Over the past year, as Hillary Clinton has emerged as the first serious female contender for President of the United States, a lot of us in Texas have said the same thing: "I wish Ann were here."

Ann Richards would be riding high right about now. Because whatever happens in the next few days and weeks, this is a historic time for women. And Ann had a lot to do with getting us here.

Most everybody in Texas has an Ann Richards story. I got to be a part of her gubernatorial inauguration, when she led a parade down Congress Avenue to the capitol building — her way of showing the Bubbas that a new sheriff was in town. For those of us who were young adults when she was elected governor, she was a symbol of hope in a state where good ol' boys had always been in charge. Since she carried the women's vote by 60 percent, seems that a lot of those good ol' boys' wives voted for Ann.

Ann had already made an impression on the rest of the country. At the 1988 Democratic National Convention, her opening remarks included a sound bite that is Ann at her best.

"Twelve years ago Barbara Jordan, another Texas woman, Barbara made the keynote address to this convention, and two women in a hundred and sixty years is about par for the course.

But if you give us a chance, we can perform. After all, Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." … continue reading