Alva Jean McBride was born on July 23, 1945, in Lampasas, Texas, to Wilson and Billie Hinson McBride. At one, her family moved to San Angelo, Texas, where she resides today. Raised in a rodeo family, her love for horses came naturally. Her mother, a four-time Girls Rodeo Association (GRA) world champion barrel racer, and her father, a Rodeo Cowboys Association (RCA) roper and horse trainer, instilled in her a deep appreciation for rodeo. Alva Jean’s mother is in the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame (TRCHF) and the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame, while her father, two aunts, Eula Hinson Thomas, Donna Faye Hinson Hanks, and an uncle, Orval Thomas, are also honored in the TRCHF.
Alva Jean began competing in barrel races early and joined the GRA at nine, participating in events across the U.S. Sharing the great family barrel horse Zombie with her mother, Alva Jean experienced the thrill and challenges of competing against the best, often her mother.
Although passionate about barrel racing, Alva Jean aspired to be a trick rider, admiring figures like Tad Lucas and Mitzi Riley for their horsemanship and flair. With encouragement from Virginia Hadley and Wanda Rossi and the support of rodeo producer Tommy Steiner, she embarked on a trick riding career. Using her father’s roping horse, Chubby, she performed her first rodeo trick riding in Belton, Texas, at fifteen, designing her own costumes sewn by her mother.
Alva Jean graduated from Lake View High School, married Bobby Meek, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Angelo State University. After retiring from teaching in 1999, she treasures time with her three children, Kevin, Keith, and Vanessa, and six grandchildren. Her faith, family, and rodeo memories remain central to her life.
