[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 20678-20679]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        IN TRIBUTE TO DOROTHY ANN WILLIS RICHARDS, CIVIC LEADER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2006

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the life of 
Dorothy Ann Willis Richards, known to us all as Ann Richards, and her 
lifelong commitment to equal rights, education and full participation 
of all people in the political process. Ann Richards lost her battle to 
esophageal cancer, at the age of 73, on September 13, 2006 at her home 
in Austin, Texas--she was only diagnosed with cancer in March of this 
year. Following her diagnosis she underwent chemotherapy treatments and 
was poised to fight her illness with vigor and tenacity just as she 
fought her personal demons and political opponents.
  Ann Richards had a zest for life that was evident and infectious. She 
made those of us fortunate enough to have known her, smile just at the 
mention of her name. She was a wonderful public speaker and found ways 
to intimately connect with real people by tackling difficult issues 
that affected their everyday lives such as the relegation of women to 
the home and the exclusion of minorities in the political process.
  Ann was tremendously tenacious but possessed a quick wit. She was 
well known for her zingy one liners and warm sense of humor. She once 
said, ``I learned early on that people liked you if you made them 
laugh,'' and throughout her lifetime she kept the jokes coming.
  Born in Lakeview (now Lacy Lakeview) Texas in 1933, Ann was first 
introduced to politics after joining the debate team and participating 
in Girls State--a program where high

[[Page 20679]]

school students are invited to the capitol to participate in a mock 
government. However, before entering politics in 1976, she earned her 
teaching certificate and taught social studies and history at Fulmore 
Junior High School. This was her life's passion. She once said that 
teaching was the hardest work she ever did and her commitment to 
educating youth did not dissipate with age.
  Committed to issues of equity and inclusion, Ann spent much of her 
life championing causes related to the marginalization of women and 
minorities in particular. She dedicated herself to increasing the role 
of women in politics. Ann organized training sessions throughout Texas 
designed to empower women in politics and succeeded in improving the 
visibility of women in the National Democratic Party. Leading by 
example, she embarked upon her own political career in 1976 when she 
ran against and unseated a three term incumbent to become Travis County 
Commissioner. She would serve in this capacity for four years before 
being elected State Treasurer in 1982, becoming the first woman to hold 
an office at the State level since Miriam ``Ma'' Ferguson in the 1920s. 
Ann became the Governor of Texas in 1991 and continued to champion the 
inclusion of all people in the political process.
  While in office, Ann oversaw a program of economic revitalization 
that grew the state's economy. As governor, Ann appointed Zan W. Holmes 
Jr., the first African American appointed to the University of Texas 
Board of Regents; she redirected revenue from the state lottery to a 
school fund to support public education; and launched the Robin Hood 
plan, an attempt to equalize funding across school districts. Through 
these measures, Ann was successful in changing the ways that both Texas 
and our country thought about and treated women, ethnic minorities, 
people with disabilities, and members of the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, 
and Bisexual communities. Ann once remarked that she entered politics 
to help those who were often ignored by the Texas' male dominated 
establishment.
  After losing the gubernatorial race to George W. Bush in 1995, Ann 
served in various capacities. She worked as a political strategist and 
labored on many democratic campaigns, often campaigning on behalf of 
candidates like Howard Dean. She continued to teach, introducing 
courses such as Women and Leadership at the University of Texas; worked 
diligently to establish the Ann Richards School for Young Women 
Leaders, which will open its doors next year; and lived as an example 
for all those battling substance abuse. These are but a few pieces of 
Ann's selfless contributions and they will never be forgotten.
  We all mourn the loss of Dorothy Ann Willis Richards. Her words and 
her deeds, much like her striking silver hair, will long be remembered. 
Although she was a wonderful cook, she held that title contrary to the 
prevailing image of the quintessential woman, at the time, she did not 
want to be known for having kept a clean home rather she wanted to be 
remembered for having helped others.
  My friend, your wish has been granted. Through your words and deeds 
you have left an indelible mark on both the great state of Texas and on 
our Nation.

                       [From the New York Times, 
                            Sept. 14, 2006]

                  Former Texas Gov. Ann Richards Dies

                       (By The Associated Press)

       Austin, Texas (AP)--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.
       She died at home surrounded by her family, the spokeswoman 
     said. Richards was found to have esophageal cancer in March 
     and underwent chemotherapy treatments.
       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.
       Whether or not she succeeded at that, there was no question 
     she cracked open the door.
       Her single term as governor had ended in a 1994 defeat to 
     George W. Bush, who went from besting his father's silver-
     haired critic to the governor's office to the presidency.
       ``Texas has lost one of its great daughters,'' President 
     Bush said in a statement after learning of Richards' death.
       Two years before she was elected governor of Texas, Ann 
     Richards electrified the 1988 Democratic National Convention 
     with a keynote speech in which she joked that the Republican 
     presidential nominee, George H.W. Bush, had been ``born with 
     a silver foot in his mouth.''
       A longtime champion of women and minorities in government 
     who was serving at the time as Texas state treasurer, she won 
     cheers when she reminded delegates that Ginger Rogers did 
     everything Fred Astaire did, ``only backwards and in high 
     heels.''
       As governor, Richards appointed the first black University 
     of Texas regent, the first crime victim on the state Criminal 
     Justice Board, the first disabled person 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.
       Ron Kirk, the black former mayor of Dallas, said Richards 
     helped him get his first political internship during a state 
     constitutional convention in 1974 and later, as governor, 
     made him secretary of state.
       ``She set the table so somebody like me could become mayor 
     of Dallas,'' Kirk said.
       She also polished Texas' image, courted movie producers, 
     campaigned for the North American Free Trade Agreement with 
     Mexico, oversaw a doubling of the state prison system and 
     presided over rising student achievement scores and plunging 
     dropout rates.
       Throughout her years in office, her popularity remained 
     high. One poll put it at over 60 percent the year she lost 
     her re-election bid to Bush.
       Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry described Richards as 
     ``the epitome of Texas politics: a figure larger than life 
     who had a gift for captivating the public with her great 
     wit.''
       ``Ann loved Texas, and Texans loved her,'' President Bush 
     said. ``As a public servant, she earned respect and 
     admiration. Ann became a national role model, and her charm, 
     wit and candor brought a refreshing vitality to public 
     life.''
       U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said Richards 
     never lost her zest for life.
       ``I wrote her a note when I heard about her cancer and she 
     wrote me back a wonderful letter. She was upbeat and positive 
     and I think she was going to go out with guns blazing,'' 
     Hutchison said Wednesday night.
       Richards was diagnosed with cancer in March and underwent 
     chemotherapy treatments.
       Her four adult children spent the day with her before she 
     died Wednesday night at her home in Austin, said Cathy 
     Bonner, a longtime family friend and family spokeswoman.
       Born in Lakeview, Texas, in 1933, Richards grew up near 
     Waco, married civil rights lawyer David Richards and spent 
     her early adulthood volunteering in campaigns and raising 
     four children. She often said the hardest job she ever had 
     was as a public school teacher at Fulmore Junior High School 
     in Austin.
       In the early 1960s, she helped form the North Dallas 
     Democratic Women, ``basically to allow us to have something 
     substantive to do; the regular Democratic Party and its 
     organization was run by men who looked on women as little 
     more than machine parts.''
       Richards served on the Travis County Commissioners Court in 
     Austin for six years before jumping to a bigger arena in 1982 
     when her election as state treasurer made her the first woman 
     elected statewide in nearly 50 years.
       But politics took a toll. It cost her a marriage and forced 
     her in 1980 to seek treatment for alcoholism.
       ``I had seen the very bottom of life,'' she once recalled. 
     ``I was so afraid I wouldn't be funny anymore. I just knew 
     that I would lose my zaniness and my sense of humor. But I 
     didn't. Recovery turned out to be a wonderful thing.''
       After her re-election defeat, Richards went on to give 
     speeches, work as a commentator for Cable News Network and 
     serve as a senior adviser in the New York office of Public 
     Strategies.
       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.
       Richards said she never missed being in public office. She 
     grinned when asked what she might have done differently had 
     she known she would be a one-term governor.
       ``Oh,'' she said, ``I would probably have raised more 
     hell.''

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