Tue, 06 Sep 2022 08:16:49 CDT
This coming Friday- the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association will honor six alumni of OSU with their 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award. This award recognize alumni who attain distinctive success in his or her chosen field or profession, perform outstanding service to their community or both. Service and contributions to the advancement of the university, the OSU Alumni Association or both may be considered.
The 2022 honorees will be recognized at a public reception Friday, September 9 inside the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. All are welcome to attend, and registration is requested- click here to register.
The Ferguson College of Agriculture is well represented as three of the six honorees are from the College of Ag. One of the six is Minnie Lou Bradley, who led the way for females to be a part of the Animal Science Department at what was then Oklahoma A&M
Minnie Lou Bradley graduated from OSU (then Oklahoma A&M) in 1953 with a bachelor’s degree in animal husbandry. When she enrolled in 1949, she was the first female to enroll in animal husbandry in the university’s history.
During her time on campus, she was the first female to compete on the Oklahoma A&M Livestock Judging Team and became one of the most successful livestock judges at the college.
After graduation, Bradley worked for the Texas Angus Association as an assistant to the executive secretary and a fieldman. She would also work for Angus Valley Farms in Tulsa in 1954. The following year, Bradley married her husband, Bill, and the couple purchased a ranch in Childress County, Texas. They started Bradley 3 Ranch with 20 cows and 3,300 acres.
In 1986, the Bradleys started B3R Country Meats, Inc. The beef processing facility allowed them to produce high-quality beef while providing ranchers with a values-based system. It was one of the first facilities to produce beef for the Certified Angus Beef brand Natural. The same year, the Bradley 3 Ranch created a system for collecting ultrasound and carcass data to develop more predictable genetic packages.
Bradley has been honored many times throughout her life. She was named a Graduate of Distinction by the OSU Department of Animal Science in 1988 and was presented the Master Breeder Award by the department in 2010. Bradley was presented with the DASNR Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015.
In addition to honors from her alma mater, Bradley was also the second woman inducted into the Saddle and Sirloin Portrait Gallery in 2014. She has been named a Top 40 Cattleman by Beef Magazine and was inducted into the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame. She has also received the Seedstock Commitment Award.
Bradley currently resides in Memphis, Texas. She and her husband, Bill, have one daughter, Mary Lou.
Bradley is a member of the OSU Alumni Association.
