2015 WILL ROGERS MEDALLION AWARD

Honoring Excellence in Western Media

Will Rogers was unique in his day.  He was an Oklahoma Indian cowboy that grew up spinning a rope both in rodeo arenas and as an entertainer in Wild West shows as well as on the stage.  His children called him “a good father”.  His wife said he was “a perfect husband”, and he said “I have stayed an old country boy.”  Killed in a plane crash in Alaska in 1935 the world mourned him.  He had captured the common man of America and beyond.  His humor was always appropriate, his common sense and advice during a time our country needed help was priceless.  He was many things, but first and foremost he was a Good & Decent Man.  It’s no wonder this Award was named for him as it honors Western Authors, in thirteen different categories.

Last weekend the Stockyards of Fort Worth were teaming with authors who had been announced finalists in various categories of books.  During the Red Steagall Cowboy Gathering books were sold at the Trappings Trade Show held in the Mule Barn.
That evening the famous Cattleman’s Restaurant is where those authors found out who had been selected for a Gold, Silver or Bronze medallion in each category.

Dean Smith, former Olympic Gold Medal winner and long-time Hollywood stuntman in western movies was Master of Ceremonies.  The Welcome was made by Charles Williams, Executive Director of the Will Rogers Medallion Awards.  The goal of the organization is to bring outstanding Western Media and Books to the general public in an appealing and accessible manner and with high quality publication values that invite readership in competition with other forms of literature.  They exemplify the combination of excellent content and production values and an honoring of the Cowboy Heritage that the award was created to acknowledge.

As everyone arrived Devon Dawson and Jessie Del Rio sang and played western tunes to everyone’s delight.

As Williams made the announcements he had something to say about each book, which was informative and gave an insight in to the reason it was a finalist.

The following categories and winners were announced:

Inspirational Fiction
Gold, 1st Place:  Romancing the Widow, by Devalynn Spencer, (published by Harlequin 
Heartsong Presents)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Vanishing Raven, by Stephen Smart (published by High Mule
Publishing)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  Girls & Gunsmoke, by Mikki Daniel (published by MD Productions)

Western Romance
Gold, 1st Place:  Walls for the Wind, by Aletha Williams (published by Whiskey Creek 
Press)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Wrangle, by Jonnie Martin (published by Createspace)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  The Rail Queen, by B. J. Scott (published by Createspace)

Western Fiction, Younger Readers
Gold, 1st Place:  Texas Grit, by S. J. Dahlstrom (published by Paul Dry Books)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Journey to Galveston, by Melodie A. Cuate (published by Texas Tech 
University Press)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  Eagle Talons, The Iron Horse Chronicles, by Robert Lee Murphy
(published by Five Star Publishing)
4th Place:  Texas: Cowboys and Campfires, by Nancy Sifford Alma (published by 
Createspace)
5th Place:  Trouble On The Tracks, by Nancy Oswald (published by Filter Press, LLC)

Western Fiction, Younger Readers, Illustrated
Gold, 1st Place:  My Pony Bucks, by Jay Hahnkamp (published by Keokee Co. 
Publishing)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Pioneer Pups, by Nancy Kay Arnold (published by Acacia Publishing)

Illustrators, Graphic Novels, Humor and Iconic Images
Gold, 1st Place:  Bonnie Shields, My Pony Bucks,(Keokee Co. Publishing)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Ellen Berger, Pioneer Pups, (Acacia Publishing)

Western Nonfiction
Gold, 1st Place:  Kit Carson and The First Battle Of Adobe Walls, by Alvin R. Lynn
(published by Texas Tech University Press)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Death of a Texas Ranger, by Cynthia Leal Massey (published by Globe 
Pequot Press)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  Necessary Evil, by Joe Johnson (published by Missouri History 
Museum)
4th Place:  Old 300: Gone to Texas, by Paul N. Spellman (published by Createspace)
5th Place:  The Death Row All-Stars, by Chris Enss (published by Rowman & Littlefield)

Western Photographic Essays
Gold, 1st Place:  Charles M. Russell:  Photographing The Legend, BY Larry Len Peterson 
    (published by University of Oklahoma Press)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Unbranded, by Ben Masters (published by Texas A&M University 
Press)

Western Cookbooks
Gold, 1st Place:  Family Tree Recipes, by Dawn Nelson (published by Crazy Dog Press)

Western Biographies and Memoirs
Gold, 1st Place:  The M Bar, by Harry Webb & C. J. Hadley (published  by RANGE 
Magazine)
Silver, 2nd Place: The Horse Lover, by H. Alan Day (University of Nebraska Press)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  Western Women Who Dared To Be Different, by Gail Woerner
(published by Wild Horse Media Group)

Western Fiction
Gold, 1st Place:  Spirit of Steamboat, Waiting For Signs, A Serpent’s Tooth, Any Other 
Name, (four separate books) by Craig Johnson (published by Viking Pengiun 
Random House)
Silver, 2nd Place:  Looking for Lynne, by John L. Moore (published by JLM Publishing)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  The Big Drift, by Patrick Dearen (published by TCU Press)
4th Place:  Buffalo Grass Rider: Rough River Gold, by Allen Russell (published by Rough
River Press)
5th Place:  Ragtime Cowboys, by Loren Estleman (published by Forge Books)

Western & Cowboy Poetry
Gold, 1st Place:  Rhyming The Range, by Yvonne Holenbeck (published by Dakota 
Quilting and Publishing)
Silver, 2nd Place:  The Cowgirl Brand, by Dawn Nelson (published by Crazy Dog Press)
Bronze, 3rd Place:  Homegrown and Other Poems, by Bryce Burnett (published by Driver 
Works Ink)