The Lasso March 2023 Women's History Month Special Edition

The
Lasso
Your student newspaper since 1914
SPECIAL EDITION MARCH 2023
History of
early T WU (3)
In this edition:
Women’s
Leadership Hall(4-5)
Women in
politics (8)

Contents
Staff
History of early TWU
Women’s Leadership
Hall
The Lasso staff ’s favorite
inspirational woman
Women in Politics
Women on campus
Women with disabilities
Texas First Ladies
3
4-5
6-7
8
9
10
11
Adviser | Joseph Alderman
Editor-in-Chief | Maddie Ray
Engagement Editor | Karyme
Flores
Graphic Designer | Stephanie Vo
Staff Writers | Clarise Tujardon
Eclipse Stark
2

The History of Early TWU
Since 1901, Texas Woman’s
University has empowered and
educated thousands of women
and throughout this history, a
demonstrated commitment to
women’s education has been
emphatically expressed.
By Maddie Ray
“Let our daughters be taught all the
labors necessary to a well-kept,
hygienic home and also be trained
to some business… Let us stop the
embroidery and piano lessons long
enough to send them to a scientific
cooking school,” Stoddard said.
English, science, painting and
photography courses. In addition
to this, women were also given
the opportunity to take courses in
homemaking and even courses
in predominantly male segments
of commerce such as the political
economy and commercial law.
The University also held weekly
lectures open to both students
and community members on the
economics of cooking, the care of
the young, harmful bacteria and
demonstrations of new X-rays.
During the turn of the century, male
students could enroll in academic
schools, vocational schools that
prepared teachers, or industrial
schools that provided training within
other vocations such as agriculture.
In 1877, Texas A&M opened its
doors to offer an education to
train young men in agriculture and
mechanics. Shortly following, The
University of Texas was founded in
1883, offering education in literature
and science. The lack of a higher
education industrial school for
young women was significant and
proved to be a point of contention in
the following years.
In the beginning, the conversations
for the Girls Industrial College were
hushed whispers in some circles
until Texas State Grange and
Patrons of Husbandry A.J. Rose
began advocating for the college,
according to Dawn Letson, a former
archivist who compiled the history of
the founding of TWU.
“Do [girls] not need an industrial
college, too, where they can receive
a practical education which will
prepare them for some vocation
in life?” Rose said in a speech
at the Grange conference in
1899 according to journalist Nita
Thurman.
In 1891, the first bill to establish
a female industrial school passed
in the state Senate but failed in
the state House. Helen Stoddard,
President of the Woman’s Christian
Temperance Union, began
advocating for the school in 1893.
Additionally, Pauline Periwinkle
of the Dallas Morning News took
up the cause on the grounds that
industrial training would prevent
lower-income young women from
becoming prostitutes, which she
argued was the only other moneymaking
alternative for lower-income
women at the time.
Opponents still remained despite
the movement gaining traction. One
politician did not want to support
the bill because it has “female
rights written all over it,” while
another opponent believed that
women did not need to be trained in
homemaking skills, saying “instinct
will make a woman a perfect
housekeeper, a model wife and a
wise mother.”
Finally, in 1900, the Texas
Democratic Party called for an
industrial school for girls and, in
1901, the school was approved and
placed in Denton.
The beginnings of TWU represented
an experiment in educating young
women in non-traditional fields.
The English, Science and Fine
Arts departments offered traditional
Even the Pioneer Woman brought
controversy at TWU. After L.H.
Hubbard, president of what was
then known as the Texas State
College for Women, proposed a
statue honoring women to be on
the campus, he chose the threedimensional
plaster model of
a pioneer family that New York
sculptor William Zorach submitted.
They were thick-bodied and nude,
causing a chapter of the Daughters
of the Republic of Texas to say it
was “the greatest insult that could
be offered to these women who
believed and practiced the virtue of
modesty.”
Zorach attempted to change the
design to one with lightly draped
figures, but the commission
ultimately chose Leo Friedlander’s
model, which depicted a sturdy
woman.
The early history of TWU was
marked with hesitancy because of
its dedication to women, but it was
also notably progressive for its time,
providing women with valuable
education in the career fields most
available at the time, a legacy the
university continues to this day.
3

Womens Leadership Hall
by KARYME FLORES
The Sue S. Bancroft Women’s Leadership Hall
at Texas Woman’s University highlights various
women leaders with interactive displays and
learning opportunities.
The Women’s Leadership Hall is a gallery
inside TWU’s Old Main Building and is a
part of the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s
Leadership. The gallery displays include
Pioneering Women, 2018 Election: Women
Make History, Civics Learning Center, Minnie
Fisher Cunningham: Texas Suffragist and a
map highlighting women from almost every
county in Texas.
“As the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s
Leadership was growing, there was a vision for
a space where we could showcase Texas women
leaders hoping to inspire women,” Elizabeth
Qualia, the gallery’s curator, said. “Not just
women but people of all different backgrounds,
and show that they can become leaders, too.
That they can follow their dreams and find out
what their passions are, whether it's in politics,
education, art or whatever. We use the gallery
to inspire students and the community.”
Pioneering Women is the central gallery
and displays 12 Texas women from different
backgrounds involved in politics, such as
Jovita Idar, Jane Nelson and Barbara Jordan.
The display has touch screens where visitors
can find the stories of each woman along with
quotes and videos. There is also a Texas Voter
screen where visitors can register to vote and
find their elected officials, and the Rising Star
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interactive podium that visitors can stand
behind and read speeches by the women
highlighted.
“We talk about their lives, their career and
some of the obstacles they faced,” Qualia said.
“For example, Sandra Day O’Conner graduated
law school but then no law firms wanted to
hire women and she ended up serving in the
highest court in the country, which is pretty
impressive.”
The gallery has different artifacts from these
women such as Sandra Day O’Conner’s middle
school report card and pins from the La Raza
Unida party.
The 2018 Election: Women Make History
display showcases the women who ran for
office in Texas during the 2018 midterms,
which had an unprecedented number of
women running for office. The display also
honors the 17 African-American women that
were elected as judges within Harris county in
the same year.
"We really focus on the 2018 midterm
elections because they were so significant in
Texas,” Qualia said. “We had more women
running for offices related to Texas or in Texas
than we had previously in history. Another
thing that was very significant about that year,
besides that nationally there were more women
elected into the House of the Representatives
than had ever been elected before,

in Texas,” Qualia said. “We had more women
running for offices related to Texas or in Texas
than we had previously in history. Another
thing that was very significant about that year,
besides that nationally there were more women
elected into the House of the Representatives
than had ever been elected before, but in Texas
especially there were 19 African-American
women who ran for judicial seats in Harris
county. Seventeen of them won their elections
and it was dubbed black girl magic.”
This display also has an interactive map where
women from almost every county in Texas are
highlighted. The women that make up this map
range from singers to politicians to teachers
throughout history. The gallery worked with
the The Handbook of Texas Women in order to
select the 200 women.
“We have 200 historical Texas women there
from all different counties in Texas,” Qualia
said. “We have people like Selena and people
from the 1800s and 1900s, all from their different
walks of life. People that did different
things with their lives, authors, philanthropists,
historians, teachers and civil rights activists.”
The Civics Learning Center is a partnership
with ICivics, a non-profit founded by U.S.
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Visitors can learn about ways to be more civically
engaged and about their Texas Counties,
as well as view more Sandra Day O’Connor
artifacts.
The Minnie Fisher Cunningham: Texas Suffragist
exhibit views the fight for women’s suffrage
through the story of Minnie Fisher Cunningham.
Cunningham was a leader during
the fight for women’s rights and a key player in
the passing of the 19th amendment.
“We highlight her in our temporary gallery,
which is on women’s suffrage at the moment,”
Qualia said. “She was president for the Texas
Women’s Suffrage Association and she worked
to get primary suffrage passed in Texas. She
was just an interesting person because she realized
that the men she was working with were
making more money than her because she
was a woman, so she got involved in women's
rights and she didn’t stop after that.”
The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with tours starting at
11 AM. For more information, visit the Sue S.
Bancroft website.
5

THE LASSO STAFF’S
WOMEN IN HISTORY: ROLE MODELS
“One woman in history that inspires me is Marsha P. Johnson. As a transgender
woman, she used her experiences to advocate for change in the gay rights
movement. Commonly known for her involvement in the Stonewall Riot,
Johnson also founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR)
which was dedicated to housing young transgender individuals who were
shunned by their families. She taught me to take pride in my queer identity and
to persevere through hardship to advocate for equality.”
Maddie Ray, Editor-in-Chief
“A woman that inspires me is Jovita Idar. Idar was born in Laredo, TX and
grew up on the border. She spent the majority of her life fighting for Mexican-
American and women’s rights. She advocated for education for all and used her
job as a journalist to highlight injustices. Idor also became the first president
of the “La Liga Femenil Mexicanista,” also known as the League of Mexican
Women. Our common identities and experiences help me feel like my work
and words have meaning, and it motivates me to continue fighting for all the
different things I am passionate about. ”
Karyme Flores, Engagement Editor
6

“A woman in history that has inspired me is Anna May Wong. She was an
important icon for Asian women and helped introduce a number of Asian faces
to the entertainment industry. It was always very welcoming to see a face that
looked like me when I watched TV as a child.”
Stephanie Vo, Graphic Designer
‘‘The woman in history that has inspired me is Kayleigh McEnany. Because of
McEnany, I learned to embrace my Republican-Conservative side and learned
the type of woman I wanted to become: one that picked herself up when she
fell down and stayed true to herself. In addition to that, she helped me learn to
trust in God during the hardest times of my life and turn to Him when I seek
guidance to know that everything will turn out the way it should. Finally, I
learned from her that it is perfectly fine to be a traditional wife and mother one
day and I hope I will have a successful career like her, whether it be in law,
communications, writing or politics.”
Clarise Tujardon, Reporter
“A woman who inspires me is my aunt Leah. She worked through nursing
school and built an amazing blended family with her husband. She has been
through a lot in life and she still never let it take her hope and light. Any time
I talk to her I know she can help me get different perspectives on problems I
may be having. She keeps me determined and inspires me to stay hopeful even
in hard times. My aunt works hard for herself and her family every day. She
keeps me inspired to work for what I want and love.”
Eclipse Stark, Reporter
7

Where Women
LEAD
committee, as well as chair the
Senate Finance Committee for four
sessions. A notable achievement of
Nelson’s is establishing the Cancer
Research and Prevention Institute
of Texas, reforming the system of
medical liability and repairing the
foster system.
By Clarise Tujardon
Throughout the centuries, the role
of women has vastly changed in
history, especially in the world of
politics. In 1848, the first women’s
rights convention was held in
Seneca Falls, New York by Elizabeth
Cady and many other women
in order to demand women’s
rights, especially suffrage. In 1900,
Frances Warren became the first
female delegate to the Republican
National Convention and within
the same year, Elizabeth Cohen
of Utah became the first female
delegate to the Democratic National
Convention.
By 1920, women hit an important
milestone as the 19th amendment
to the US Constitution was ratified,
ultimately giving women the right
to vote. Another key milestone
in the 1950s was when Charlotta
Spears Bass was nominated as the
first black female vice president
of the United States. Going into
the 2000s, women such as Elaine
Chao began serving in a president’s
cabinet as the first Asian American
woman when she was appointed
Secretary of Labor by President
George W. Bush.
Finally, in 2020, women reached a
significant milestone in politics that
took almost two centuries Wwhen
Kamala Harris was elected as the
first female Vice President of the
United States.
At Texas Woman’s University, there
have been many women who have
graduated from the university or
are connected with the University
8
who have gone on to serve in
politics. These women have gone
on to serve as a US House Member,
US District Judge, school board
members and other prominent
positions in politics.
A well-known female politician that
is associated with TWU is Texas
Secretary of State Jane Nelson.
At TWU, Nelson has an institute
called the Jane Nelson Institute
for Women’s Leadership. In this
institute, women are preparing and
receiving the guidance they need to
take on roles in business and public
service.
The institute houses three centers:
the Center for Student Leadership,
the Center for Women Entrepreneurs
and the Center for Women in Politics
and Public Policy.
Nelson is the first woman in Texas
legislative history to stay as chair
on a standing budget-writing
A notable alumna from TWU is
Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia
who is currently serving the 29th
District of Texas. Garcia received a
scholarship to the university and
graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in Social Work and Political Science,
and went on to get her Doctor
of Jurisprudence at Thurgood
Marshall School of Law at Texas
Southern University. She then went
on to become a social worker and
legal aid lawyer and worked to
protect the vulnerable, especially
the young and old.
After that, Garcia began her
political career as the Director and
Presiding Judge of the Houston
Municipal System and served in
that position for five terms. In
1998, she was elected as the City
Controller, which is the secondhighest
elected official in Houston.
Finally, in 2019, she was sworn into
the Texas Congressional District 29.
Illustration by Stephanie Vo

Women
On Campus
By Karyme Flores
Wednesday Jacob
Guadalupe Perez
Posada
According to TWU’s website, the
purpose of TWU is to educate a
woman in order to empower the
world. TWU women continue
to fulfill this calling by doing
various great things such as
writing renowned novels, creating
foundations to support young
adults and becoming NASA
specialists.
The current students at TWU
continue to follow in the footsteps
of the great women that came before
them as they hope for success and
change in their futures.
“I hope that my job, hopefully
working in a school whether I end
up being an elementary teacher or
librarian, helps me stay financially
afloat in the way that I can still
travel and enjoy my hobbies,” Firstyear
education student Wednesday
Jacob said. “I hope my idea of
teaching now is similar to the way
it actually is and I’ll enjoy it. When
I get my own apartment and I live
with my cats, I hope everything is
in its place and I am not struggling
to pay my bills. My hope for the
future is that I can be financially
stable and happy in my job.”
Jacob plans to be an EC-6 teacher
that focuses on incorporating art
and music into her teaching styles.
“The idea of success or being
successful motivates me, but
my little sister is my biggest
inspiration,” Jacob said. “I am like
her role model and that motivates
me to do good and do well. At the
same time, art inspires me every
day. Art is everywhere and it is so
inspiring and it invokes wonderful
feelings in most people.”
First-year biology student
Guadalupe Perez Posada cites her
background as the inspiration for
everything she does.
“I grew up and was born in Dallas,
Pleasant Grove, and all of my life
I loved growing up in the city,”
Posada said. “I grew up as an only
child in a household where it was
my maternal grandparents and
then my parents so that was a very
interesting dynamic.”
Posada said that she has love for
various things from journaling
and writing to science and civic
engagement, and she hopes that
all her different interests can work
together in her future career as she
plans on becoming a physician
assistant focused on the gynecology
and obstetrics field. She explains
that her interest in this field was
sparked by the high mortality rates
during childbirth for women of
color.
“I hope to become someone that
I am proud of,” Posada said. “I
want to be proud of myself and
that includes becoming a physician
assistant because I want to decrease
the maternal mortality rates in the
United States and I want to help
those numbers go down. I also want
and hope to be very involved in
advocacy and public policy because
I have found that being civically
engaged is something I love to do in
my spare time. Honestly, I just hope
to be an example and role model for
those that come after me.”
Stephanie Hoepner is a firstyear
student studying Theatre
Education. Hoepner is the daughter
of a Mexican mother and she lives
with her parents. Hoepner loves
art, theater and music.
“I really hope to teach high school
theater in the future,” Hoepner
said. “I’ve done theater since junior
high and it’s been such an amazing
experience and I would love to help
create those experiences for a new
generation of students. I would
also say my biggest inspiration is
my mom, who came to the United
States when she was six years old
and has worked ever since.
9

Fighting on Two Fronts
Advocates for Women’s Rights and Women
with Disabilities
By Maddie Ray
March is not only Women’s History
Month, but also National Disability
Awareness Month. Historically,
women with disabilities have not
been covered in conversations about
women’s movements and the unique
relationship of being both female
and disabled is not commonly
represented.
In the suffragist movement, Rosa
May Billinghurst was a prominent
disabled activist. Following a bout of
childhood polio, she was left unable
to walk but used an adapted tricycle
to maneuver herself. She specifically
advocated for women of the lower
socioeconomic class to gain the right
to vote, which was significant at a
time when few were advocating
for economically disadvantaged
women.
with Myasthenia Gravis, a rare form
of muscular dystrophy. She served
as the first female principal chief of
the Cherokee nation in 1985 and
was the first woman to be elected as
chief of a major Native tribe. During
her time as chief, she founded the
Cherokee Nation Community
Development Department, revived
the tribal Sequoyah High School
and saw a population increase of
Cherokee Nation citizens from 55,000
to 196,000.
Her successes in advocating for
improved education, healthcare
disabilities, people’s perceptions of
you often change.”
Jazzie Collins, a Black trans woman
who was also public about her
experience being HIV positive,
experienced many hardships that
led her to organize initiatives for
transgender rights, disability rights
and economic equality in San
Francisco. She campaigned on behalf
of marginalized communities and
was Vice Chair of both the LGBT
Ageing Policy and LGBT Senior
Disabled Housing Task Forces.
Following her death, the first
homeless shelter in the United States
was opened in her honor called
Jazzie’s Place.
“You have to acknowledge that
women with disabilities are
marginalized in many ways, and
oftentimes their disability is not
mentioned or highlighted,” Hill said.
“To identify disability as an aspect of
our women leaders is really impactful
for other new and upcoming leaders
[to show] that there are examples
of women who accomplish great
things.”
Billinghurst was sentenced to one
month of hard labor in a windowsmashing
campaign in which
demonstrators destroyed property
in popular London neighborhoods
to make a statement on women’s
suffrage. Even while in prison, she
grew the movement by recruiting
fellow inmates.
“I think women support one another
throughout life’s challenges, and
through community, help each other
gain access related to disability,”
Director of Disability Services for
Students Crystal Hill said. “I think
the increased visibility of women
with disabilities will help people
understand and maybe release the
stigma related to disability.”
Wilma Mankiller was a community
organizer and indigenous activist
10
Illustration by Stephanie Vo
and housing services earned her
an induction into the National
Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993 and
the Presidential Medal of Freedom in
1998.
“I think it’s difficult when you’re in
both of those groups being a woman
and disabled,” Goyal said. “As a
woman, you’re already seen as less
than a man in terms of pay or in
terms of what you can do as a person
and then when you’re disabled,
especially when you have invisible
The DSS office at Texas Woman’s
University works in partnership
with students, faculty and staff
to eliminate or minimize barriers
and facilitate inclusion on campus,
according to their website. Some
accommodations students can
receive are extended testing time,
sign-language interpreters, extra
time to travel to class and more.
“If you need tools to gain greater
access to your environment or to
your educational experience, it’s
not because of you, it’s because of
the barriers in your environment,”
Hill said. “So I think women on
the forefront of the disability
movement helped to bring home the
representation needed for people to
become better self-advocates for their
own accessibility.

Texas First Ladies
By Clarise Tujardon
Throughout the course of Texas’
history, the state has seen many
first ladies come and go. Texas
first ladies reside in the Governor’s
Mansion in Austin and have
played many different roles.
A Texas first lady may use her
position to voice their own
political views and support causes
important to them, while others
may not engage in politics.
A prominent Texan first lady that
did not engage in politics is Adele
Baron Lubbock, who was the first
wife of former Governor Francis
Lubbock. After Adele Lubbock’s
death in 1882, Francis Lubbock
remarried in 1883 to Sarah Black
Porter, then to Lou Scott in 1903.
During her time as Texas first lady,
Adele Lubbock supported her
husband by hosting parties at the
Governor’s Mansion where they
interacted with serving senators
and house members. According
to Texas State Cemetery, Adele
Lubbock found it difficult to serve
them during those parties because
finding food during the Civil War
was challenging.
According to Texas State
Cemetery, Adele Lubbock became
a godmother to many children
at the end of her life because she
did not have any children of her
own. On Dec.1, 1882, she died in
Austin, Texas, and was buried in
Houston, Texas. In 1905, Francis
Lubbock passed away and before
that, requested in a letter that Adele
Lubbock’s remains be placed next
to his at the Texas State Cemetery.
Anita Thigpen Perry, who is
married to former Governor Rick
Perry, was involved in politics.
Before Rick Perry became the
governor of Texas, Anita Perry
earned a bachelor’s degree in
nursing at West Texas State
University, which is now known as
West Texas A&M University, and
later received a Master of Science
degree from the University of
Texas Health Science Center at
San Antonio. Throughout Anita
Perry’s career in the medical field,
she has worked in the areas of
surgery, pediatrics, intensive care,
consulting and administration.
In the course of Anita Perry’s time
as Texas’ first lady, she worked on
bettering the health of Texans. She
used her experience in nursing
to promote healthcare issues and
promoted nursing careers to young
Texans. According to Texas State
Cemetery, she advocated for family
violence prevention, Alzheimer’s
disease education and breast cancer
awareness.
Because of her advocacy in the
medical field, Rick Perry referred
to Anita Perry as the “first
nurse” of Texas. Anita Perry’s
accomplishments were honored in
2001 with two endowments that
benefited the issues that she has
been raising awareness for at West
Texas A&M University and the
University of Texas Health Center
at San Antonio. While another
accomplishment of hers is having
a scholarship named after her,
the Anita Thigpen Perry Nursing
Excellence Scholarship, which
gives students a scholarship to the
Nursing Program at West Texas
A&M University.
Francis and Adele Lubbock
Image Courtesy of Wikipedia