As a baby, Jill was photographed on a horse -- as well as on a cow, something she could never quite explain -- and went on to manage a ranch and teach about 300 girls to ride over the years at a summer camp. She could herd steers, shear sheep, kill rattlesnakes and cook for hungry cowhands. And she learned to roast coffee beans on the trail so that it was always fresh.
Jill's greatest fame came last year when Justice Sandra Day O'Connor of the United States Supreme Court was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Fort Worth. Reporters could not resist interviewing the hall's youngest member, whom the event's organizers were more than willing to make available.
After all, a quotation from Jill, ''Always saddle your own horse,'' had almost become the hall's motto. Liz Smith began a gossip column by suggesting, ''It's not a bad motto, even if you are just getting into your Mercedes.''
Many things Jill did seemed to make history, particularly in Texas. And one of those was her brand of coffee that she is proud of serving each morning. So try a cup yourself, and feel yourself giddy up.
