30 Texas Women
Texas women have a reputation that precedes them.
TEXAS WOMEN HAVE BEEN IMMORTALIZED BY song, stereotyped in film, and made legendary by myth. From Denton to Dime Box, Big Spring to Beaumont and from Harlingen to Haskell, Texas women are as diverse as the state itself. They have made invaluable contributions as writers, activists, politicians, athletes, and actresses. Although we can't recognize them all, we would like to tip our hats to 30 of the greatest.
Pioneers and Heroines
1. Jane Long (1798-1880) Jane Long will always be remembered as the mother of Texas. One of the earliest pioneers to make Texas her home, it is believed that she was one of the first English-speaking women to bear a child in Texas. Migrating from Mississippi at the beginning of the 19th Century, she and her husband, James Long, settled at Bolivar Point. Jane was left there with daughter Ann while James went to join the fight for independence from Spain. While others began to evacuate the area Jane remained. "My husband left me here to wait for him and I shall stay until he returns," she said. Her husband never returned. Upon learning the news that he had been killed in Mexico City, Jane moved her family to Brazoria where she opened a prosperous boarding house that was frequented by such prominent characters as William Barrett Travis. Long's boarding house was used as a meeting place before the war, and it is said that Stephen F. Austin delivered an impassioned speech calling Texans to war under her roof.
2. Angelina Eberly (1798-1860) In 1842, in the midst of the Archive War, president Sam Houston ordered three wagon loads of state archives moved to Houston ostensibly to protect them from the Mexican Army who had re-taken control of San Antonio, Goliad, and Victoria. His real aim was to begin quietly moving the capital to Houston. It was Eberly who took a bead on the escaping document thieves and fired a six-pounder across their path, thereby alerting the citizenry. A vigilante posse was quickly formed and Houston's henchmen were relieved of the archives at gunpoint just beyond Brushy Creek in nearby Williamson County.
3. Susana Dickinson (ca 1814-1883) Susana Dickinson or "The Lady of the Alamo" is said to be the only Anglo survivor at the battle of the Alamo. She experienced every hour of the two-week-long siege alongside the defenders. Her husband, Almaron Dickinson, took both Susana and their child into the fortress so that they could be near him during the ensuing battle. The Dickinsons moved into the Alamo on February 23, 1836. After the battle of the Alamo, she was found in the powder magazine. Shortly thereafter she was interviewed by Santa Anna, who sent Susana to Gonzalez to inform the Texans that he would 'put down all resistance,' and unless they surrendered they would suffer the same fate as those at the Alamo. It is said that upon delivering this message Susana sent, not a note of warning, but rather a battle cry for Texans to rally.
4. Clara Driscoll (1881-1945) and Adina De Zavala (1861-1955) Although it is Clara Driscoll who retains the title, "Savior of the Alamo," it was the work of both she and Adina De Zavala that kept the Alamo from being razed in the early part of the 20th century. It was 1904 and although the state had purchased the chapel, the long barracks of the Alamo were in jeopardy. A grocery wholesaler was interested in a portion of the Alamo grounds and Adina De Zavala was determined to keep it from falling into corporate hands. In a last ditch effort, Adina attempted to meet with the proprietors of the Menger Hotel in downtown San Antonio. They were out of town, but the hotel informed her that a Miss Clara Driscoll was a guest at the hotel. Driscoll, herself a dedicated preservationist, took an interest in Adina's crusade. The result was a handsome sum of Clara's own money put forth to purchase the Alamo. Both ladies worked tirelessly to preserve historical sites around the state, but will always be remembered most for their role of saving the Alamo.
Entertainers
5. Dale Evans (1912-2001) If you have ever heard the tune Happy Trails and were reminded of the famous cowboy Roy Rogers, you are missing half of the picture. It was Dale Evans who wrote this signature song and taught it to Roy and the Sons of the Pioneers a mere 40 minutes before a performance one evening. Dale Evans, originally from Uvalde, Texas, married Roy Rogers in 1947, and spent the next 41 years with him both on and off the silver screen.
6. Sissy Spacek (b. 1949) Although her official movie debut was in Michael Ritchie's Prime Cut in 1972, her breakthrough role was the lead in Brian De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie, which garnered her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Born and raised in the northeast Texas town of Quitman, she originally aspired to become a singer and moved to New York where she landed gigs in Greenwich Village coffee houses billing herself as "Rainbo." Anyone who has seen her memorable portrayal of Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter in 1980, which earned her an Oscar, will know that a singing career wasn't too far off the mark. After taking time off to concentrate on raising her kids, she continues to turn in award-winning performances like her role in the recent Golden Globe-garnering In The Bedroom.
7. Janis Joplin (1943-1970) Often considered one of the greatest white women to ever sing the blues, Janis Joplin had a brief yet prolific career. Born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas, she was said to develop a 'taste' for the blues at an early age. Just after graduating high school she quickly made her way to Austin where she worked the club circuit playing at such well-known venues as Threadgill's. She eventually moved west to San Francisco where she delivered a show stopping performance at the Monterey pop festival. She soon gained national recognition for her distinctive style and unforgettable voice. Joplin's career was cut short when she died of a heroin overdose.
8. Selena (1971-1995 ) A bronze statue of the late Tejano singer, Selena Quintanilla-Perez, stands quietly near the waterfront in Corpus Christi, Texas. Just beneath the statue is an inscription which reads, "Her stage is now silent. Yet, her persona enriched the lives of those she touched and her music lives on ..." Selena was one of the first crossover artists, achieving wide success on both the pop and Tejano charts. Born in Lake Jackson, Texas, Selena became involved in the music industry at a very young age. In 1981 the band Selena y Los Dinos was formed and their first record was produced two years later. Selena went on to receive a double platinum award and a Grammy for Selena Live and a quadruple platinum award for Amor Prohibido. At the height of her career Selena was murdered by her assistant, Yolonda Saldivar, on March 31, 1995. The film Selena, which documents the singer's short life, was released in 1997, and one of her signature ensembles was donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American history in Washington, D.C.
Artists
9. Elisabet Ney (1833-1907) Originally from Germany, Elisabet studied sculpture in both Munich and Berlin and gained a reputation as a talented sculptor, sculpting the likenesses of such prominent individuals as Queen Victoria and George V. Elisabet immigrated to the United States at the time of the Franco-Prussian war, initially moving to Georgia, but ultimately settling in Liendo, Texas. She eventually discovered Austin and built a studio in Austin's Hyde Park, naming it Formosa after the name of her former studio in Germany. Eventually it was renovated and turned into the Elisabet Ney museum. It is said that Elisabet's arrival to Austin marked the birth of serious art in Texas. In 1903 marble statues of both Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston were unveiled in a ceremony at the state capital. Elisabeth Ney was commissioned by former Governor Oran M. Roberts to sculpt statues of the founding fathers of Texas heroes.
10. Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986) Although not a native Texan, Georgia O'Keeffe was influenced by the wide-open plains of the Texas landscape, reflected in much of her art. O'Keeffe taught art in the public school system in Amarillo from 1912-1914 and then taught at West Texas State Normal College (West Texas A&M University) in Canyon, Texas, from 1916-1918. It is said that at least 50 of her paintings were composed during the period of 1916-1918 while in Canyon. Some of her most famous Texas paintings include: the Light Coming on the Plains series, the Evening Star series, and Painting No. 21.
Athletes
11. Babe Didrikson Zaharias (1911-1956) "The Amazing Amazon," "Belting Babe," "The Texas Tomboy," and "The Texas Babe" are just a few of the nicknames that Mildred Ella Didrikson adopted in her long and varied athletic career. Babe was an animated individual who seemed to excel in every sport she pursued. Her athletic career began with sandlot baseball in the neighborhoods of Beaumont, Texas. She hit so many homeruns the kids began calling her "Babe" after the baseball legend Babe Ruth. In high school she played in every sport offered: volleyball, tennis, golf, baseball, basketball, and swimming. After high school she was recruited by a Dallas company to play basketball on its team. She was named AAU All-American player in 1930, 1931, and 1932. She achieved legendary status at the 1932 Olympics, winning two gold medals and one silver. One sportswriter called her "without any question, the athletic phenomenon of all time, man or woman." But her career did not stop there. Babe went on to make headlines and break records in the world of golf as well. She won the finals of the Texas women's amateur championship of 1935, and was eventually declared ineligible for amateur play by the USGA. She then went on to play the Western Open as a professional, signing a contract with Wilson sporting goods company. She won the Texas Women's Open in 1945, and was named AP Female Athlete of the Year (an award that she won six times). Babe Didrikson is regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all times.
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