Peter H. Coors to be Honored by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum at 62nd Western Heritage Awards
Awards ceremony will carry on the Museum’s tradition of honoring the men and women who contribute to the history and culture of the American West.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Industry and philanthropic leader Peter H. Coors will receive the Western Visionary Award from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum at the 2023 Western Heritage Awards. Coors will be recognized alongside some of the top names in Western film, literature and music at the annual awards dinner on April 15, 2023.
The Western Heritage Awards honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Western heritage through creative works in literature, music, television and film, and serves as the induction ceremony for the National Cowboy Museum’s Hall of Great Westerners and Hall of Great Western Performers. The Western Visionary Award is a rare honor bestowed on an individual that has made significant contributions and had a national impact on preserving Western heritage and Western ideals. The award has only been presented twice before to Mr. Philip Anschutz and Mr. Foster Friess.
“I can think of no one more deserving than Pete to receive this honor,” said Museum president & CEO Pat Fitzgerald. “From his work with the National Western Stock Show, to his lifelong stewardship of his family business, to his support of Western philanthropic efforts, Pete embodies the grit and ideals of the American West.”
Also presented annually is the Chester A. Reynolds Award, named in honor of the founder of the Museum and presented to a living honoree or group that has notably perpetuated the legacy of the American West. Each inductee and honoree receive a Wrangler, an impressive bronze sculpture of a cowboy on horseback created by Oklahoma artist and 2017 Hall of Great Westerners inductee Harold T. Holden. The full slate of inductees will be released later this month. Honorees will be announced in February.
About Pete Coors
Pete Coors is a native of Colorado and great-grandson of Adolph Coors, who founded the Golden brewery in 1873. He has served in several executive positions including president and chairman of Coors Brewing Company, and though retired from active employment, he currently serves as chairman of Molson Coors Beverage Company.
After receiving a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Cornell University in 1969, Coors earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Denver in 1970. He also has received honorary degrees from Regis University, Wilberforce University, Johnson & Wales University and Colorado State University.
His other affiliations and accomplishments include serving as Director of the American Enterprise Institute, the Denver Art Museum Foundation and the Western Stock Show Association. He is also a member of the Intercontinental Chapter of Young Presidents Organization, sits on the National Advisory Board of ACE Scholarships and was appointed as the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army – Colorado (North) in 2019.
Coors is an avid outdoorsman and conservationist, previously serving as the president and trustee emeritus of the Denver Area Council of Boy Scouts of America and the national president and chairman of Ducks Unlimited. He and his wife Marilyn have six children and 15 grandchildren.
For event details, contact Hannah Forman at hforman@nationalcowboymuseum.org.