A crowd of perhaps 100 people gathered near the coffin on a mild spring day. Friends, family and clergy spoke briefly and read from scripture.
Before and after the graveside memorial for legendary public relations lion Julian Read advisor to six presidents at the Texas State Cemetery, admirers, clad in dark hues, mixed among the marble and granite monuments that bedeck Republic Hill, where some of the state s founders are buried.
Read, who died May 8 at age 93 after a full life, had witnessed Texas history.
Across a dinner table, he could recount details about the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas he was the first spokesman to explain to the press what happened in the presidential limousine. Over lunch, Read could regale you with perfectly polished anecdotes about governors, legislators and civic leaders, or chat about the finer points of midcentury modern design.
Sculpture of Barbara Jordan/Shutterstock
Since most history is written by men, the trials and triumphs of women are often buried in the stories of the past.
In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we’re celebrating some of the many women who had huge impacts on Texas.
Patricia de la Garza de Leon (1775-1849):
Along with her husband, Martin De Leon, Patricia was one of the early settlers of Texas and helped develop the city of Victoria. The city was the only predominantly Mexican colony of Texas, and was named in honor of Mexico’s first president, Guadalupe Victoria.