Appreciations, Ann
R., Alcoholic
By MAURA J. CASEY,
EDITORIAL, NYTimes on the Web, September 16, 2006
Former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas
will be remembered for her wit, her one-liners and especially for the keynote
speech at the 1988 Democratic Convention, which was, in retrospect, the high
point in the party’s dismal campaign for the presidency that year. To
intrigued television viewers nationwide, Ms. Richards, with her big hair and big
attitude, epitomized the kind of formidable woman that is a hallmark of the Lone
Star State. People liked her down-home phrases. When she said,
“We’re gonna tell how the cow ate the cabbage,” they believed her. She
leavened a plain-spoken manner with wisecracks. Both helped elect her governor
two years later.
But her political career eclipsed what Ms. Richards called “one of the great,
great stories” of her life: her recovery from alcoholism and her nearly 26
years of sobriety. That triumph deserves to be more than a line in her
obituary.
In so many ways, her decision to stop drinking and enter a rehabilitation
program in 1980, after a painful intervention by family and friends, was
necessary for her continued rise in public life. What made Ms. Richards
different was her decision to be forthright about the fact that she was a
recovering alcoholic. She didn’t hide it. “I like to tell people
that alcoholism is one of my strengths,” she said. She was right.
Alcoholics know that seeds of healthy recovery grow from the need to mend their
own flaws to stay sober, one day at a time. Ms. Richards faced her
imperfections fearlessly, and that enabled others to be fearless, too, if only
for a little while.
She never stopped helping people. One well-known author said the first
mail she received after enrolling in a rehabilitation program was an encouraging
letter from Ms. Richards. A politician who left rehab and wondered how on
earth he was going to avoid drinking when he got home well after midnight found
Ms. Richards waiting for him when he arrived. As governor, she started
treatment programs in Texas prisons. When she visited, she would tell the
inmates the simple truth: “My name’s Ann, and I’m an alcoholic.” Her
imperfection had become a source of inspiration for others.
Ann Richards was funny, wise and compassionate. At 73, she died too soon.
But she died sober.
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