Sue Gillis, Publisher
Former Texas Governor Ann Richards, 73, died on September 13, 2006.
She battled hard as she faced death, just as she fought political and personal adversity her entire life.
Some fights she won, like achieving sobriety for 26 years, and becoming the first woman governor of Texas in 50 years.
But she did not win this one.
Richards died of cancer of the esophagus barely six months after diagnosis.
Those of us who loved her, and even those who did not, felt profound grief when hearing the news, knowing her passing would leave a void no one can or will fill for a long, long time – perhaps ever.
Tough and rough around the edges, Ann Richards was a woman you wanted on your side.
Brassy, sassy, and sometimes downright bawdy, Richards was in high demand long after she left public office.
She traveled the country fundraising for Democrats and speaking about her battles with alcoholism and osteoporosis.
Richards was the keynote speaker for the Vermont Woman Lecture Series in May 2005. For those who attended, you know how lucky you were, especially now that she is gone. You were part of a hilarious afternoon of Richards’ charm, grace, story-telling and quick wit.
Who will ever forget the hilarious story she opened with:
“Let me tell y’all about mah struggle to get through airport security.
Alarms were blaring and the guards could not find the source.
And believe me they checked me everywhere.
Up. Down. In. Out. God. Damned. Embarrassing.
Well, turns out that I always wear these comfy body suits under my shirts.
Y’all know about the three snaps in the crotch, now doncha girls?
Well. Now. Ah haft a tel y’all it has been a number of years since my crotch has attracted that much attention.”
An outspoken advocate for minorities and women, Ann Richards was a powerful role model for both. Her words – “Set your own course. Dream your own dreams. Go where no one else has gone before” – inspired young girls and women wherever she spoke. When governor, she began treatment programs to help prisoners recover from alcoholism, including personal visits that began with, “My name is Ann and I’m an alcoholic.”
Ann Richards was brazen, funny and vulnerable, an effective combination which may be her most important legacy; a blueprint perhaps for any woman aspiring to sit in a Governor’s Mansion – or the Oval Office.
Farewell, Ann Richards. Well Done. We will miss you.
You made us think. You made us question. You challenged us to imagine.
You stood up for fairness
You stood down bullies.
And you made us laugh.
Oh, how you made us laugh.
