The Lasso March 2023 Women's History Month Special Edition

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