It's with great sadness that I write this, but the news here in Dallas is reporting that Ann Richards died tonight in Austin.
Dallas Morning News Report
I saw Ann Richards speak once live at SMU in 2003 My wife and I were 1L's at the time and we needed a break from the crap that law school was feeding us. When we heard that Ann Richards would be speaking and we could go for free, we were in. It was amazing. It was part of the Louise Raggio lecture series. Louise Raggio and Ann are old friends. (Louise Raggio's history could fill volumes for those who don't know her) Ann was vibrant, alive and full of wit. I feel terrible that the last Governor prior to the awful Bush era had to die before she had a chance to see the end of this all.
Ann talked about "No Child Left Behind" - which was new at the time. She talked about how insane we get every 20 years or so when we allow Republicans to make rules. She talked, in common sense terms, about how it makes no sense at all to take money AWAY from schools that need the money the most.
She talked about her struggles with alcohol. She talked about the early days when she was living in Dallas. God, it was like listening to your grandmother, she was larger than life, in every way.
Ann Richards - 1933-2006
A homemaker who said she didn't want to be known for just having a clean house. She dedicated her life to the rights of women and minorities and the rights of all Texans.
God Bless her
I'm gonna make a strange request and ask that her 1988 DNC Keynote Address get frontpaged for tomorrow.