Former Supreme Court justice O'Connor among inductees to Texas Women's Hall of Fame

(AP) Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was one of five women inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame's 15th class on Tuesday.

In a ceremony at Texas Woman's University, Gov. Rick Perry and his wife, Anita, recognized the 2008 inductees for their successes in education, health research, arts, historical preservation and leadership.

The Governor's Commission for Women created the hall in 1984.

In addition to Justice O'Connor, this year's inductees included Texas A&M President Elsa A. Murano (higher education), Carolyn Peterson (historical preservation), Louise Hopkins Underwood (arts) and Dr. Huda Zoghbi (health research).

The women were honored in grand fashion, starting with a saber arch introduction into Hubbard Hall and followed by remarks from the governor, Mrs. Perry, TWU President Ann Stuart and Governor's Commission for Women Chairwoman Wendy Taylor. Short videos chronicling the life of each inductee were shown before their induction to the hall.

Mrs. Perry said Tuesday that she was "remarkably proud to live in a state where the work of women is honored and recognized." She applauded the inductees for showing women statewide that it's possible to pursue and fulfill dreams.

"Your lifetime of hard work, unwavering resolve and fearless efforts to positively influence your fields of work represent the state of Texas well," she said.

Gov. Perry called the women an inspiration to future generations of Texas women.

Justice O'Connor is an El Paso native who earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a law degree from Stanford University and served as an Arizona state senator. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed her as the first woman justice to U.S. Supreme Court, where she served 25 years before retiring in 2006.

Ms. Murano, the first female and first Hispanic-American president of Texas A&M, was appointed in 2001 by President George W. Bush as undersecretary for food safety for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, overseeing the Food Safety Inspection Service.

Ms. Underwood, a founding member of the Texas Alliance for Education and the Arts and the Lubbock Cultural Arts Commission, also founded a 2007 arts center that carries her name. It offers low-cost office space to nonprofits and houses a clay studio and theater.

Ms. Peterson was the 1988 lead architect in the restoration of the Texas State Capitol. Throughout her career, she has also restored and preserved state historic landmarks, including the Alamo and courthouses in four Texas counties.

Dr. Zoghbi was recognized for her pioneering research with Rett Syndrome, a child nerve developmental disorder. The first woman from the Baylor College of Medicine elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, she serves as a professor in the university's pediatrics, molecular and human genetic, neurology and neuroscience departments.