Author and longtime WLT member Suzy Spencer pays tribute to Liz Carpenter, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins, AND the Writers’ League of Texas in this piece on her blog, “Remembering: Grand Dames and Why I Love the Writers’ League of Texas”:
This past Saturday, Liz Carpenter died from pneumonia at age 89. For those of you who may not know Liz, among many, many accomplishments, she was Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s press secretary when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She wrote the words Johnson spoke to the nation immediately after Kennedy’s death:
This is a sad time for all people. We have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed. For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God’s.
She was also a rebel-rousing, loud-talking, quick-witted yellow dog Democrat. For those of you who may not know what that is, it’s a Texan who will vote for an old yellow dog over a Republican.
Read the whole piece here.