Celebrate Women’s History Month and Texas History Month with a wine reception, presentation, and book signing about Texas Governor Ann Richards
co-hosted by:
Margaret Justus, Richards’ former press secretary
6 PM, Tuesday, March 28
The Heritage Society, 1100 Bagby Street, Houston, TX 77002
Free to THS Members, $10 for Non Members
Margaret Justus is an Austin communications consultant and a former television news journalist who grew up in Kansas City and has lived in Texas for more than 34 years—20 years in Austin and 14 years in Houston. Justus served as Ann Richards’ deputy press secretary and is on the Advisory Council of The Heritage Society!
Justus founded the Ann Richards Legacy Project in 2021, a nonprofit that created and displayed 300 Ann Richards street banners in major Texas cities across the state. The banners honored the 30th anniversary of the inauguration of Ann Richards.
Justus then collaborated with philanthropists Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge to publish The One Ann Only: Wit and Wisdom from Texas Governor Ann Richards.
One of the most unforgettable politicians in American history, Dorothy Ann Willis Richards (1933–2006) was the first woman to be elected, in her own right, governor of Texas; she served from 1991 to 1995. Richards transformed the state government to resemble the diverse population of Texas, appointing a record number of women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ community members to Texas boards and state agencies.
Governor Richards was known as much for her humor as for her politics. Her witty one-liners, shrewdly delivered with a thick Waco accent, could bring down the house. Add in her striking appearance—big white hair and turquoise eyes—and her presence left an indelible impression.
With a thoughtful foreword by award-winning novelist Sarah Bird, The One Ann Only presents Ann’s famous witticisms alongside striking images throughout her life and political career by Texas photographers. This little book can serve as a Texas-sized inspiration to everyone, especially current and future public servants, teachers, parents, and people in recovery.
