[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 29 (Thursday, March 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E365-E366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING MOLLIE TAYLOR STEVENSON, SR. AND MOLLIE TAYLOR STEVENSON, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 14, 2002

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Mollie Taylor Stevenson, 
Sr., and her daughter, Mollie Taylor Stevenson, Jr., who are the first 
living African-American women and native Houstonians to be inducted 
into the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. The organization 
honors and documents the lives of women who have distinguished 
themselves by exemplifying the pioneering spirit of the American West. 
The Stevensons were inducted during a ceremony at the Renaissance 
Worthington Hotel in Ft. Worth, Texas, on November 9, 2001.
  Friends and family know them as ``Mollie'' and ``Lil Mollie''. The 
89-year-old Mollie, Sr. and the fifty something, Mollie, Jr., reside on 
their family-owned Taylor-Stevenson Ranch within the city limits of 
Houston. These women possess grit and determination inherited from 
Mollie, Sr.'s grandmother, Ann Taylor, who was purchased in 1856 as a 
21-year-old slave by Edward W. Taylor. Ann and the owner's son fell in 
love and because laws of the day forbade interracial marriage, they 
lived together and reared six children and sent them to college.
  Mollie, Sr., the first born child of Major and Hester Taylor, not 
only inherited her parent's love for the land, but the tradition of 
pursuing higher education. In 1934, Mollie, Sr. graduated from Fisk 
University in Nashville, Tennessee, majoring in music and classical 
piano studies. After graduation, she traveled with the Fisk Jubilee 
Singers and was a regular guest pianist at Houston's historic Rice 
Hotel. It was at Fisk where Mollie, Sr. met the love of her life, 
Benjamin ``Big Ben'' Stevenson, a seven-time All American from Tuskegee 
Institute, who earned a B.S. in agriculture and animal husbandry in 
1931. They were married in a lavish lawn wedding in 1937.
  Mollie, Sr. spent most of her adult years fending off attempts to 
wrest oil-producing property from her through lawsuits, theft, or 
crafty persuasion. After the death of Mollie Sr.'s grandfather in 1929, 
relatives, both white and African-American, began to make claims on the 
oil-rich land. With the death of her father in 1949 and her mother in 
1950, the struggle to preserve her birthright escalated and was much 
like the ranch wars seen in the old westerns. Cattle were stolen and 
attempts to acquire the valuable oil leases became a frequent 
occurrence. Mollie took on challengers in and out of court and 
preserved for her descendants their right to the Taylor-Stevenson 
lands.
  During segregation, Mollie, Sr., and her husband, ``Big Ben'', 
created a haven for African-American children barred from all but one 
of the city's parks. At the Stevenson ranch children could ride horses, 
play with the ranch animals, eat farm-fresh meals, and spend weekends 
and summers on the ranch. The Stevensons became well known for their 
philanthropy and generous spirits. Believing that education was very 
important, they not only educated their own children, but countless 
others with food, books, tuition payments and entire college 
educations. There are regularly scheduled field trips to the ranch and 
museum, which provides an opportunity to those who would not otherwise 
have a chance to experience the true nature of a working ranch.
  Mollie, Jr., worked as a professional model in Houston, Kansas City 
and New York, but she was drawn back home where she worked side by side 
with her mother to preserve their legacy. She established the American 
Cowboy Museum, a 501(c)(3) organization in 1987. It honors the 
contributions to Western culture of African Americans, Hispanics, 
Native Americans, and women. Mollie Jr. has been featured on radio and 
television and in articles in Ebony, Essence, Texas Highways, Horse 
Talk and many local newspapers. She has been honored by numerous 
schools as a motivational speaker and event coordinator. Mollie, Jr. is 
also a journalist and an active volunteer with the Sugar Shack 
Trailride and various other rodeo trail ride associations. She is also 
a member of the Speakers and Black Go Texan Committee of the Houston 
Livestock Show & Rodeo, the Professional Black Cowboy & Cowgirl 
Association, the Landowners of Texas, and her favorite, the Diamond L 
Riding & Roping Club. To acquaint a new generation with this rich 
history, Mollie offers school tours, leather crafts for visiting 
children, lectures, a traveling exhibit with quilt display, horseback 
riding, a mobile petting zoo, and living history presentations. She 
also encourages young people to consider careers in agribusiness and 
land ownership and sponsors FFA and 4-H students.
  The Taylor-Stevenson Ranch is a treasure that seven generations of 
the family have fought hard to preserve and on which they still live or 
maintain various areas. The 150-year-old working ranch is one of the 
oldest Black-owned ranches in the United States, complete with an 
assortment of livestock. In the shadows of the 4th largest city in the 
country, the Stevensons have carved out a legacy that can provide a 
momentary escape from the hurried pace of the city. About 100 tours and 
field trips are conducted each year. Heritage tours and family reunions 
are also a part of the activities arranged by the ranch. During the 
1940s and early 50s, the ranch was home to Sky Ranch, an aviation 
school operated by Tuskegee graduates who were mechanics for the famed 
World War II Tuskegee Airmen. The property is also officially listed as 
a Texas

[[Page E366]]

Century Ranch, an honor reserved for ranches operated by the same 
family for more than 100 years and certified by the Commissioner of the 
Texas Department of Agriculture. The Ranch continues to be run with 
family love and values. Mollie Stevenson, Sr. is still the matriarch of 
the ranch, cared for by six of her children and their families who live 
on the property. The Black Professional Cowboy & Cowgirl Association 
and also the Black Go Texan Committee recognized Mollie, Sr. as a 
``Living Legend.''
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Mollie Stevenson, Sr. and Mollie 
Stevenson, Jr. who have lived their lives as true stewards of their 
land and community. They are the driving force behind the ongoing 
success of the ranch and museum. They stand tall over their corner of 
Houston and give as much to the community as they give to the land. 
Their ranch is not only a part of Houston's heritage, but it is also a 
part of a heritage forged by the ceaseless contributions of African-
American cowboys and ranchers.

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