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“ When you deprive people of their history, you deprive them of their power. ”—Ruthe Winegarten
We need you!
If you knew Ruthe Winegarten, you knew her passion was history.
Preserving people's stories was Ruthe's way of saving them so that their lives would not be lost to future generations. She spent her career uncovering the history of Texas women.
Ruthe understood the importance of role models for women and very much wanted to inspire others to follow their dreams by writing about such wonderful women as Sofie Herzog, Christia Adair, and Jovita Idar.
Take a minute to learn more about these remarkable individuals, then help us with a tax-deductible donation to help us ensure that the history of Texas women is available to everyone. Your contributions will help us maintain, expand and publicize this website as a valuable resource to students, teachers, and lifelong learners.
- Dr. Sofie Herzog, (1848-1924), Austrian-trained doctor, mother of 14 children, who emigrated to Brazoria, Texas, and became the chief surgeon for the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad Company. She was buried wearing a necklace of 24 bullets she had successfully removed from shooting victims.
- Christia Adair, (1893-1989), NAACP leader from Houston who championed woman suffrage in South Texas after discovering that black women were excluded from Texas primary elections. One of the first black women to vote in a Democratic primary after the Supreme Court overruled Texas' white primary law in 1944. As executive secretary of the Houston NAACP, Adair had "whites only" signs removed from the Houston airport and public libraries opened to African Americans in Texas.
- Jovita Idar, (1885-1946), a journalist, teacher, and political activist who advocated for Mexican-American women's rights in Laredo and San Antonio. Founder of La Liga Feminil Mexicanista, whose first project provided free instruction for poor Mexican children. She wrote for the Spanish language newspapers "La Crónica" and "El Progreso," which carried news about Mexican Americans and championed their struggles against violence in South Texas. Moved to San Antonio in 1917, and started a free kindergarten.
WomeninTexasHistory.org will help ensure that anyone interested in Texas history will gain a deeper understanding of women's roles in the history of the state. Your support will make certain the best possible memorial for Ruthe Winegarten, the woman who inspired so many with her knowledge, wit, energy, and dedication, and keep her name alive for future generations through the foundation and this website.