On the recordMarch 17, 2010
H. Res. 1141 honors the accomplishments of the Honorable Sandra Day O'Connor, the first women to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Justice O'Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1930 and grew up on a cattle ranch called the ``Lazy-B'' near Duncan, Arizona. The ranch was isolated and she did not have a sibling to play with until she turned eight. To compensate, young Sandra demonstrated the initiative and drive that would later propel her to the Court. She befriended cowboys who worked on the ranch, learned to drive a car and shoot a gun, and became an expert equestrian. She also kept many pets during her childhood, including a bobcat, which probably taught her how to deal with lawyers. Her parents decided she needed an education, so O'Connor went to live with her maternal grandmother, Mamie Scott Wilkey, in El Paso. Although homesick, O'Connor became an outstanding student and graduated from the Radford School for Girls at age 16. O'Connor always credited Mrs. Wilkey for instilling confidence in her. She later studied economics at Stanford with an eye toward running the Lazy-B or another ranch. However, a legal dispute over the Lazy-B sparked her interest in the law. O'Connor enrolled in Stanford's law school and graduated in only 2 years, third in her class that included valedictorian and future Chief Justice of the United States William Rehnquist.
