The Honorable Ann Willis Richards 45th Governor of the State of Texas When Ann Willis Richards was a child, her father told her that she could be anything she wanted to be. During a lifetime of public service and leadership, she has proven him right. Dorothy Ann Willis was born on September 1, 1933, in Lakeview, Texas. The only child of Ona and Cecil Willis, Ann learned from her parents lessons that would shape her life. "My parents never wanted me to have to work as hard as they did, but that was all I ever saw them do. The message I got was that the only things of any real value in life were family and hard work, " she says. Ann Richards graduated from Waco High School in 1950 and attended Baylor University on a debate scholarship. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at Baylor in 1954 and completed additional course work at the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned her teaching certificate. From 1955 to 1956, she taught social studies and history at Fulmore Junior High School in Austin. Governor Richards first became active in politics at the University of Texas and remained active while rearing her four children - Cecile, Dan, Clark and Ellen. She volunteered in local and statewide campaigns and worked for causes, most notably, civil rights and economic justice. In 1976, Richards was first elected to public office, defeating a three-term incumbent for a seat on the Travis County Commissioners Court. At the time, she recalls, "Texas was not noticeably hospitable to the notion that a woman could handle that kind of responsibility." Six years later, Richards was recruited to run for State Treasurer. She won with more votes than any other statewide candidate on the ballot, becoming the first woman elected to statewide office in Texas in fifty years. In 1986, she was re-elected without opposition. As State Treasurer, Richards overhauled the agency's turn-of-the-century methods and pioneered banking and investment practices that earned taxpayers more non-tax revenue than all earlier Texas Treasurers combined - more than $2 billion. In 1988, Richards delivered the keynote address to the Democratic national Convention, reminding the nation that every election represents an opportunity to unify behind the belief that we can do better - for ourselves, for our children and grandchildren, for our nation. On November 6, 1990, Richards was elected Governor of Texas. The Richards administration stressed education, public safety, economic development and efficiency. The first female governor of Texas since Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson served two terms (1925-1927 and 1933-1935) following her husband, former governor James Ferguson, into office. She was defeated for re-election, in 1994 by George W. Bush. Richards continues her advocacy for the causes and concerns that are dear to her. Since 1995, she has been a Senior Advisor with Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand, a Washington-based law firm with offices in Austin and Houston. She serves on the boards of J.C. Penny, Brandeis University and the Aspen Institute. And, she makes as much time as possible for her family - which now includes seven "nearly perfect" grandchildren. Randy Willis www.randywillis.org randy@randywillis.org