Posted on 09/18/2006 9:48:46 AM PDT by Dysart
AUSTIN _ Former Gov. Ann Richards was laid to rest Monday morning after a private ceremony at the Texas State Cemetery.
Her family and close friends were there, including actress/comedian Lily Tomlin.
"As one would imagine, it was a generally light-hearted affair," said Bill Cryer, Richards’ press secretary during her years as governor from 1991-1995.
The burial ceremony preceeded a sweeping memorial at the Frank Erwin Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, where speakers were to include U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and columnist Liz Smith, a longtime Richards friend.
By 10:15 a.m., mourners were already streaming toward the center in preparation for the noon memorial.
A cross-section of prominent Texans were expected to attend the memorial, including performers Jerry Jeff Walker and Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, ex-secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros and U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans. Former Govs. Dolph Briscoe and Mark White were also expected to attend.
Richards became the 13th Texas governor in the state cemetery, where many of Texas’ top historical figures are buried. Her grave, in an area known as Republic Hill, is nestled between those of former U.S. Sen. Ralph Yarborough, a longtime Richards mentor and political ally, and former Gov. John Connally and his wife, Nellie, who died recently.
A hymn was sung by Austin entertainer Nanci Griffith. Writer Bud Shrake, a longtime Richards friend and occasional date, offered brief remarks as did Tomlin and Richards’ four grown children.
"The mood was, of course, somber," said Cryer. "It was spitting rain and cloudy."
But they tried to keep the service upbeat. Tomlin, for example, was a longtime friend of Richards and occasionally supplied her with some of the one-liners that colored her speeches.
Richards died last week after a brief fight with esophageal cancer.
Heard that Kinky Friedman and Bill Clinton enjoyed a big old fatty out in back of the graveyard. They giggled like schoolgirls and told BJ jokes.
Another dead Democrat, whose main claim to fame, was an over-played insult of a Republican.
Very classy way to speak of the departed.
That would be an "light-headed affair" wouldn't it?
I played racquet ball against Ron Kirk when he was the Dallas City lawyer. Shortly thereafter he became Mayor and a Demo-cr@p in the worst of all meausres!
>>"As one would imagine, it was a generally light-hearted affair,"<<
Much like the Wellstone Memorial, I would imagine.
Haven't seen anything along those lines; maybe they learned (I'm feeling generous today) from that despicable episode.
See Post #2
It's odd that nowhere, in all the recent stories about how she lost to GWB, that there ia no mention of what single issue cost her the governership of Texas, her fight to scuttle the Texas CCW bill.
Ann Richard's other claim to fame: Due to the Posse Commitatus act, it was she (as Governor) who had to give the go-ahead to use tanks against the Branch Davidians.
I didn't realize that. Was before I became a news junkie.
But that was one of the more striking incidents that made me realize that what I saw and heard on CNN might not necessarily be the truth.
Until they murdered those people, I was falling in line with their reasoning that these were gun-crazed perverts
Add to that her massive tax increase for licensed professionals. The cost of getting off your butt, getting an education, and going into a business for your self increased nearly ten fold.
As I recall, she also boosted state "franchise" taxes (i.e. corporate income taxes).
I have often despaired that our president has not responded more forcefully to the moonbats who hate him and America. Class act that he is, President Bush inures himself to the sticks and stones that lesser humans delight in throwing at more accomplished and higher minded leaders.
Still I wish he would have attended and that he would have been caught on-mike remarking to Laura while viewing the departed in the coffin:
"Look at that Hon, all dressed up and no place to go".
Laura's response:
"Big Time!"
Did they hand out lotto tickets too?
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