You’re listening to Centex Sustains. I’m your host Christine with the Cen-Tex Sustainable Communities Partnership.

Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. It is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

International Women’s Day has occurred for well over a century, with the first gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. Today, International Women’s Day belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. It is not country, group or organization specific.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we would like to recognize the contributions of Miss Bessie Heard as mentioned on heardmuseum.org.

Born in 1886, Ms. Heard devoted most of lifetime to the city of McKinney and its people. Her philanthropic endeavors and generosity of spirit left a legacy of accomplishment few people attain.

Ms. Heard was ahead of her time. Boldly refusing to ride side saddle, she became the first woman to straddle a horse in McKinney during the late 1800s. She was also the first female to ride a bicycle in town—unusual occurrences in that day and age. Although her grandmother described her biking as “most undignified for a young girl,” Ms. Heard was truly a Southern lady who was bold and independent throughout her long and extraordinary life. She was definitely a woman ahead of her time.

She felt a deep appreciation for nature and a strong desire to conserve, preserve and share this natural heritage with others. Often referred to affectionately as “Miss Bess,” she is described by those who knew her as a lovely lady, both very generous and kind, with a special love for children as well as nature. A lifelong commitment to her community culminated in the grandest achievement of all—creating a museum and wildlife sanctuary at the age of 80.

Inspired by her great love of trees, her first civic activity was a tree-planting beautification project for the city. Many of the hackberry trees are still growing along the streets of downtown today. Ms. Heard delighted in showing her collection of seashells and butterflies to the area children. Encouraging them to feed and care for the birds, she sponsored a birdhouse contest on her front lawn.

As she saw the continued growth of McKinney in her later years, Ms. Heard felt too much land was being covered in concrete. So, when many would expect a woman in her late seventies to be rocking contently on the front porch of her family’s stately home, Ms. Heard consulted John Ripley Forbes, president of the National Science for Youth Foundation. She wanted to establish a museum for her collections and a place of preservation and learning for the families of McKinney. Her vision took shape with the formation of the Bessie Heard Foundation in 1964, followed by museum construction in 1966 and culminating with the opening in 1967 and now serves more than 100,000 visitors annually.

Ms. Heard lived to see her museum and wildlife sanctuary on its way to becoming the number one cultural attraction in Collin County. She died March 22, 1988, just two months shy of her 102nd birthday, outliving her two sisters and only niece and nephew to whom the museum is dedicated.

Today, the museum features exhibits of natural history, seashells, fossils, archaeology, rocks and minerals and live native animals. The 289-acre wildlife sanctuary is a haven for more than 240 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, not to mention nearly 150 species of wildflowers and many other growing plants. A 50-acre wetlands was completed in the fall of 1992 featuring an outdoor learning center with observation deck, floating study laboratory and boardwalk. Later, the Science Resource Center, an outdoor amphitheater with seating for over 500 guests, and the Ropes Course were constructed.

In keeping with Ms. Heard’s vision, the museum’s mission is threefold: education, conservation and preservation. Through education, particularly for young people, the Heard emphasizes an appreciation of nature and its conservation. Visit heardmuseum.org to learn more about Ms. Heard’s vision for the future and her commitment to the community and North Texas.

To learn more about the Cen-Tex Sustainable Communities Partnership and for local event updates, check out our Facebook page Centex Sustains. Feel free to send questions and topic suggestions for this show to centexsustains@gmail.com. Join us next week on Monday at 6:15 pm on KNCT-FM 91.3 to learn more about environmental and sustainable practices.