduate degree later in life. In addition, she co-authored a book entitled Bounce Back, in which she shares her personal story of triumph and encourages others to bounce back from adversity.