Then again I don't know that many other states other than Louisiana commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase.
Posted on 02/25/2004 9:06:02 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
Carter, a DRT member, ran the shrine's $5.2-million budget and 86 employees.
The daughters aren't behaving very sisterly.
Custodian of the Alamo for 99 years, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas is a group of women whose politics can be as contentious as the 1836 battle that led to the fall of the Shrine of Texas Liberty.
Last week, it unceremoniously fired one of its most active and visible volunteers.
Kathleen Carter, the DRT's face at the Alamo since May 2001, was relieved of her position as chairwoman of the Alamo Committee on Friday after a meeting of the group's board of management in Austin.
Carter, who volunteered 40 hours a week at the Alamo, said she was stunned by the decision.
"It's been a very difficult past four months. I had an inkling, but I really didn't believe it would happen," said Carter, 58. "They have not actually identified to me the reason for the removal."
Mary Walker, president general of the organization, declined to comment.
"We did that in executive session, and we don't publish any of that," she said from her home in Crockett. "It had something to do with them not having confidence in her."
The DRT is the oldest women's organization in the state. A fierce group of Texas loyalists, they run the Alamo without the help of tax dollars. Some 92 percent of their operating expenses come from the site's gift shop, which sells various things including academic books on the siege, plastic Bowie knives and ashtrays.
According to its Web site, the DRT has more than 6,400 members in 108 chapters. Eligibility is reserved for "any woman having attained her 16th birthday ... provided she is personally acceptable to the DRT and is a lineal descendant of a man or woman who rendered loyal service to Texas prior to the consummation of the Annexation Agreement of the Republic of Texas with the United States of America on Feb. 19, 1846."
The 26-member board of management oversees several groups, including the Alamo Committee, which runs the Alamo. The chairwoman of that committee manages the shrine, its grounds, its $5.2 million annual budget and 86 employees.
"It's the on-site representative for the DRT at the Alamo, in essence the CEO," Carter said. "It's a big responsibility. That's how we keep our presence at the Alamo."
David Stewart, director of the Alamo, said Carter was a tireless worker.
"She came in from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday," he said. "She was a dedicated volunteer. She's done a lot of positive things while in the position."
Carter, a registered nurse who works in a local neurological intensive care unit on the weekends, said she's proud of her accomplishments, which include:
Running the first fund-raising gala last fall, which cleared more than $100,000 for the Alamo Fund.
Raising $100,000 by selling bricks and pillars to restore a historic building and construct an arbor and amphitheater.
Organizing a benefit concert for the Alamo Fund. Asleep at the Wheel will perform at the March 19 benefit at the Majestic Theatre.
"After Sept. 11 (2001) we had to do a lot of things to make things happen at the Alamo," Carter said. "We've made a lot of tough decisions. We've kept the Alamo solvent and operating in the black."
For her part, Carter said she would remain a member of the DRT.
"They never told me," she said in trying to explain her removal. "I'm sure they're working on a reason."
---------------adorsett@express-news.net
LOL - probably all too true.
No good deed goes unpunished.
As always, a FReep mail will get you on or off this Houston topics ping list.
Then again I don't know that many other states other than Louisiana commemorated the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase.
Is it still under warranty?
It's not hard for a few salaries, utilities, maintenance staff, basic supplies, and general overhead to hit $5MM/year. I'm surprised it only costs that much, actually.
and second, where DO they get that kind of money?
According to the article, mostly from the gift shop. :-)
AAAAAAUGH!! Um, you *are* aware of the infamous connection between Ozzy Osborne and the Alamo, right?
That Hertz.
Well, I try harder.
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