Ashley Pettiet received her B.A in History in 2005 and her M.A in History in 2007, both from Texas Tech University.  Her M.A thesis focused on the history of the first integrated dance hall in West Texas and the sight of where Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley first met.  The thesis is now under contract to be published as a monograph by Texas Tech University Press. While working on her M.A, she gave three conference papers on her research on the Lubbock Cotton Club, including the West Texas Historical Association Conference.  She is now working on her Ph.D. focusing on the American West in the nineteenth century.  Her dissertation will focus on the international influence of the Oklahoma Land Run in 1889.