A book signing of Texas Dames: Sassy and Savvy Women Throughout Lone Star History at the Bullock State History of Texas Museum just prior to the fantastic exhibit of Texas women, Women Shaping Texas in the 20th Century. The exhibit will run December 8, 2012 - May 19, 2013. For more about the exhibit:
http://thestoryoftexas.com/exhibits/current-special-exhibit
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Travel through history with Texas Dames™
”I have enjoyed your articles on Texas Women in the Dublin Citizen” |
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— Anita Baker, Dublin, Tx |
“We have greatly enjoyed your columns on Texas Dames of our early history, as published locally in the Wise County Messenger.” |
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— W. B. Woodruff, Jr. of Decatur, Tx |
FROM COLUMN TO VOLUME…the Texas Dames.
The nonfiction book Texas Dames: Sassy and Savvy Women Throughout Lone Star History emerged from a column called “Texas Dames” that ran in a couple of dozen newspapers around the state. I found the stories by talking to communities’ “listening posts,” the newspaper editor, the old-timer around the courthouse, the waitress at the town’s most popular café, the social worker, and countless phone calls and trips through courthouses, museums and historical societies. The stories of some fascinating women ended up in columns; a sampling of the columns ended up in the book.
Since the book from The History Press came out in October, people have often asked:
Q. “What was the hardest to do?”
A. Select the 53 women who would appear in the book from about 180 stories and columns.
AND…
Q. “Who is your favorite?”
A. I can only say that would be all of these 53, except limiting the era covered to the early to mid 20th Century helped a bit.
And then... The Professions and “Texas Dames™”
Medicine — Four--from anesthesia, optometry, physical rehabilitation and railroad doctoring.
Science — Two —botany and marine biology, both students of flora and fauna from Austin to Fort Davis.
Business — in Dallas’ beginnings, a woman in construction; another ran a circus (after serving as a spy in the Civil War); another ruled timber and banking interests in Huntsville; another from Dallas invented and successfully marketed “white out;” the former black slave who cornered downtown Dallas real estate; four who ran successful hotels from the coast to Dallas.
Agriculture — Texas being an agricultural state and still large in agri-business, quite a few “Texas Dames” stories recount their experiences over the miles of Texas borders and across the eras:
• Fifteen ’Dames’ from the coast throughout West Texas, raised cattle, sheep, horses (even the first polo ponies sold to New Yorkers) while pioneering in oil and banking.
Law — a half dozen Texas Dames parlayed their law degrees to serve as Supreme Court judges, “the all women Supreme Court in 1925,” while modern women have followed to the bench in state and county courts in the 1970’s.
Aviation — Four “Texas Dames”
• Two women pilots and instructor pilots holding the earliest pilot’s licenses in the 1920’s
• Two women stayed on the ground and wheeled and dealed to recruit, train and sustain women pilots for service in World War II
Sample columns
If you have never read a Texas Dames™ column, click on the stories below and find out what thousands of Dames readers are enjoying.
If you are a publisher or editor and would like to try Texas Dames™, you have permission to download these columns and use them in your publication.
The story of Dora Roberts
The story of Dr. Claudia Potter
The story of Roberta Dodd
The story of Dona DeLeon
Got any good ideas for Texas Dames™ stories?
I’m always on the search for nifty women’s stories.
Drop me a note or call with the names of women and their stories in your town and area.
Contact:
Carmen Goldthwaite
P. O. Box 470841
Fort Worth, Tx 76147
H 817-737-6958
M 817-726-0412
Twitter: @writingtxdame
E-mail: carmengoldthwaite@sbcglobal.net