Goodbye Governor Ann :(

She was an icon

I remember marching in the Governor's inauguration in 1991. Baylor's marching band was invited to march in the parade since Ann Richards was an alumna. It was a lot of fun and a great opportunity that many people turned down because of differences in politics. Because of the difference in instrumentation, I got to march bass drum, which was an adventure in itself :) I remembered thinking that it was a shame that people missed out on opportunities because they were closed-minded. But if those same people hadn't decided to "boycott" the inauguration, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to have a little adventure.

I appreciated Governor Ann's candor, humor, and concern for her fellow man (and woman). I always saw her as the type of person who was honestly looking out for the common person, which seems so rare these days.

I always loved her quotes, which is what she was probably most known for outside of Texas:
About President George H.W. Bush: "Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth."
And one of my all-time favorites: "Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels."

Growing up in Texas, there was definitely a "good-old-boy" mentality. There were certain paths that seemed to be only for the boys, no matter how good you were or how hard you worked. So it was a blessing having a tough, smart female governor, who graduated from my college and who grew up without special advantages. While I may have not achieved my dreams (should I say yet? Because they're always changing LOL) it was nice to see that a woman could succeed with a brain, an attitude, and determination.

Plus, it was awesome to see her beat this SOB! Almost as bad, he was an Aggie!!!