Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame

Sylvia Gann Benge was born in Texas, however, she moved to Lea County when she was nine years old, where she was raised on a farm north of Lovington. She was married the summer she graduated from high school and had a daughter and son. Earning her degree after her children started school, Sylvia eventually became a teacher at Hobbs High School and New Mexico Junior College, where she accepted the sponsorship of the NMJC Rodeo Club. During her first semester at NMJC, the Board of Trustees decided that rodeo should be in the athletic department, giving Sylvia the title of rodeo coach.

In the fall of 1977 the coaches met to plan for the bond issue that was to enlarge Caster Activity Center. Sylvia approached Tuffy Cooper, who had mentioned that Lea County needed a hall of fame because over fifty professional rodeo titles had been won by Lea County cowboys and cowgirls, and Lea County had such a rich ranching heritage. Sylvia, Tuffy and Mr. Tydings, the interim president of NMJC, worked together to put the plans together and gather a board of directors. After approval, Sylvia became the first executive director of the Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center. Since she did not have any museum training, she spent a week at the Museum of New Mexico at Santa Fe learning museum procedures.

During her 10 years as Museum Director, Sylvia continued to teach full time on campus and coach rodeo. Ask Sylvia why she had three full-time jobs, and she would say, “Because it needed to be done, and I seemed to be in the position to do it. Besides, I love doing it.”