Frances T. "Sissy" Farenthold has died. Farenthold was a state rep from Corpus Christi who ran for governor of Texas twice, in 1972 and 1974. Hers were the first political campaigns for which I volunteered. I stuffed envelopes, phoned voters, and knocked on doors. I was just out of high school, newly registered to vote, and she came along to fill my head with hope and then dash my hopes and presage all the political disillusionment to come. She was so obviously the better candidate, on so many issues—feminism, human rights, the environment, anti-corruption—she was the one, I thought, who would push the state forward. A refreshing contrast to the good ole boys who had long run the state. It was not to be, of course. Her obituary in the Times, in addition to bringing back memories, also informed me that Farenthold knew her share of tragedy. She lost her brother when she was a child, and later lost two sons and a stepson.
