Richards Remembered As "a True Texas Hero"
Posted on: Thursday, 14 September 2006, 06:00 CDT
By Anne Marie Kilday, Houston Chronicle
Sep. 14--After voting early one afternoon at the Travis County courthouse, Gov. Ann Richards held up her Department of Public Safety detail to admire a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Richards carefully studied the bike, admiring its shiny chrome in the October sunlight, its size, shape and color.
When a reporter queried the governor about what she was doing, Richards replied: "I am trying to decide whether I want a cruise, or a Harley for my 60th birthday."
It was a short news story, accompanied by a photograph, that got noticed by the motorcycle company's moguls. Within hours of publication, Richards had a letter offering her a Harley-Davidson.
Richards, 73, died Wednesday after a six-month battle against esophageal cancer. Her death prompted others to praise her legacy to Texas and her well-known wit that made her national political star.
Richards' former press secretary Bill Cryer of Austin, recalled the whole Harley-Davidson saga.
"Right after that story, she came into my office and said, 'You're going to have to learn to ride a motorcycle with me.' So, she and I spent every Sunday (the next) August, learning how to ride a motorcycle, out on the Department of Public Safety headquarters' parking lot," Cryer said. "She got her license, and I got my license. And I still ride a motorcycle."
On her 60th birthday, Richards went to the DPS and passed the test for her motorcycle license. She donated the Harley-Davidson to the DPS' motorcycle safety training classes.
Cryer, who worked for Richards while she was state treasurer and governor, recalled: "It was 10 years of a great deal of fun, actually."
Texas Monthly superimposed Richards' face on a model dressed in white leather, riding a white Harley-Davidson with the headline: "White Hot Mama."
Cryer still remembers Richards' initial reaction: "I only wish I had thighs like that woman," the governor said.
On a night of mourning Richards' death, former employees, friends and politicians spent a little time laughing Wednesday over Richards' sparkling wit and love of life.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison , R-Texas, said: "Ann Richards was a trailblazer in our beloved state of Texas. She was fun, and funny, and irreverent and loved life."
" My thoughts are with her family at this sad time," Hutchison said.
Texas Democratic Party Chair Boyd Richie called Richards "a true Texas hero."
"Tonight, we lost a true Texas hero in Ann Richards. Ann knew the real meaning of public service, and her dedication to empowering others was evident throughout her entire political career. Ann was a trailblazer and a real treasure, and I know people of all political persuasions are saddened by her passing.
"I want to express our deepest sympathies to the family of Governor Richards. They are in our thoughts and prayers during this time of grief," Richie said.
Austin political consultant Glenn Smith,a former reporter who worked for former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, managed both of Richards' campaigns for governor.
"The first time I really got a chance to know her was when I was working for Hobby, and we went to the McDonald Observatory," Smith said. "I laughed that whole weekend."
The following Monday, Smith and Richards were featured speakers at an Austin gathering of students from Tarrant County Junior College.
"And Ann got up and introduced me by saying, "I just spent the weekend under the stars with him," Smith recalled, laughing.
John Fainter , who was Richards' chief of staff, said that Richards brought a "new openness" to Texas government.
"I think she brought an openness, a willingness to have all sides heard on things, to bring in a lot of groups and interests that had not been heard before, and had not had a chance to participate," Fainter said. "And you simply can't dissociate her sense of humor from all that she did."
Referring to Richards' 25-plus years of recovery from alcoholism, Fainter said: "Her own experiences in life brought Ann the ability to deal with things with strength, in a manner that other people might not have had. She had the ability to face issues, and not to put it off or leave it to someone else to deal with," Fainter said.
"And, it was just fun to be around her," Fainter said.
Richards was an avid Lady Longhorns fan, and frequently brought her granddaughter, Lily, named after her friend comedienne Lily Tomlin, to the basketball games at the University of Texas at Austin.
She also loved attending movies, although she was known to talk too loudly for her friends' comfort. Still, Richards recently made a filmed "announcement" for the Alamo Draught House, a theater in Austin.
The announcement shows Richards leaving her office and walking into a movie theater, as she says: "Turn off your cell phone, or Ann Richards will take your ass out!"
Richards -- and many other Democrats -- used to frequent a small Mexican food cafe on Congress Avenue, Las Manitas.( Republicans go there now.)
Once, Richards ordered a cappucino, and the waitress apologetically explained that they only had coffee. True to her generous spirit (and selfish to her love for cappucino) Richards bought the owners of the small restaurant a beautiful, copper cappucino maker.
There is an official portrait of Ann Richards next to the cash register at Las Manitas. With her irreverent sense of humor, Richards signed it: "Thanks for all the great food. Love, Meg Ryan."
anne.kilday@chron.com
-----
Copyright (c) 2006, Houston Chronicle
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
NYSE:HOG,
Source: Houston Chronicle
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds