Remembering Ann Richards

This isn't a political blog and I was reminded to stick to the celebrity gossip the other day but I have to write something about Ann Richards. Anyone who can significanlty positively impact women, minorities and people with disabilities in Texas' male-dominated establishment and still have time to earn a motorcycle license deserves some honor in my book. I could only wish to have an article like this about me when I die:

Former Gov. Ann Richards, the witty and flamboyant Democrat who went from homemaker to national political celebrity, died Wednesday night after a battle with cancer, a family spokeswoman said. She was 73. The silver-haired, silver-tongued Richards said she entered politics to help others - especially women and minorities who were often ignored by Texas' male-dominated establishment. "I did not want my tombstone to read, 'She kept a really clean house.' I think I'd like them to remember me by saying, 'She opened government to everyone,'" Richards said shortly before leaving office in January 1995. She was governor for one term, losing her re-election bid to Republican George W. Bush.

In four years as governor, Richards championed what she called the "New Texas," appointing more women and more minorities to state posts than any of her predecessors. She appointed the first black University of Texas regent; the first crime victim to join the state Criminal Justice Board; the first disabled person to serve on the human services board; and the first teacher to lead the State Board of Education. Under Richards, the fabled Texas Rangers pinned stars on their first black and female officers. She polished Texas' image, courted movie producers, championed the North American Free Trade Agreement, oversaw an expansion of the state prison system, and presided over rising student achievement scores and plunging dropout rates. She took time out to celebrate her 60th birthday by earning her motorcycle driver's license.

She grabbed the national spotlight with her keynote address at the 1988 Democratic National Convention when she was the Texas state treasurer. Richards won cheers from delegates when she reminded them that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, "only backwards and in high heels." Richards sealed her partisan reputation with a blast at George Bush, "Poor George, he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." She was chairwoman of the Democratic convention that nominated Bill Clinton for president.

Throughout her years in office, her personal popularity remained high. One poll put it at more than 60 percent the year she lost to Bush. "I may have lost the race," Richards said after the defeat. "But I don't think I lost the good feelings that people have about me in this state. That's tremendously reassuring to me." Richards went on to give speeches, work as a commentator for CNN and serve as a senior adviser in the New York office of Public Strategies Inc., an Austin-based consulting firm. In her last 10 years, Richards worked for many social causes and helped develop the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, scheduled to open in Austin in 2007. [source]