Autoimmunity & the Good Girls

Sara Hirsh Bordo

August 6, 2026

Good girls, it turns out, may be paying a biological price for people-pleasing. 

In 2023, Sara Hirsh Bordo, the daughter of AWC member Patti Hirsh, spearheaded a groundbreaking quantitative survey on female empowerment and health. This research inspired her new book, Autoimmunity and the Good Girls: How Permission to Put Ourselves First Has the Power to Keep Us Well.

 HarperOne/HarperCollins acquired the book in a bidding war; became a #1 Best Seller in its category, reached the Amazon Top 1,000, and it is now available in 11 countries and counting.

Sara's research revealed alarming statistics: autoimmune conditions affect women 80% of the time, yet significant research on women's bodies only began in the 1990's. She observed that she and many of her friends with diagnoses were the eldest or only daughters. Rather than dismiss this as coincidence, she contacted the CDC, NIH, and Census Bureau. Finding no existing data, she commissioned her own research and surveyed 1,000 American women. She discovered that 63% of those with autoimmune conditions were eldest or only daughters. Good girls may indeed be paying a biological price for their people-pleasing tendencies.

The book's central message is both simple and revolutionary: there is a profound difference between giving of yourself and giving up yourself. Women raised to be caretakers—responsible, selfless, endlessly accommodating—are falling ill at alarming rates. They're the hardest to heal because receiving care feels uncomfortable for those who have spent a lifetime giving it. Sara insightfully asked: “Why would your immune system recognize you if you've spent decades not recognizing yourself?” She argued that self-compromise leads to immune compromise. The most powerful change we can make is to grant ourselves permission—long overdue—to put ourselves first.

About Sara

Sara Hirsh Bordo is a 15-time award-winning filmmaker and Founder/CEO of Women Rising®, named "One of the Most Innovative, Interesting, and Purpose-Driven Women-Led Startups to Watch” by Inc. Magazine. Sara is currently directing short documentary films for Toyota and ESPN Women, and most recently executive producer of ConnectHer International Film Festival, consulting director for the Gates Foundation PitchFest Program, and the author and researcher behind the first proprietary quantitative survey at the intersection of female empowerment and health, Autoimmunity and the Good Girls™ now downloaded across 25 countries. Sara previously held positions in media and entertainment, including Executive Director of Interactive Marketing at Paramount Pictures, VP of Digital Marketing at MGM Studios, and CEO and Co-Founder of NowLive. Autoimmunity and the Good Girls, now an Amazon bestseller, is her first book. A percent of her proceeds from the sale will go to the Society for Women’s Health Research, a non-profit dedicated to advancing women's health through science, policy, and education. Sara lives in New Mexico, is Aunt Sissy to eleven nieces and nephews, and Godmother Sara to three godchildren.

Behind the Scenes - A Career in Historic Furnishings to Interpret Sites

Candace Volz, Decorative Arts Historian

July 16, 2026

For the past 20 years, Candace Volz has been doing something most people never think about — figuring out what went inside the walls of history.

She slowly, methodically, sorts through archives and old photographs, estate inventories, and vintage magazine ads — to develop the essence of what was lost.

Not to freeze these places in amber, but to help visitors understand that real people lived here, worked here, and shaped the history that still echoes.

Candace shared three of her most compelling projects with the Austin Woman’s Club on July 16, 2026.

Casa Navarro — San Antonio, TX

The story begins in a corner of downtown San Antonio that most people drive past without a second glance. Tucked behind a looming university building and surrounded by parking lots, Casa Navarro was the home of José Antonio Navarro — a man whose life reads like a historical novel.

Born in 1795 to a family from the Canary Islands and Corsica, Navarro grew up in the heart of San Antonio's founding community. He fled to Louisiana with his uncle during Mexico's War of Independence, returned to build a mercantile, acquired city property and ranchos, raised cattle, and ultimately became one of only three Hispanic signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence. His political career spanned city government as well as the legislatures of three nations: Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the state of Texas —.

Navarro’s house, built in the mid-1850s, reflects a fascinating cultural blend — a gabled roof and deep front porch echoing Louisiana Creole style, but with a distinctly Tejano arrangement: rooms opening into each other rather than a central hall. After his death in 1871, the property spiraled through neglect, rental use, and the indignity of sitting next door to the Bexar County Jail for decades. The San Antonio Conservation Society rescued it in 1960, the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department took it in 1975, and the Texas Historical Commission inherited it in 2008 — each transition reshuffling furnishings and interpretation, sometimes with no research to guide the decisions.

What makes this project particularly rich is the detective work involved. With no surviving inventory of the house at Navarro's death, Volz turned to the Bexar County Spanish Archives — an extraordinary collection of 18th and 19th century documents — and began combing through the wills and estate inventories of six of Navarro's family members and close associates, including items he inherited from his brother. Slowly, a picture emerges of how these rooms might have looked, and what a mercantile of the 1830s-1850s would have stocked — right down to the five barrels of gunpowder listed in the estate inventory of his brother’s mercantile on San Antonio’s Military Plaza.

McGoffin Homestead — El Paso, TX

If Casa Navarro is a story of political survival, the McGoffin Homestead is one of social ambition and quiet transformation. Built in 1876, this sprawling 19-room adobe was the domain of Joseph McGoffin, a man born in Chihuahua to a Kentucky trader father and a Spanish colonial family mother — a biography that perfectly mirrors El Paso itself.

Joseph became the city's great civic champion, serving four terms as mayor, co-founding the State National Bank, and helping bring the railroads and utilities to turn a dusty frontier outpost into a real city. His wife Octavia made their home the social heart of the community. The thick adobe walls kept the house cool in summer, warm in winter, and on the hottest nights, Joseph would climb to the roof with a garden hose and spray it down, letting the evaporation do the work of air conditioning.

The house evolved dramatically over the generations. Joseph's daughter Josephine, inspired by the 1920s Territorial Revival style sweeping the Southwest, added glazed tiles, wall niches, and a new Santa Fe-style mantel— complete with a Spanish heraldry plaque set into the chimney breast. By the time the property reached the Texas Historical Commission in 2008, it carried layers and layers of history.

Volz’s research here was a masterclass in creative sleuthing. She enhanced blurry 1890s photographs — sharpening, lightening, adjusting contrast — until wallpaper patterns, porcelain vases, and a Japanese wall hanging emerged from the shadows. Wallpaper samples pulled from behind walls during 1985 repairs, carefully stored in labeled acetate sleeves, helped her map which layers came first. And when it came to the kitchen — gutted and modernized beyond recognition —Octavia's former cook came to describe the room from memory. Cross-referencing that account with surviving 1975 photographs, she identified the exact model of Tappan stove Octavia had used: a double-burner avocado green gas range, confirmed by a vintage 1960s magazine ad she found online.

Charles & Mary Ann Goodnight Ranch — Armstrong County, TX

The third project takes us to the Texas Panhandle, where the landscape is vast, the wind is relentless, and the history is as big as the sky. Charles Goodnight is one of the great figures of the American West — cattleman, Texas Ranger, trail blazer, and unlikely conservationist. His Goodnight-Loving Trail became one of the most traveled cattle routes in the Southwest, and his ranching empire at one point stretched across more than a million acres and 100,000 head of cattle.

But the story that lingers is a quieter one. As hunters decimated the great bison herds of the plains, they left the calves behind — too small to be commercially valuable, left to starve. Goodnight's wife Mary Ann was heartbroken by it. Charles began to rescue the orphaned calves, bringing them back to his ranch, where Mary Ann bottle-fed them. That small act of compassion grew into a domestic bison herd whose direct descendants graze near the JA Ranch today, and form the official state herd of Texas bison at Caprock Canyons State Park.

The ranch house itself, built in 1887 near a brand-new rail line, was a busy, social place. Goodnight was famous across the country, and journalists, dignitaries, and curious visitors arrived constantly. He had secretaries come to help answer the letters he received daily — remarkable, given that he himself could neither read nor write. Mary Ann ran the household, entertained guests, tended the orchards and greenhouse, and founded a Methodist church on the ranch property. They also established Goodnight College across the railroad tracks, and regularly housed students at the ranch in exchange for work.

For Volz, this project posed a unique challenge: there are no historic interior photographs of the house. People came to see Goodnight, not his furniture. She pieced the rooms together from newspaper accounts — journalists who interviewed Goodnight often described the room where the conversation took place — and tracked down furniture that had been donated to area museums over the years.

His private office and trophy room yielded the most fascinating discoveries. Examining layers of paint and unfinished wood on either side of the former fireplace mantle, she realized the asymmetry wasn't accidental — it was the ghost of a hidden gun cabinet, built into the side of the mantle, where Goodnight kept four or five of his most prized firearms. She also found the impressions of his handmade "star hangers" — small decorative mounts he had crafted with his bison horns — pressed into the walls beneath layers of later paint. And above the mantle hung a prized possession: a colorized composite photograph he commissioned, with his ranch house above a sweep of his bison herd, copies of which he sent to friends across the country.

Armstrong County had stripped the walls bare in their rush to open the site, erasing much of this physical evidence. But the research brought it back.

“Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt”

Presented by Isabella Martinez

Ransom Center Manager of Visitor Experience

Harry Ransom Center

June 16, 2026

Isabella Martinez, Manager of Visitor Experience at UT Austin’s Harry Ransom Center, shared details on a fascinating exhibit: “The Lives and Literacy in Ancient Egypt.” The exhibit explores rare papyrus fragments and funeral masks that offer a window into the daily lives of ancient Egyptians during the Greco-Roman period (under Greek, Roman, and Byzantine rule). Hosted in partnership with the John Rylands Library at the University of Manchester, approximately 75% of the items on display are being seen in America for the first time.

Key Exhibit Themes

Writing was the foundation of civilization — from record-keeping to religion to law.

Cultural change is visible across artifacts: art styles shifted from Egyptian to Roman to Byzantine, yet certain symbols persisted throughout.

Papyrus fragments were trash — and that is precisely what makes them extraordinary time capsules of real, ordinary human lives.

The Papyrus

Papyrus was made by slicing reeds from the Nile's shores into thin strips, layering them perpendicularly, pressing them together, and drying them into flexible sheets. It was so abundant that Egyptians also used it for sandals and even food. Most fragments on display were recovered from ancient trash landfills or mummy wrappings — they were never meant to survive, making their preservation remarkable.

Language & Writing

Scribes were central to the spread of knowledge. The exhibit traces the evolution from oral tradition → cave paintings → papyrus scrolls → the codex (book format). A rare piece of parchment — made from animal skin, requiring around 30 sheep for one volume — illustrates how precious writing materials once were.

Learning & Literature

A school copy of Homer's Odyssey shows that ancient Egyptian students practiced writing the same great texts we study today. Shaky handwriting and ink bleeds connect modern audiences to those long-ago learners.

Religion & Politics

The star of the collection is P52, one of the earliest surviving fragments of the Gospel of John, depicting Jesus before Pontius Pilate. Also on display is a 30-foot Egyptian Book of the Dead scroll, found in a tomb, illustrating beliefs about the afterlife. A second Gospel of John fragment — the Willoughby Papyrus — was famously discovered an purchased on eBay by a UT professor.

Science & Magic

Egyptians sought meaning in stars, nature, and the divine. This section includes a protective papyrus amulet featuring the crocodile god Sobek, herbal remedies, and instructions for treating a dislocated shoulder — some of which still hold up medically today.

Bureaucracy & Daily Life

Even in ancient Egypt, people filed complaints. This section features petitions, land disputes, and boundary disagreements — showing that the frustrations of living under law and navigating neighbors are timeless.

Egyptology & Papyrology

This final section covers the scholarly effort to recover lost knowledge. Highlights include an engraving of the Rosetta Stone (found by French soldiers, it bore the same text in three languages and was key to deciphering ancient scripts) and a look at the Ransom Center's in-house conservation lab, where researchers found a microscopic speck of rare Egyptian blue pigment on one fragment.

"A Salute to the Stars and Stripes"

John Knox and Wayne Courreges

Patrick Henry, Sons of the American Revolution Chapter

Austin Woman’s Club/Daughters of the American Revolution

Thursday, June 4, 2026

John Knox and Wayne Courreges, members of the Patrick Henry Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution presented: "A Salute to the Stars and Stripes", a comprehensive history of the American flag’s evolution. Knox began by exploring early maritime and European influences, such as the Viking raven banners and the development of the British Union Jack — and then transitioned to the Revolutionary era, highlighting symbolic precursors like the pine tree, rattlesnake ("Don't Tread on Me"), and Sons of Liberty flags.

A central focus was the official Flag Resolution of 1777, which established the 13-star and 13-stripe design. He followed the flag’s growth alongside the nation, detailing how the design adapted as new states joined—including the 15-star and 15-stripe version and the eventual return to a permanent 13-stripe base. 

Key historical milestones were featured, such as the admission of Texas, the origin of the nickname "Old Glory" by Captain William Driver, and the 48-star flag that served through major 20th-century conflicts. Knox concluded with the modern 50-star flag and celebrating our nation's 250th anniversary. 

A Few Details on the History and Influencers of our American flag:

Flags and Symbols: Origins, including Viking ravens, Genoa's Cross of St. George, the creation of the Union Jack, and its modifications.

Pre-Revolutionary American Flags: Early American flag symbolism included pine trees and rattlesnakes, the Sons of Liberty flag, and "Don't Tread on Me."

Prospect Hill Flag: An early rebel flag flown by George Washington in 1776.

Official American Flag: The 1777 Congressional resolution for the flag's design and early variations.

Evolution of Stars and Stripes: Changes from 13 stars to 15, the return to 13 stripes, and adding a star for each new state.

Texas’s Admission: Texas's admission as the 28th state in 1846.

"Old Glory": Captain William Driver's "Old Glory" and its Civil War history.

Notable Flags and Anniversaries: Flags from historical events, including the 48-star flag through Vietnam.

A special Flag for the 250th Anniversary that has 50 stars in 1776 and 50 stars in 2026.

Historical Figures and Organizations: Mention of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Betsy Ross, and others.

A Shared Legacy of Sisterhood and Service

Many of the women at the AWC luncheon on May 21 were Girl Scouts, and their stories reflected the lasting impact of the experience—from cookie program successes to outdoor adventures to friendships that have endured over the years. Paula noted that the Austin Woman’s Club and Girl Scouts are united by the same spirit of sisterhood and service.

Girl Scout Leader Paul Bookidis

Paula Bookidis serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Central Texas (GSCTX), overseeing an organization that supports 13,000 Girl Scouts across 46 counties with the help of over 10,000 volunteers. Since assuming her role seven years ago, Paula has initiated a cultural transformation at GSCTX, enhancing employee retention, volunteer satisfaction, and the council's financial health. Her leadership focuses on advancing the mission of building girls' courage, confidence, and character.

Paula's involvement with Girl Scouts began at the troop level, where she led activities like campouts and cookie sales with her daughters. Her previous professional experience includes leadership at Sense Corp, a management consulting firm. An Austin native, her three girls are all Girl Scouts.

Her passion for Girl Scouts was sparked by observing how the organization offered more than just cookies and crafts, including adventurous experiences and community presentations. She deeply values the community aspect of Girl Scouts, which encourages girls to step out of their comfort zones. She shared a personal story about her introverted daughter spontaneously told a joke at a major Girl Scout event and had the audience in stitches! 

Girl Scout Tradition

The tradition of Girl Scouts, founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, emphasizes learning by doing, exploring the outdoors, and contributing to communities. Initially, Girl Scouts funded their activities by baking and selling cookies, instilling a spirit of entrepreneurship from the start. The first Girl Scout troop in Central Texas was established in 1921, and local Girl Scouts have achieved significant milestones, such as earning the Golden Eaglet, now known as the Gold Award.

Programs and Merits

Today, Girl Scouts follow a structured program with six levels, from Daisies to Ambassadors, each with age-appropriate programming. The organization continues to emphasize traditions like song singing and community service. During World War II, Girl Scouts volunteered extensively, showcasing their commitment to service. Girl Scouts earn badges in areas like entrepreneurship, life skills, STEM, and the outdoors. The organization fosters leadership and confidence by engaging girls in activities that challenge them and build resilience. Higher awards, such as the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, require girls to undertake sustainable community projects.

 The Lady Cans, an all-Girl Scout robotics team in Austin, exemplifies how Girl Scouts push boundaries in STEM fields. Formed in 2009, this team has won numerous awards and competes at high levels, fostering a culture of innovation and leadership. 

Staying Ahead/Serving Our Girls

Despite modern challenges, Girl Scouts remains committed to providing a supportive environment for girls. The organization adapts by offering different participation formats, including traditional troops and school-based programs, to reach more girls. Recent reports highlight challenges faced by girls in Texas, such as academic pressure and social media stress, underscoring the need for supportive activities like those offered by Girl Scouts. The organization collaborates with community initiatives to enhance opportunities for youth.

Girl Scouts of Central Texas, under Paula Bookidis's leadership, continues to empower girls, fostering their development into confident leaders who make a positive impact on their communities and beyond.

Mary Margaret Quadlander spoke warmly and conversationally about Grace Jones of Salado, sharing photographs and anecdotes. She began by noting how unremarkable Grace seemed as a child — no obvious sign of the flamboyant, spontaneous woman she would become — and how Grace described herself as someone who never planned and believed in “serendipity.” 

Quadlander traced Grace’s wartime service as a WASP pilot, emphasizing how those women did dangerous, unpaid work during WWII and were long under-recognized. 

After the war Grace found her way to New York (and later Paris) and into modeling and hand‑modeling for commercials. Quadlander told funny, human moments — how Grace lied about her height with high heels, gave Pat Boone a place to sleep early in his career, and developed a commanding presence that wasn’t visible in childhood photos.

Her first marriage to Tom ended abruptly and painfully, which Quadlander says changed how Grace trusted people afterward. 

While still in the WASP program she met Lieutenant Colonel Jack Jones after a bumpy first encounter; they later married and became a sort of power couple. 

They settled in Salado, where Grace opened her dress shop in a renovated limestone building. Quadlander painted a vivid picture of the store: a tourist-friendly shop downstairs and an upstairs Parisian salon with seamstresses, finger sandwiches, butlers, and private fittings. Grace was brilliant at involving customers in fashion shows so they’d want to buy what they’d modeled.

Quadlander also recounted the glamour that Grace attracted — designers and fashion houses like Geoffrey Beene, Valentino, Christian Lacroix and elaborate runway events (even a helicopter pad so VIPs could arrive discreetly). She talked about Grace’s affectations — adopting a “king’s English” accent, collecting French provincial furnishings — and the ways Grace shaped Salado’s social life. 

The marriage to Jack later soured amid distance and an affair; Grace also faced cancer and eventually received honors and recognition for her earlier service in WASP.

Quadlander explained that she wrote the biography because Grace’s life was a string of serendipitous choices that nobody would have predicted from her origins. Quadlander left listeners with the story of how Grace built an unexpected, lasting fashion and cultural legacy in a small Texas town. “You never know….”

Michael L. Hirsch, Ph.D.,

Professor of Sociology

Dean, College of Arts & Sciences

Huston Tillotson University

Then & Now: Our Shared History

Dr. Hirsh opened his presentation with a visual parallel between Chateau Bellevue (Austin Woman's Club) and Huston-Tillotson University — showing historic and modern photographs of both institutions side by side. He highlights our shared history, noting that HT's Evans Industrial Building was partly built by student labor at a time when trade unions excluded African Americans from carpentry, masonry, and electrical work. HT trained students in those trades.

Dr. Hirsch is finishing his 23rd year at HT and is retiring — describing it as an honor to have served as a white faculty member at a predominantly African American institution. The student body is approximately 70% African American and 20% Hispanic, with international students making up another portion — though that number has dropped sharply under current federal policy (from ~100 Nepali students to just a few). This is a concern, as the traditional college-age U.S. population is contracting, and up to one-fifth of all private colleges may close within the decade.

Major Ira Hobart Evans — "Our Esteemed Benefactor"

These slides detail the life of Major Ira Hobart Evans, Huston-Tillotson’s founding philanthropist:

• The Major: Born in New Hampshire, he commanded a Colored Regiment in the Civil War, served as an honor guard at Lincoln's funeral, and received the Medal of Honor.
• The Statesman: Elected the youngest-ever Speaker of the Texas House at age 20 — during the turbulent Reconstruction era. He also served in the Rio Grande region and was a founding president of the Texas Society Sons of the American Revolution.
• The Business Leader: Co-founded Austin National Bank and held directorships in railway and land companies. 
• A Devoted Christian: Led the American Missionary Society, Sunday School Association, and served on boards of multiple churches. HT still maintains an affiliation with the United Church of Christ today.
•  The Philanthropist: Founded Tillotson College in 1875 and funded its buildings — including Evans Industrial Building (still standing) and a small house that served as the president's residence. He served as president of Tillotson College from 1911 to 1920 and passed away in 1922 in California.

Dr. Hirsch noted that one goal of the proposed MOU is to place a memorial plaque inside Evans Hall telling Major Evans's story.

Huston-Tillotson College — History & Formation

In 1952, Samuel Huston College and Tillotson College — both small institutions for African Americans — merged to form Huston-Tillotson College. In 2005, it became a university, reorganized into the College of Arts & Sciences and the School of Business & Technology. Total enrollment (including graduate and evening students) is approximately 1,000 students.

Enrollment & Financial Goals by 2034

• Metric | Current | 2034 Goal |
• Enrollment | ~1,000 | 1,700 |
• Fall-to-Fall Retention | Current rate | 70% |
• 6-Year Graduation Rate | Current rate | Higher target |
• Annual Corporate Giving | Current | Growing |
• Annual Alumni Giving | Current | Growing |
• Endowment Fund | Current | Expanding |

Dr. Hirsch emphasized that 90% of students are Pell Grant eligible — mostly first-generation college students from low-income backgrounds. He personally raised ~$20,000 this semester to keep students enrolled, citing one student who nearly had to leave because his family couldn't raise $70. Tuition has not been raised in approximately a decade; the credit hour rate is roughly $400, making HT about 60% of St. Edward's cost.

Strategic Plan Goals and Strategies

• Goal 1 — Operationalize the Strategic Plan (by June 2025): Budget enhancement and internal alignment.
• Goal 2 — Develop a Master Plan: Campus expansion and infrastructure.
• Goal 5 — Capital Campaign: HT received $150 million from the Moody Foundation ($30M earmarked for scholarships/endowment, disbursed over 10 years). Dr. Hirsch and President Dr. Melville Wallace both agree the ultimate target is $1 billion. After the Moody gift was announced, Hirsch texted the president: "$850 million to go."
• SP 1 — Enrollment & Student Success: Increase retention through structured programming, including a 5-week (now moving to 8-week) course block in the evening program to prevent students from losing credits mid-semester during family crises.
• SP 2 — Expand Educational Programs: New programs under consideration include public administration (undergrad), forensic psychology (master's), public health, and an AI minor or major. Mechanical engineering is already new; Tesla helped initiate it.
• SP 3 — Innovation, Community & Entrepreneurship: Expanding ties with United Methodist Church (UMC) and United Church of Christ (UCC); community needs assessment planned for 2025. HT is hosting an AI conference for all HBCUs (second year in a row) in Austin, and co-hosting an AI conference with UT and a Women's University in Pakistan.
• SP 4 — Campus Life & Infrastructure: New modular student housing is being developed on the north end of campus (where tennis courts currently are). Students are working with former Mayor Steve Adler (city policy) and a company called Hoover House/UNEX (technology) to design and navigate city approval. A new dorm is currently rented at St. Edward's as a stopgap. The gym received air conditioning for the first time this year.
• SP 5 — Capital Campaign: Hiring fundraising talent, growing alumni and corporate donor participation.

Rankings & Campus Planning

Rankings:

• #1 HBCU for immediate return on investment (income gain from entry to graduation)
• #1 HBCU in Texas — U.S. News & World Report
• #3 HBCU in the nation — Niche.com
• #4 University for Social Mobility in the Southwest — U.S. News & World Report

Campus Planning:

• Main campus: 5.4 acres (between 7th, 11th, Chicon, and Chalmers)
• West campus: 19.2 acres (to be purchased)
• Aspirational acquisition: Healy Middle School (closing; AISD has reached out)
• The campus entrance is planned to move from 9th & Chicon to 7th Street (the busiest corridor)
• "Blue Bonnet Hill" — a historically unused hill — will be developed
• Old dorms will be converted to academic buildings; new dorms will be built on reclaimed space
• Chalmers Avenue may be closed to connect the east and west sides of campus
• A new athletic facility (also convertible to a large performance venue) is planned
• Parking will be built underground into the hillside
• A biblical quote from Matthew 5:14–16 ("light of the world") anchors the institution's vision

AI Certification for All Faculty

Every faculty member will be certified in AI annually — because AI is evolving so fast, the standard must be renewed each year. The specific certification (e.g., Microsoft or another platform) is still being finalized. AI literacy is being added to the general education core for all students.

AWC–HT Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

A proposed (not yet finalized) MOU between the Austin Woman's Club (AWC) and Huston-Tillotson University (HT):

HT would provide:

• Guest speakers for AWC events
• Information sharing with faculty/staff interested in joining AWC
• Use of HT facilities for events
• Student interns (pending AWC needs)
• A memorial plaque in Evans Hall honoring Major Ira Hobart Evans
• Collaboration to endow a scholarship

AWC would provide:

• Use of AWC facilities at nonprofit rates for HT
• Mentors for female HT students
• Partnership on historical research related to AWC history
• Internship opportunities for HT students
• Collaboration on endowing a scholarship

President Dr. Melville Wallace is enthusiastic and ready to move forward. Dr. Hirsch encouraged AWC to invite her to speak, calling her "the most charismatic person I have ever met."

Key Points from the Q&A:

• Performing arts: No dedicated building; the chapel hosts concerts (mostly free). The future athletic facility would double as a major performance venue.
• Tuition: ~$400/credit hour; HT is ~60% of St. Edward's cost; no tuition increase in ~10 years.
• Parking: Planned underground beneath the hill near the new 7th Street entrance.
• Faculty expansion: HT already has a high ratio of full-time faculty; more will be hired as programs grow, especially for graduate programs.
• AI certification: Still being determined; not yet tied to a specific platform.
• Notifications about concerts/events: Suggested as a natural pipeline to build into the MOU.

Origins of Austin as the Capitol of Texas

The story begins in 1839, driven by Mirabeau Bonaparte Lamar, a bookish Georgian who deeply resented that the capitol of the Republic of Texas was named after his rival, Sam Houston. Lamar convinced Congress to pass a law directing commissioners to find a new capital site between the Trinity and Colorado Rivers, above the San Antonio Road. The new city was pre-named "Austin" by law, and the state purchased a league of land (~7,627 acres) for the site. The original city plan was ambitious — a grid with departments for State, Treasury, Land, Navy, War, Post Office, and a President's House — befitting Lamar's dream of an empire stretching to the California coast.

In reality, early Austin was little more than a ribbon of cabins on the north bank of the Colorado River. The President's House was so poorly built that Sam Houston refused to live in it.

Early Statehood

Houston, who despised Lamar, famously attempted to steal the state archives and move them back to Houston in 1842 — an event now commemorated by the Angelina Eberly statue. Over time, Austin developed more permanent infrastructure: a new Capitol building, a better executive mansion, and a fortified General Land Office to protect state land records.

Post–Civil War to Early 20th Century

Austin grew from ~1,000 residents to 15,000. When the second Capitol burned, plans were already underway for the current Capitol building. Originally designed in limestone, builders ran into quality issues and pivoted to granite from Marble Falls — traded in exchange for building a railroad to transport it. That railroad is now Metro Rail. The granite was cut on-site, pushed by a small tank engine up to 12th Street, and delivered via a trestle over Waller Creek. The neighborhood surrounding the future Capitol Mall was largely German, with landmarks like Scholz's Beer Garden, Gethsemane Church, and Covington House.

Mid-20th Century — The Wise Plan (1956)

By 1956, Austin had grown to 166,000 residents. The Harold F. Wise Associates plan (a California firm) proposed rerouting 12th Street, acquiring state-owned properties between 15th and 19th Streets (now MLK), and building a grand tree-lined esplanade connecting the University of Texas campus to the Capitol. Over the next three decades, the state acquired parts of 45 square blocks. Some elements were realized — the Sam Houston Building and Tom C. Clark Building were built — but the plan's full architectural vision was largely ignored.

State Preservation Board Master Plan (1983–1989)

After a Capitol fire, the State Preservation Board spent six years developing a plan that included the famous underground Capitol extension (twice the size of the above-ground building). As a follow-up, they proposed state office buildings in a federal style along a grand axis, with a setback of ~105 feet from the centerline of Congress Avenue. Again, full ambitions were not realized, and buildings constructed in the interim had no cohesive design logic.

21st Century — The Capitol Complex Master Plan (2016)

By 2012, Austin's population was 938,000 and growing explosively — doubling every 25 years since 1900. A key catalyst was Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and F1 racing, which brought C-suite executives to Austin who saw its educated workforce, low land prices, and low wages — and began relocating companies here. Austin leapfrogged from a regional city 

With state employees spread across Class B suburban office parks at ~$18/sq ft (soon to skyrocket), the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC) partnered with the State Preservation Board under a legislative mandate to execute the 2016 Capitol Complex Master Plan. Key elements:

• Six new office buildings
• 4,500-space underground parking built in phases
• Evaluation of all existing complex buildings for renovation or replacement

Phase 1

George H.W. Bush Building — 680,000 sq ft, 5 stories of parking underneath, designed in an H-shape to maximize natural light for all occupants. Houses the Department of Public Safety (moved from the old American Legion Building).

Barbara Jordan Building — includes 3 age-appropriate childcare facilities with playgrounds and covered drop-off for state employees.

Phase 2 (currently under construction)

• A 4-story building at 100 W. 15th Street, largely for Attorney General staff currently scattered across suburban Austin. Set back from the street to avoid a "canyon effect" and to honor the historic garden district (Yosemite Church, Luther Hall, Covington House, Elms apartments).
• A greenway transition connects the mall past historic properties to the new building.
• Excavation reached over 70 feet deep, enabled by Austin's 400-foot limestone shelf.

Phase 3

Two additional buildings planned but unlikely in the near future — COVID-era construction cost increases and the viability of remote work have reduced the projected space needs.

The Capitol Mall Today

The completed mall features:

• 4 state office buildings with nearly 1.5 million sq ft of office space
• ~4,000–4,500 parking spaces
•  A 4-block pedestrian mall already drawing lunch crowds, school groups, and community events
• Coordination with Waterloo Greenway/Park for events and shared parking

Total cost so far: approximately $1.5 billion.

Fun Historical Footnote — How the Capitol Was Funded

 The State of Texas was essentially broke in 1881. The solution: trade 3 million acres of Panhandle land to a Chicago syndicate, which in turn had to finance and build the Capitol.

The syndicate sold the land to British investors (men of means seeking adventure in the American West), who established the famous XIT Ranch. The prospectus noted that "east of town by 5 miles is an almost endless supply of high-quality sands and gravels" — the same gravel pits visible off Highway 183 today, still being mined.

Presenter: Dr. Karen Pope, retired professor of art history Baylor University specializing in 19th-century European and American art.

Overview: The presentation offers a visual journey through iconic American artworks — paintings, sculptures, and photographs — that commemorate the founding and history of the United States, framed around the U.S. 250th anniversary.

Portraits of George Washington

Charles Willson Peale's Portraits

Peale painted 60 portraits of Washington, having trained in London and served in the Continental Army, giving him direct access to Washington. Key works include:

Washington at Princeton and Washington at Trenton — nearly identical compositions showing Washington leaning on a cannon, symbolizing the decisive role of artillery in those victories. Nassau Hall appears on the horizon in the Princeton version.

Washington at Yorktown — a closer view with the cannon again, and water in the background referencing the Chesapeake Bay. Peale lowered the horizon line further here to make Washington appear even more imposing and grand.

Houdon's Life Mask and Sculpture

Thomas Jefferson, while in France, commissioned the renowned French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon to create a definitive portrait of Washington. Houdon insisted on seeing Washington in person, traveled to Mount Vernon, and created a plaster life mask by greasing Washington's face, inserting quills in his nostrils for breathing, and applying plaster. This mask — still held at Mount Vernon — is considered the most accurate record of Washington's appearance. From it, Houdon produced:

A marble bust, also at Mount Vernon.

A full-length marble statue now in the Virginia State House, which became the model for approximately 30 bronze casts. The statue's support incorporates the fasces — a Roman military symbol of bundled rods with an axe and a laurel wreath — representing strength, unity, and victory, imagery beloved by the Founding Fathers.

Gilbert Stuart's Lansdowne Portrait

Stuart was recommended by Senator Bingham to paint Washington for the British Lord Lansdowne. The result is a monumental 96-inch (life-size) canvas filled with symbolic detail:

Books labeled American Revolution and Constitution of the United States (the latter intentionally missing letters, believed to be Stuart's way of distinguishing copies).

The fasces, an imperial eagle, writing implements (referencing Washington's role as statesman), and a chair with an oval plaque ornamented with Stars and Stripes, which some historians link to the Washington Family Crest — the configuration that forms the current flag of Washington, D.C.

Multiple copies were made; the original Lansdowne portrait is now in the National Portrait Gallery, acquired through a fundraising campaign. The Binghams' copy belongs to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Commemorative History Paintings

John Trumbull's Rotunda Paintings

Trumbull spent nearly 20 years in Europe before receiving a commission to paint large-scale historical scenes for the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, designed by architect Charles Bulfinch. The rotunda holds eight paintings total. Key works include four large canvases by Trumbull, and four painted later by other artists.  Trumbull’s subjects:

The Declaration of Independence — features over 60 portraits, depicting the moment the first two signers (Charles Thomson and John Hancock) lift their pens. The authors — Adams, Sherman, Livingston, Jefferson, and Franklin — are prominently grouped. Flags in the background, including what appears to be the flag of St. George and Union Jack variants, are interpreted as trophy symbols of America's defeat of Britain.

The Surrender of General Burgoyne

The Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown

Washington Resigning His Commission

Emmanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware (1850)

Commissioned by French art dealer Goupil, this massive painting (13 feet tall, now the largest painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) depicts the famous Christmas night crossing of 2,400 men in 1776. Notable details:

Approximately 12 men in the boat with Washington — symbolically echoing Christ and his disciples.

A Black soldier in the boat, acknowledging Washington's recruitment of Black men.

James Monroe holding the flag (he was gravely wounded shortly after).

Known inaccuracies: the Delaware River freezes smoothly, not in large ice chunks as depicted (Leutze likely referenced European rivers); there was only one boat at a time; no horses crossed; and the crossing happened in darkness, not at dawn.

The direction of travel is eastward — toward the rising sun — a deliberate symbol of new beginnings and hope.

The painting's ornate frame (recreated around 2010 based on Matthew Brady's 1864 photograph) features flags, spears, the imperial eagle, and Stars and Stripes motifs.

Sculpture

Horatio Greenough's George Washington (1840)

A controversial neoclassical marble statue depicting Washington bare-chested and barefooted, seated on a throne with Roman chariot iconography — deliberately evoking Greek and Roman antiquity, as the Founding Fathers were deeply steeped in classical literature. It was widely found amusing. After spending time outdoors on the Capitol grounds, it was eventually moved inside and now resides in the Smithsonian.

Daniel Chester French's The Minuteman (1875)

One of French's early major works (his most famous being the Lincoln Memorial's seated Lincoln, 1922). The bronze figure of a Minuteman — a farmer-soldier — captures the essence of the Continental Army:

Classical ponderation pose (weight on one leg, hip cocked, head tilted) conveys movement and vitality.

A plow at his side symbolizes the farmer-soldiers who left their fields to fight.

The concept was replicated in multiple locations by other sculptors.

French’s figure is an example of post-Civil War American enthusiasm for bronze sculpture, and followed by decades the first Concord monument, an obelisk (dedicated in 1836) complemented by Emerson's Concord Hymn, commemorating the first shots of the Revolution. 

The Statue of Liberty

Originally conceived as a lighthouse for the Suez Canal, the project was rejected by Egypt as too costly. Its creators then redirected it to honor the U.S. centennial — arriving 10 years late in 1886. Key facts:

Sculptor: Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi

Steel skeleton engineer: Gustave Eiffel (his precursor work to the Eiffel Tower, completed 1889)

To raise funds for the pedestal, Bartholdi sent the torch alone to the 1876 Centennial Fair in Philadelphia to generate interest and demonstrate scale.

A rivalry between Philadelphia and New York over hosting the statue ultimately secured American financing of the pedestal and the figure’s placement in New York Harbor.

A satirical cartoon of the era depicted the statue sinking into an unfinished pedestal.

Mount Rushmore

Inspired by Stone Mountain, Georgia, the project was championed by South Dakota state historian Doane Robinson, who wanted to depict national (not just military) figures. Charles Rushmore, a New York businessman, donated $5,000 to launch it — lending the mountain his name. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum (previously associated with Stone Mountain) was hired and began work, but died in 1941 before completion. His son continued but funding ran out, leaving the figures’ shoulders unfinished (only Washington's lapel was carved in detail). The four presidents represent four American ideals: birth, growth, preservation, and development.

20th-Century American Images

Grant Wood's Daughters of Revolution (1932)

Wood painted three DAR members with teacups, with a small reproduction of Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware visible on the wall behind them — a deliberate satirical jab. Wood had been criticized by the DAR for ordering stained glass from Germany (between the wars), while they celebrated a painting also made by a German. He called it his only satirical work.

Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter (1943)

Rockwell depicted Mary Keefe (a 19-year-old telephone operator) as Rosie — a pneumatic riveter on her lunch break, sandwich in hand, tools on her lap, self-possessed and confident. Her feet rest on a copy of Mein Kampf. The pose is deliberately borrowed from a Michelangelo prophet on the Sistine Chapel ceiling, ennobling Rosie the same way classical imagery ennobled Washington — a tongue-in-cheek academic gesture. It appeared as a Saturday Evening Post cover and the next year the title character in a film.

"We Can Do It!" Poster (J. Howard Miller, c. 1943)

A common misconception clarified: this iconic poster — created by J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse as an internal factory motivational poster — is not Rosie the Riveter. It was displayed for only two weeks and went largely unnoticed until rediscovered in the 1980s.

Joe Rosenthal's Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima (1945)

Captured by a photojournalist during the brutal assault on Mount Suribachi, this photograph depicts six servicemen raising the flag — though most photographs only show four clearly. The identities of all six were not fully confirmed until 2019; three died shortly after the photo was taken and two had been previously misidentified. It became one of the great symbols of American military valor and was immortalized as a bronze monument at Arlington National Cemetery (1954).

Closing: Dr. Pope concluded by inviting attendees to a May event in Austin — A Night for Our Nation — honoring military veterans and featuring a decorated 38-year career Air Force Lieutenant General who served as second-in-command of communications during the Bin Laden raid.

The Austin Woman's Club was founded in 1928 with the idea of giving women opportunities to make a difference. And when you make a difference, you know what happens — you make a difference in your own life, too.

I discovered that I don't know everything, but I've learned a lot. 

That's the power of purpose.

Roy Spence, The Make it Movement

THE POWER OF PURPOSE

I was lucky. I grew up in Brownwood, Texas, and I never forgot where I came from. Here are a couple of stories about my journey and purpose.

My Sister Susan

I got lucky early in life. My oldest sister was four years older than me, born in the '40s. Her name was Susan Spence. She was born with spina bifida — a birth defect they had no cure for — where all the nerves that should go to your legs ball up and create open wounds on your back. The average life expectancy back then was four hours, four days, or four months, maybe. My sister Susan lived to be 49 years old. Because of my mother.

I used to help take her to the bathroom and pushed her wheelchair to school every day for eight years. We looked a little like the Grapes of Wrath — all my little friends would come along with us. We grew up in a town where you could walk to your high school, junior high, and grade school, and I pushed her every single day. She graduated from high school and went on to Gonzales Junior College.

Every Sunday in the fall, I'd drive down there and we'd listen to the Dallas Cowboys — back when they used to win — and eat Whataburgers. When she passed away, I was at her bedside. What I learned in that moment is that all those years I thought I had been pushing her... she had been pushing me.

That's when I got on the journey of purpose. She used to always tell me, "You don't have to have legs to fly."

My Father, Roy Spence, Sr. 

My dad grew up in Eagle Pass. He spoke Spanish before English. He dropped out of school in the 10th grade to go to work during the Depression, served in the Navy, and then married my mom.

The two things I remember most: First, he believed in hugs. He said, "When you have a boy, boys need hugs too." When he passed away, I was flying to Germany. He passed away two days before so I wrote a book on the plane ride in his honor called The 10 Essential Hugs of Life. Here are some of them:

1. Hug yourself — don't fall in love with yourself, but you can't love your neighbor unless you love yourself.

2. Hug your family — as George Burns used to say, "There's nothing like a large, beautiful family... in another town."

3. Hug your friends.

4. Hug your purpose.

The second thing he taught me: Don't do mild in food or in life. He made the most incredible salsa — Serranos, fresh tomatoes, lemon juice, and sea salt. And it’s called ROYITOS.

My Mother, Ruth

My mom was a teacher for 35 years. She taught civics. She believed we need to meet people in the middle — that nobody has the corner on smarts, and we're better together.

But here's the story that really changed my life. I was in seventh grade. I turned in a paper on Emerson — still my favorite. "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  I got my paper back with eight misspelled words and a big C-minus. In our little home in Brownwood, C-minuses were not cause for celebration.

The next year I was studying Emerson again and said, "Mom, I can't do it." She said, "Do the best you can." I turned it in. This time I didn't have eight misspelled words — I had eleven. Two pages covered in red ink. But at the top of the paper was a tiny A-minus. I still have that paper.

When I asked her why, she said she had talked to my teacher, who believed I could write. Then my mother said something I've never forgotten:

"I don't want you to spend another second of your life trying to be average at what you're bad at. I want you to spend the rest of your life trying to be great at what you're good at."

That's why I started a movement. We have to change the way America lets kids discover what they're great at.

THE JOURNEY

UT Austin and GSD&M

I was offered a chance to play football to the Naval Academy because I played quarterback in Brownwood Texas, But I told my mama I wanted to go to a school and see if I could wake up in the morning by myself. She said, "You have to go your own way" — which is why, if you call my phone, it plays Fleetwood Mac.

I went to UT Austin and, I'll confess, didn't always go to class. But I walked down the mall and met two people, and we started doing multimedia shows — it was the Marshall McLuhan age. Kids would pay us 50 cents. (I'll confess what for — but you can't put it in the film.)

When I was 20, three of us — all from different places — decided to open an advertising agency. I said, "Great, what's that?"

We went down to City National Bank. I had a tie-dyed T-shirt, my ponytail was looking awesome. I sat down with loan officer and asked for $5,000. He said, "What's your business plan?" Our answer — still on our wall 52 years later:

"We want to stay in Austin, stay together, make a difference, and get rich."

We got the loan. And we paid it back. It just took some time.

About 20 years ago, I was at an event and someone said, "See that older man over there with a cane? That's Robert Sneed Remember the $5,000 you borrowed from City National Bank? He co-signed that note. He never told you because he wanted you to think you got it on your own."

Lesson: Someone helps you — you help somebody else.

We started GSD&M, and it doesn't stand for what you might think — though you'll never forget what people say it stands for. We had four partners and stayed together for 52 years.

My mom taught me there are two kinds of people in the world: vinegar people and honey people. Vinegar people are takers. Honey people are givers. Hang out with honey people.

Don't Mess with Texas

Our first big break came when we were hired to do the media for Governor Mark White. He said there was litter all over Texas highways. My partner Tim McClure and I were walking down a highway and he picked up a piece of litter. He wrote three words: Don't Mess with Texas.

A week later, we pitched it to the Texas Highway Department. Average age in the room: about 100. Our first presentation featured Stevie Ray Vaughan performing "Don't Mess with Texas." We finished our presentation. Not one clap. Not one.

Then an old boy in the back stood up and said, "Young man, I don't get it." I said, "Good. It's gonna work." Then the room started laughing — and then they were with us.

Another man stood up and said, "You need to put a litter barrel on the bumper sticker so people know what it's about." I said, "You can put the litter barrel on the bumper sticker, and the bumper sticker will end up in storage. Or you can leave it off, and it'll be on every pickup truck in Texas." We shook hands.

Click here to see the Willie Nelson ad

Marketing can be a force for good. We reduced litter in Texas by 72% in four years. No fines. The last ad we filmed featured the "Long Riders." They rode their Harleys down the highway, picked up trash, and the big guy with a "Don't Mess with Texas" tattoo looked at the camera and said: "Some people just don't get it."

That's how we laddered up from litter to pride.

Southwest Airlines and Sam Walton

When Herb Kelleher called me in, I was 28 years old. I told him, "Herb, I don't think you're in the airline business." He said, "What the hell business am I in?" I said, "You're in the freedom business. You set out to democratize the skies."

Sam Walton called me down to Bentonville. I drove there with a briefcase — with nothing in it. Sam looked at me and said, "Where's the rest of your staff?" I said, "Mr. Sam, there's an old saying in Texas: one riot, one ranger. What kind of problem have you got?" He fell out of his chair laughing and put his arm around me. He said, "Oh, Roy — you're alright."

9/11 and "I Am an American"

Then 9/11 happened. I was in Washington, D.C. and the 9/11 bombings happened. On the drive home, I kept saying to myself: "We have to do something."

I called my team together and said, "Go out and film people — all kinds of people, all over the country. Ask them to say one thing: 'I am an American.'"

In eight days, we got it on the air. It ran more than any PSA in the history of America.

My mom taught me civics — not just history. She talked about E Pluribus Unum: out of many, one. That was the first motto of America. That's when we knew: marketing can be a force for good.

Click here for I am an American Ad

THE MAKE IT MOVEMENT

In 2019, I was speaking all over the country about the power of purpose. My friend Aristotle said it best — 3,000 years ago:

"Where the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lies your vocation". Aristotle

I started asking: what if we helped kids find their talents first, instead of beating them up about the things they're bad at? I couldn't spell. That didn't stop me.

I went to associations, labor unions, chambers of commerce — it didn't matter what politics people were coming from. We have a massive supply-and-demand problem in America: a great supply of jobs and careers, and not enough demand for them. Since World War II, we've never had this many open skilled trades jobs. We have a marketing problem.

Young people don't realize these aren't just jobs anymore — they're careers. You can start training as a welder while you're still in high school. You can take college classes for free. When you graduate, you don't just have a diploma — you have a certificate for a skilled position that pays real money.

That's why I started the Make It Movement. We go into high schools and middle schools, and we ask: what are you good at? What do you love? America was born on the ideal that if you can dream it, you can build it.

A Pew Research study — and these things don't lie — found that 98% of all parents, regardless of politics, want their kids to grow up and become financially independent doing something they enjoy. That's the anchor of the Make It Movement. Stop asking kids if they're going to college. Start asking them if they want to become financially independent.

Starting Careers in High School

We surveyed high school students around America. Before our presentation, 28% of boys and 19% of girls said they'd like to know more about skilled professions near their homes. After our presentation: 78% of the girls said, "I want to know more." They said: "Wait — I can build things?"

The concept is simple: you can't bring people together on politics. But you can bring people together on purpose — intentionally, and through the power of purpose.

Click here to see the Starting in HIgh School Ad

That's what I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing. And I'm grateful you let me come here and tell you about it.

One more thing. About 20 years ago, I traveled across Texas — and eventually walked through 13 states — asking people about their faith. I had a Winnebago and asked everyone: what do you believe in?

What I found is that every religion in the world has its own version of the Golden Rule. That's when I realized: we need Golden Rule Summits — not politics, not religion, just the one thing we all agree on. We're better together.

God bless — and don't mess. Roy Spence

On February 19, 2026, City of Austin Council Member Marc Duchen (District 10) spoke to the Austin Woman’s Club on Austin’s significant wildfire risks, how to protect life and property, important public online resources.

While significant city and community progress was made in 2025, there is still much to be done and learned from other wildfire disasters around the country.

Suggest you listen while reading this summary to Michael Murphrey’s “Wildfire”.

Wildfire Risk in Austin

National Ranking: Austin is currently the 5th-most wildfire-prone city in the United States.

Risk Factors: High risk is driven by extreme drought, heat, rapid population growth, and the city’s topography and vegetation.

Geographic Vulnerability: While West Austin’s hill country is often viewed as the primary risk area due to steep terrain and dense fuel, East Austin actually sees a higher frequency of fire starts. However, fires in flatter areas like East Austin are generally easier to contain than those in the hills.

Dormant Hazards: Significant amounts of dead vegetation from recent ice storms still remain in green spaces and yards, providing ample fuel for potential wildfires.

Recent Policy Updates and "Policy Wins" 2025

WUI Code Updates: The City Council unanimously updated the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code and the Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP).

New Regulations: These updates mandate fire-resistant building materials and required escape routes for new developments in high-risk areas.

Ember Ignition Zone: Structures are now required to maintain a noncombustible zone within five feet of the building to prevent embers from igniting the home.

Interagency Collaboration: Enhanced coordination now exists between the Austin Fire Department, Austin Energy, and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management team.

Community Action and Homeowner Resources

Cleanup Programs: A pilot program involving city staff and volunteers removed 3,000 pounds of dead brush from Great Hills Park last May.

Structure Ignition Zone Evaluation (SIZE): Homeowners can request a free evaluation from the fire department to identify specific vulnerabilities on their property.

Emergency Alerts: Residents are encouraged to sign up for notifications at WarnCentralTexas.org.

Educational Hubs: Preparation guides are available at ReadyCentralTexas.org, and the Austin Wildfire Hub provides risk assessments and "home hardening" tips.

Q&A Summary

The following questions and concerns were addressed by Council Member Duchen during the session:

• Utility Resiliency and Infrastructure: In response to concerns about past fires caused by poorly maintained utility lines, Duchen noted that Austin Energy launched a major resiliency plan in December 2025. The plan commits approximately $34 million annually over the next 10 years to enhance the system, including studies on burying power lines and using drones for more effective vegetation management.
  
• Advanced Detection Technology: The city has deployed Pano AI, a specialized fire and smoke detection system, to provide early warnings that were not available during previous major fire events.
  
• Insurance Vulnerabilities: A significant concern was raised regarding residents becoming "stealth uninsured"—where insurance companies use drone surveillance to deny policy renewals based on property conditions.
  
• Advocating with the Insurance Industry: Duchen stated his hope that the implementation of the updated CWPP and WUI code will provide a framework to show insurance companies that the city and its residents are meeting strict compliance standards. He intends to use these official code updates to encourage the insurance industry to stop aggressively un-insuring community members who have hardened their homes against fire.

When G. Fritz Benedict started teaching astronomy in 1970, common knowledge was of one star with planets. We now know thousands of stars with planetary systems. How did we find these alien worlds, and what do we know about them? If they exist, can we find other civilizations like ours? Yes! Have we? Not yet.

You’ve seen it: the UT Tower rising above the city like a limestone lighthouse. Okay, it used to be … before all of the skyscrapers emerged in the last 30 years. You can still make out our beloved UT Tower on the skyline and be proud. “Raise your horns!” 

For nearly a century, the UT Tower has symbolized ambition, learning, and Texas pride—but up close, time has left its mark in peeling paint, grime, and well-intended but clumsy fixes.

At the Austin Woman’s Club on February 5, Kim Barker, UT’s first-ever preservation planner, shared how her team is bringing the Tower and other beloved campus buildings back to life—carefully, respectfully, and with a detective’s eye for detail.

Breathing new life into the Tower

The star of this effort is a $70 million restoration of the Main Building and Tower, the first major investment in the structure since it opened in 1937. Barker describes her role as an historical sleuth. By digging through archives and poring over 1935 construction photographs, her team discovered details long erased from public memory: a hidden balustrade buried under stucco and the fact that the Tower’s spandrels were originally painted in two tones.

One of the most dazzling changes is the return of the gold. Crews are regilding the clock face and the “alphabet letters”—symbols drawn from Egyptian, Phoenician, Hebrew, Greek, and Latin—that encircle the lower sections of the Tower, restoring the shimmer that early Longhorns would have known well.

Battle Hall: the “prettiest building on campus”

Barker’s work doesn’t stop at the Tower. She has a special affection for Battle Hall, the red-tiled gem she calls the “prettiest building on campus.” Built in 1911 as UT’s first purpose-built library, Battle Hall has weathered a century of changing needs, including mid-century renovations that literally “chopped off” vaulted plaster ceilings to wedge in air conditioning ducts.

Today, the restoration team is squishing modern utilities into tucked-away spaces so they can reopen the original 1911 corridors and reading rooms. At the same time, they are adding the building’s first passenger elevator, finally making the iconic second-floor reading room accessible to all.

Gearing Hall: where function meets history

The same preservation mindset is at work at Gearing Hall, the 1932 home of UT’s original Home Economics program. Here, Barker’s team is sourcing clay roofing tiles from the building’s original manufacturer and restoring weather-beaten windows so they look as they did in the 1930s.

Even the doors tell a story. They’ve been rebuilt to match their original weight and wood species, but with discreet glass panels added to improve safety for today’s students—a small change that shows how historic character and modern function can coexist.

Why this work matters

For Barker, preservation is not about freezing buildings in time; it is about protecting their significance and integrity so they can keep speaking to new generations. By cleaning stone, regilding details, and uncovering long-hidden craftsmanship, UT is doing more than repairing old structures—it is restoring the physical heart of the campus so its stories can continue to resonate with future Longhorns, and with all of us who care about Austin’s history.

Based on 8 founding members of the Austin Woman’s Club, the students have researched the accomplishments, style and legacy of each member. The exhibit will include historic garments of the time period - the late 1920s into the early 1930s - based on the members personality, age and role in the club and the community. All of the garments chosen are from the Historic Textiles and Apparel Collection from the School of Human Ecology at UT Austin. The students are a part of the Historic Collection Management and Exhibition Design course led by Professor Gail Chovan which studies and promotes fashion history as it is related to the current industry, museum studies and future careers or volunteerism in the community. 

Click here for the Slideshow.

Watch the Presentation

Aside from Martha Stewart and the film Lessons in Chemistry, you probably haven’t heard much about Home Economics recently. Now, home economics is about to reappear, although not as it existed during the early 19th century. Dr. Metcalfe, historian, former professor at UT, and co-founder of The Lunar Society will reveal how the founders of home economics and its graduates made contributions to science to reshape our homes, our clothing, and what we eat. Even more than household solutions, graduates of home economics were innovators in both the scientific and artistic fields. As we begin the journey towards an AI–driven world, Metcalfe shares her insights about how the mindset instilled through home economics may empower us to thrive as humans.

Robyn Metcalfe is a historian, author, executive producer, and Founder of The Lunar Society, an experience design group.  She is intensely curious about how things work, human and their stories, and how we navigate the intersection our digital and analog worlds.  For decades, she explored how our food systems evolved from the 19th century into the future. As an author, she wrote The New Wizard War, Meat, Market, and the City, Food Routes, and Humans in Our Food. As Executive Producer, she produced several documentary films, including The Long Coast, Arc of Oblivion, and Shelf Life. Her previous experiences include The University of Texas at Austin, Kelmscott Rare Breeds Farm, Arthur D. Little, and Sunset Magazine. Robyn received her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Michigan, and her Masters and Doctorate degrees at Boston University, both in Modern European History. You can learn more about her work at www.robynsmetcalfe.com.

 Joy Stoddard believes that everyone has the right and potential to flourish, and we all need support at one time or another during our lives. Joy spent 23.5 years at Whole Foods Market, at first opening stores and training thousands of employees. Then she served as Development Director for its non-profit Whole Planet, dedicated to alleviating poverty, helping to raise $140 million to fund 7 million microcredit loans for low-income entrepreneurs - mostly women - in 80 countries including 26 U.S cities such as Austin. Now, she is Vice President of Development at Free To Choose Network, raising awareness and funds for documentaries advancing capitalism and freedom, and its educational affiliate non-profit izzit.org, which provides free materials to teachers to inspire students to think critically and flourish in a free society. Joy joined AWC and the Development Committee in July 2025 and she has lived in central Austin for 25 years. 

Karen Pope shared an illustrated survey of Pompeo Coppini’s key works, including the stories of the Littlefield Fountain and the Alamo Cenotaph. Pope will chart Coppini’s shift from Confederate monuments to works that have come to define Texas and its heroes.

AWC Member, Karen Pope, Ph.D. in the History of Art (University of Texas, 1981), is a specialist in the modern art of Europe and America. She retired in May 2015 from a full-time position on the Baylor University faculty, teaching art history courses in 19th-century European and American Art, the priority of the Allbritton Art Institute. She has three decades experience in academic teaching, docent training, and informal lecture series.  Since 1995, she has offered lecture programs, art museum daytrips, and art history-rich study tours in the US and Europe through Art inSight Adventures in Art History. 

Click here to learn more and see her presentation.

Frank Cronin has tutored and taught in Developmental Education at Austin Community College (ACC) since 1987. In his academic career he has served on the Board of Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Central Texas Chapter from 1996-2004. From 2010-2012 he was secretary for the Texas Association of Developmental Education. He became interested in Darksky International due to his interest in Astronomy. In 2021 and 2022, he presented “Darkness at the End of the Tunnel: Solutions to Light Pollution” at ACC Earth Week Programs. DarkSky Texas promotes the use of better lighting to help restore our view of the nighttime sky, improve the safety and well-being of  people and wildlife, and save energy. Frank retired from ACC at the end of 2022 and looks forward to being more involved with Darksky Texas.

Download his presentation here.

Exhibit Development: 'History and Fate, The Goodwins and the 1960s'

Sarah Sonner, Briscoe Center for American History, UT Austin

Austin Womans Club, August 28,2025

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Sarah G. Sonner, Ph.D., Director for Curation at the Briscoe Center for American History, discusses the development of the exhibit 'History and Fate, The Goodwins and the 1960s.' The exhibit highlights the archives of Doris Kearns Goodwin and Dick Goodwin, focusing on their contributions to political history and the 1960s. Sarah outlines the process of exhibit development, including research, design, and layout, emphasizing the importance of primary sources and visitor engagement. The exhibit features significant historical events, such as JFK and RFK's assassinations, and Dick Goodwin's work on the 'We Shall Overcome' speech. Doris Kearns Goodwin's involvement in the exhibit and her book 'An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s' provided structure and context. The exhibit is open until December 12th, and Sarah encourages visitors to explore the collections and engage with the historical narratives presented.

Action Points: