Three Prominent Women’s Organizations

Celebrate 100 Years of Accomplishments

Austin, Amarillo, and Georgetown

By Mary Smith

Can you believe it? AAUW Texas has three branches celebrating their 100-year anniversaries this year! WOW! What wonderful stories and histories each of them must have. Think of the years they have covered, 1923 through 2023. World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Title IX, the attempt to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, etc. All those years of how to empower women and girls. I’ll be highlighting Austin, Georgetown, and Amarillo.

Austin The Austin Branch of AAUW celebrates one hundred fruitful years. It was on November 15, 1923, that fifteen prominent Austin women met for lunch at the Driskill Hotel. In that historic institution, where the Texas Rangers would later strategize about capturing Bonnie and Clyde and LBJ would woo Lady Bird, these insightful, educated women brought to life a local branch of a national organization dedicated to empowering women and girls since 1881.

Upon its founding the new organization was an immediate success, starting a tradition of adding greatly to the cultural and civic life of the city. Beginning in 1925 the Branch started efforts that culminated in the establishment of the Austin Public Library. In the 1940s a nursery school was created to help families disrupted by WWII. More recently, the Branch provided various kinds of support to Girlstart and Latinitas, new organizations created to make STEM more accessible to young girls.

Advocacy promoting gender equity and creating a more economically secure world for women and girls unites local branch members with others across the nation to push for pay equity and enshrining the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. Constitution. AAUW Austin’s public policy committee also advocates for laws that support strong public schools from the elementary grades through university, maternal and child health care, fair election laws, and gun safety.

AAUW members appreciate the value of their own advanced educations and want to extend those benefits to other women through fundraising for fellowships and scholarships. For 89 years, through an endowment established at the University of Texas at Austin in 1934, women in the dissertation phase of their doctoral work have been awarded fellowships to complete their dissertations. Since 1993, more than $246,800 has been awarded to these deserving women. At Austin Community College the AAUW Frances Malmberg Endowed Scholarship has provided $59,150 in scholarship funding to 26 women since its establishment in 2005.

For the last one hundred years the Branch and its individual members have contributed to the community in ways that have impacted Austin residents in large and small ways. It welcomes and encourages new members to continue its impact for the next one hundred years. The branch will be celebrating their 100 Year's anniversary celebration on November 1 at Chateau Bellevue.

Amarillo Amarillo was incorporated in 1913. A mere ten years later in 1923 the wives of prominent citizens formed the Amarillo Branch of AAUW, making it one of the earliest women’s organizations in the young city. The ladies banded together to support and promote the education of women and girls shortly after they were finally allowed to vote. This was done by hosting teas and book discussions for high school students initially and grew along with the community. The first President, Charlotte Howe Wyatt, was the wife of an attorney who became Amarillo’s first federal judge.

Over the years college groups included Amarillo Community College and West Texas State University (now West Texas A & M). Scholarships over the years have impacted the lives of many women. Presidents of diverse professions and ethnicities have served the branch well. The focus has always been raising funds for and distributing scholarships. Book discussion groups, member meetings with speakers and an antique appreciation group have been ongoing. Fundraisers have included fashion shows and pecan sales. Although membership numbers have dwindled there is a core group of dedicated women planning to make the 100th anniversary a celebration worthy of their long history.

Amarillo plans to celebrate their anniversary with a cake and punch reception on Saturday, October 14. They plan to display a silver coffee and tea service from the late 1920s which has been passed down over the years. It was originally used at meetings and teas the ladies sponsored for students they wanted to encourage. Current and former members will be invited to this gala. Scrap books of their history will be made available at the event for attendees to look through as well. A President will speak about the history of the branch. The invitation shows the event information on the front and lists all the Presidents from the founding forward inside and on the back. They have sold table sponsorships to current members and tents will include the names of honored members both living and deceased. They plan to distribute invitations during the annual women’s history luncheon on August 25 which will be well attended. They hope to have an attendance of 70-100.

Georgetown The Georgetown Branch of AAUW is officially known as the Jesse Daniel Ames Branch. Mrs. Ames was born in Texas, 1888, and moved with her family to Georgetown, graduating from Southwestern University in 1902. After graduating she moved to Laredo in 1904 with her family where she met and married Dr. Roger Post Ames. After her husband’s death in 1914 Jesse moved back once again to Georgetown, helping her mother run the Georgetown telephone company. She was a suffragist and led the anti-lynching movement. A champion of women’s rights, she also founded, or help found the League for Women Voters and the American Association of University Women. She died in 1972.

The Georgetown Branch, founded by her in 1923, is honored to continue her legacy in advocating for women’s equality and women’s rights. Every year since 2002, the Branch awards scholarships to local, eligible high school women from Georgetown Independent School District; last year awarding $18,000 to local women for them to continue their educational goals in college.

The AAUW Georgetown Branch's 100th Charter Celebration in 2023 was held on January 18, 2023, at the Berry Creek Country Club. The program began with a PowerPoint by Megan Firestone, the Archivist of Special Collections at Southwestern University. She presented information about the officers and activities in the early years of the branch, and Pat Rehm, Branch Historian, introduced the more recent slides from the branch's albums. A greeting and congratulations upon this occasion was read from Dr. Laura Trombley, Southwestern University President, who is also a branch member. Then AAUW members for 20 or more years shared some especially memorable experiences during their membership in AAUW.

Current President Sharon Lesikar thanked everyone for attending this celebration of their past and suggested that they have a bright future ahead for the next century!

L-R: Georgetown Branch President Sharon Lesikar, Assistant and Head Archivists at Southwestern University Mary Fox Fleet and Megan Firestone, and Branch Historian Pat Rehm

What you need to know about the property tax plan to be voted on by Texans...

Gov. Greg Abbott signed a $12.7 billion package of property tax-cut legislation. But before it can go into effect, Texas voters will first have to decide in a constitutional election on Nov. 7 whether to allow the state to spend billions in taxpayer money to pay for the massive cuts. If approved, the changes would affect 2023 tax bills due in January.

Here’s what you need to know:



What will appear on the ballot? House Joint Resolution 2 is the constitutional amendment that will go before voters in November. It would authorize the state to enact the cuts proposed in two Senate bills, which would spend $12.7 billion to cut property taxes and another $600,000 to add cuts to the franchise taxes some businesses have to pay.

How does the plan work? There are five key parts to the tax-cut package. They include 

• a school compression tax,
• a $100,000 homestead exemption,
• establishing a temporary 20% appraisal cap,
• franchise tax exemptions for businesses,
• the creation of three additional elected positions on each county appraisal district’s board of directors.

How could I benefit? For Texans under 65 who own homes, policy analysts and lawmakers project that the expanded homestead exemption and lower school tax rate would reduce homeowner’s property taxes by an average of 41.5%, or about $1,300 per year for a $350,000 home. 

Texas homesteaders with disabilities and those 65 and older will receive the same expanded homestead exemption and continue to qualify for the extra $10,000 exemption they are already allowed to receive. Those who have had their school property taxes frozen will also see additional money after missing on tax savings last year. 

In general, it’s unclear whether renters will ultimately benefit from the package. People who pay rent to a landlord for their homes are not guaranteed any tax cuts from the new property tax package unless their rent is tied at least in part to tax rates, which is rare in residential leases.

The Texas Tribune, Karen Brooks Harper

Summer Legislative Report 

The 88^th Regular Texas Legislature concluded on Monday, May 29, 2023, but Governor Abbott called two special summer sessions. Since the first one did not produce acceptable legislation for property tax relief, a second called session began immediately on June 28. By July 13, however, the chambers had successfully presented a “landmark $18-billion tax cut for property owners” in a compromise plan. Although the Governor decided not to call a third session at that time, he predicted calling it later this fall to pass legislation on school choice. His 'parental savings account' plan, like vouchers, actually allows using state funds designated for public education to place students in private and charter schools. Stay tuned!

Since the recess began, the AAUW Texas Advisory Committee has continued to receive pertinent information from our Lobbyist, Kate Kuhlmann, and her staff at HillCo Partners. They will work with us throughout the upcoming Third Called Special Session and keep us informed about the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton. Only a few of the AAUW Texas stated priority-related bills have become law this year. Retired teachers will receive a supplementary check in September 2023 and may finally receive a COLA to their pensions (depending upon passage of Constitutional Amendment #9 – Please vote for it.) New healthcare laws also provide tax exemption for feminine hygiene products and extend Medicare for post-partum treatment to 12 months. According to the League of Women Voters, other “wins” toward 'open and fair elections' include standardizing curbside voting and making the cure process for vote-by-mail applications and ballots more accessible to voters.

Successful opposition from citizens and legislators did stop the approval of proposed voucher programs so far, did prevent election judges from carrying weapons, did not allow additional criminal penalties on election workers, and did not permit the elimination of countywide polling places on Election Day. Yet, some unfavored bills in the AAUW Texas stated priority-related package did pass, including restrictions on books for school libraries, new and unreasonable regulations for bookstores that service school districts, and approval to hire chaplains as school counselors.

The next quarterly Zoom call for public policy will take place on September 12, 2023, at 6:30 PM, and the link will be sent to interested state members at least a week early. A week later, on September 19^th, “National Registration Day” will focus on the need to register new voters and to train more Voter Deputy Registrars. 

For more information on these events, please contact Pat Rehm at rooster.rock11@gmail.com.  

Local bookstore joins lawsuit

to fight book-rating law



Houston bookseller Blue Willow Bookshop filed a lawsuit with Austin’s BookPeople and national organizations over House Bill 900, which requires booksellers to rate books sold to schools.

On July 25, the American Booksellers Association; two ABA member bookstores, BookPeople in Austin, and Blue Willow Bookshop* in west Houston; and several national organizations filed suit as a coalition in the US District Court for the Western District of Texas challenging a new Texas law (HB 900 previously) that would require independent bookstores, national chain bookstores, and other vendors to review and rate books and other library materials if those books are sold to school libraries. The challenge asks the Court for preliminary and permanent injunctions halting the implementation of the law, which has been signed by the Governor of Texas and is slated to go into effect on September 1, 2023.

The Texas law (HB 900 during the legislative process) requires bookstores to use “contemporary community standards” to draw the line between titles that are

• “sexually relevant,” i.e., titles that contain even fleeting depictions of sex
• “sexually explicit” (books with this rating cannot be sold to schools)

but does not include any guidelines or specifications describing what those “community standards” might be. This means that book vendors must enforce standards for a wide range of communities on their own. This is an impossible task and it robs parents and teachers of the right to set their own standards in their own communities,

Bookstores must provide a list of every book they have ever sold to a school district, and annually thereafter, that contains sexually relevant or sexually explicit materials to the Texas Education Agency, which posts those lists on the website.

The plaintiffs charge the law is vague and poorly written, impossible to comply with, and unconstitutional. It is bad for bookstores, bad for readers, and bad for democracy.

*Blue Willow Bookshop is owned by Valerie Koehler, a long-time member of AAUW West Harris County (a second-generation member). Stenciled on the bookbag on Valerie’s chair in the photo are the words “Dangerous Women Read Banned Books.”

AAUW TEXAS MEMBERSHIP

Welcome to new beginnings as our 2023-2024 AAUW year gets underway. Texas branches are going strong because of the commitment and dedication of members like you! We encourage you to spread the word about AAUW’s mission to achieve gender equity. Increasing our membership keeps AAUW’s voice relevant as we take public positions on important policy issues.

For all those whose membership expired on June 30, 2023, the grace period to renew ends on Sept. 30^th. We value your membership and encourage you to renew soon. For more information and online renewals go to https://www.aauw.org/membership/ or ask for instructions from your branch Membership or Finance officer.

AAUW is pursuing a goal to make our membership more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. We want to have policies and programs that encourage participation of women of different ages, races, ethnicities and cultures. The diversity of our membership enriches our branches. Good luck as you pursue branch recruitment goals throughout the year.

As part of our AAUW Texas online conference scheduled to be held in April 2024, we will again recognize an “Outstanding Member of AAUW Texas” and an “Outstanding New Member of AAUW Texas”. As you go through the year, be on the lookout for members who step up to take on responsibilities and have a significant impact on your branch. The “Outstanding New Member” category is for members that have been with a branch three years or less. Award applications will become available in January, 2024.

Our first quarterly 2023-2024 AAUW Texas joint Membership/Finance Officer meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. A Zoom invitation link will be sent the week prior to all officers. Anyone else interested in attending, please email me for the link, rwrolls@aol.com

Sara Wood

AAUW Texas Membership VP

TEXAS AAUW AID FOR

MAUI BRANCH OF AAUW

From the Maui Branch (August 17):

Aloha Mary:

Thank you for reaching out!

Luckily only a few of our members live on the Lahaina side and none of them lost their homes, but they’ve been without water and power for more than a week. 

There were also fires in the "Upcountry" area called Kula. Again, luckily no members’ homes were lost but water was shut off for some time due to being contaminated with fire suppression chemicals.

There was also another fire in the Kihei (south) area, and several members were evacuated (one family with their 102-year-old mother!) but no houses were lost.

So, it has been a chaotic time, but the Maui Nui community is pulling together to give aid and assistance. Several of our members are volunteering at shelters and disaster supply centers as well as opening their homes to displaced families. 

University of Hawaii Maui College is delaying the start of classes for one week due to all the disruption.  The students in the Culinary Arts Program are working long hours to provide meals to families and first responders (this was on Good Morning America today).

I will talk with our executive board about your generous offer as well! We fundraise for three scholarships annually, usually in the amount of $2,000 per scholarship although we have given more in some years. For administrative purposes we work with the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation to fund the scholarships.

Aloha!

**If you want to donate to Maui, the Maui branch recommends donations to the University of Hawaii Foundation. Send a check to Margaret Carlson made to AAUW Texas. On the memo line on the check put Help Maui. We will collect these until September 30. Then Margaret will send one check to the University of Hawaii Foundation. In the meantime, post on their Facebook page and email their president and let them know you are thinking of them.

Margaret Carlson

13707 Tosca Lane

Houston, TX 77079

Updates from the Nominating Committee

Are you looking for a way to be more involved in AAUW Texas? Do we have a plan for you!! – consider running for a position on the AAUW Texas State Board! Serving on the State Board is a doorway to friendships with outstanding women from across the state of Texas. It is a wonderful way to share the unique culture of your local branch and expand your view of how AAUW is done in other places.

Nominations for the 2024-2026 Board are due by September 15^th. 

We currently have applicants for the positions of AAUW Funds VP, Membership VP, Finance Officer and Central District Representative. 

Offices still open are Programs VP, Secretary, District Representatives for North (2), South (2) and West (1). We also need a candidate for President – this office has the requirement on having already served on the State Board.  For all other offices, the only requirement is being a member of AAUW Texas. The AAUW Texas bylaws allow for an office to be shared by co-officers.

So put on your thinking caps and decide what office is calling your name – or the name of another accomplished AAUW Texas woman – and send us your applications. 

Information on the job descriptions and a link to the application form are on the State Website under the Branch Resources Tab: https://aauw-tx.aauw.net/forofficers/ If you have questions about a position, feel free to reach out to the woman currently doing that job.

Applications are due to glorialong911@gmail.com by midnight of September 15, 2023.

Your Nominating Committee looks forward to hearing from you!



Gloria Long, Ann Berasley, Cheri Butler, Betsy Calabro, Cheryl Fuller

CALL FOR PROPOSED BYLAWS AMENDMENTS AND RESOLUTIONS

Any AAUW Texas member or Texas branch may propose amendments to the AAUW Texas bylaws. Proposed amendments should be submitted to the Bylaws Chair, Brenda Van Derbur at brendavan@comcast.net by Friday, November 10, 2023.

Bylaws Amendments: The current bylaws are posted on our website at aauw-tx.aauw.net/forofficers. Amendments must not conflict with AAUW bylaws and mission.

Proposed bylaws amendments must include: (1) a copy of the original section of the bylaws being amended, (2) a marked-up version showing the specific wording of the amendment, (3) a clean version showing the language as it would be revised, (4) a statement of rationale for the amendment, and (5) if applicable, the fiscal impact of the amendment.

April 2024 Texas Virtual Conference:

Charting a Course Through the Challenge of Change

The AAUW Texas conference committee is planning the April 6, 2024 Virtual Conference with the theme of: Charting a Course Through the Challenge of Change. The all-virtual format will give many more members the opportunity to participate. The schedule is for two speakers, a workshop session, and a business meeting for a morning only timeline. The board has voted to again make the conference free for all AAUW Texas members, so we hope you all plan to participate.

We’re going to need your help!

We are planning 20–30-minute information sessions that will highlight branch activities or programs, community involvement, and branch continuation strategies. If your branch has a program on one of the topics below, and you are willing to share, please contact me to discuss including it in the conference. (Terry Whaley: whaleyterry@gmail.com)

• DEI     
• Sustainability, Succession, Planning/Leadership
• Mission Based Programs/5 Star
• Recruitment and Retention

Another request is for someone to assist with Zoom Meeting technology during the morning conference so the transition from each speaker is handled smoothly. Contact me if you would be able to help with this function. (Terry Whaley: whaleyterry@gmail.com)

The business meeting will include the announcement of the slate of officers for 2024-2025 and other statewide recognitions. Watch for further details on registration which will begin in early 2024. We hope to “see” you at the virtual conference. We will be offering incentives for those who “group-watch” so plan your group now.

Our confirmed speakers are:

Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi is the Sr. Associate Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics, Molecular Virology & Microbiology, Division Chief of Pediatric Tropical Medicine and Co-director of Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She is an internationally recognized tropical and emerging disease vaccinologist, global health advocate and co-creator of a patent-free, open science COVID-19 vaccine technology that led to the development of CORBEVAX in India and Halal-certified INDOVAC in Indonesia, both COVID-19 vaccines suitable for global access. She pioneers and leads the advancement of a robust infectious and tropical disease vaccine portfolio tackling diseases that affect disproportionally the world’s poorest populations. As global thought-leader she has published more than 230 scientific papers, participated in more than 250 conferences worldwide and received national and international highly regarded awards. In 2022, alongside Dr. Peter Hotez, she was nominated by Texas Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Dr. Malinee Neelamegam. Assistant Professor in Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the University of North Texas and a former AAUW National Fellowship recipient. Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the National University of Malaysia. University of South Florida, MPH degree in Epidemiology and Global Health Practice and the PhD degree in Epidemiology. She completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University/University of Malaya focused on aging in people living with HIV. She has been a research Officer with the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Her teaching has focused on epidemiology, global health, and health disparities. School of Public Health: Foundations of Public Health, Practical Applications in Epidemiology, and Principles of Epidemiology. Research methods seminars for residents and health care workers in the U.S. and Malaysia. Mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Professional Activities & Awards: Member of the International AIDS Society, the Gerontological Society of America, the Society for Epidemiologic Research and the American Public Health Association (APHA). Fulbright grant for graduate studies. Endeavour Research Fellowship from the Australian government for PhD research, which also received the Phi Kappa Phi Dissertation Award. Scholarly Interests: Her research is focused on successful aging in vulnerable populations. Most of her research explores cognitive aging. She has examined the effect of prescription medication use and opioids on cognition, cancer beliefs and attitudes in older adults, and cognitive decline in people living with HIV. Her current areas of research include understanding aging in people living with HIV, and the impact of social determinants of health and adverse life experiences on successful aging. She is interested in working with underrepresented populations both locally and globally and leveraging technology and implementation science frameworks to improve models of care for older adults.

Elected Officers  

Mary Smith

Terry Whaley

Sara Wood

Margie Poole

Margaret Carlson

Lucy Barrington

Elected District Representatives

Betsy Calabro

Cheryl Fuller

Cheri Butler

Standing Committees

Brenda Van Derbur

Pat Rehm

Appointed Positions

Shirley Selz

Margo Johnson

Chasity Crawford

Communications Team

Malinda Gaul

Janani Janakiraman

Jerrilyn Woodard-Entrekin

Contact at:https://aauw-tx.aauw.net/about/leadership/

President

Program VP

Membership VP

AAUW Funds VP

Finance Officer

Secretary

South District

Central District

North District

West District

Bylaws/Parliamentarian

Public Policy

SHARE Grants

Branch Services

Inclusion and Equity

UWT Editor/Email Communications

Website

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