[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 114 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1731-E1732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   A TRIBUTE TO GOVERNOR ANN RICHARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2006

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a 
heavy heart on the passing of my dear, trusted and longtime beloved 
friend, the late Governor Ann Richards. I also rise to pay tribute to 
her many contributions and her sincere dedication of public service to 
our great State of Texas and to extend my deepest sympathies to her 
family and friends everywhere who share in my sadness.
  I not only lost an esteemed colleague with whom I could always count 
on for support, since so often we agreed on social and political 
issues, but also a dear and trusted friend whom I shared many fond 
moments and with whom I shared a vision for our great State of Texas.
  Our friendship expanded more than 40 years; I first met Ann when she 
lived in Dallas before moving to Austin where she ran for Travis County 
Commissioner in 1976 and I was elected to serve at the Texas House of

[[Page E1732]]

Representatives. Our first taste of government was as outsiders and 
sideline players who were mainly called upon to help others win the 
races. Texas in the 70's wasn't open to allowing women a seat at the 
political table so our admittance was earned vote by vote. As women in 
Texas politics, we shared the same struggles and the many sacrifices 
which are often not asked of men in politics.
  In her popular address to the Girls State in 1993, she commented that 
`as a woman you cannot count on Prince Charming to make you feel better 
about yourself or to take care of you, like some funhouse mirror that 
reflects you at twice your real size because Prince Charming may be 
driving a Honda and telling you that you have no equal ...but that 
won't do you much good when you've got kids and a mortgage. . . and he 
has a beer gut and a wandering eye.'
  Ann believed in telling people the truth, especially young girls who 
were in danger of not maximizing their full potential. For those of us 
who knew Ann, she would be pleased that her many distinguished 
accomplishments as a woman in the male dominated Texas politics 
represented a beacon of hope to many young women who shared her 
unconventional aspirations.
  In 1982 when a seat opened as the State Treasurer, Ann sought the 
Democratic nomination after the incumbent withdrew from the race. As 
State Treasurer and as a true pragmatist with a keen eye for 
technology, she transformed the Texas Treasury into a modern operation 
which encompassed electronic funds transfer, modernized investments and 
cash management systems. Along the way, Ann earned the respect and 
admiration of the business community who appreciated her foresight and 
vision.
  In 1990 as the first woman Governor of Texas in 50 years, Ann aligned 
herself with the late Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock and Comptroller John Sharp 
and together formalized a statewide performance review of agencies that 
inevitably led to much needed recommendations for change.
  In her tenure as Governor she was adamant about appointing minorities 
on state boards and commissions. Ann wanted Texas Government to reflect 
the people of the State and was proud of the rich cultural and vast 
diversity engrained in every corner of Texas.
  Ann is survived by her four children: Cecile, Daniel, Clark and Ellen 
and their spouses: Kirk Adams, Linda Richards, Sharon Zeugin and Greg 
Johnson and her much beloved eight grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker in closing, it is worthy to mention Ann's legacy as an 
independent thinker, a strong-minded and compassionate woman with a 
sharp wit and charming personality who loved her State and the people 
of Texas so much she dedicated 12 years of her life to serve them. I am 
saddened at the loss of Governor Ann Richards but I am certain that her 
legacy will live in the minds and hearts of young women everywhere who 
now have Ann to remind them that there is nothing as women they cannot 
accomplish.

                          ____________________