DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just here to do it justice. Annie Webb Blanton. Born August 19, 1870, in Houston, to Thomas Lindsey and Eugenia Webb Blanton.
Now, some people come into the world already aimed at something. Annie was aimed at a classroom. By age seventeen, she was already standing in front of students at Pine Springs School over in Fayette County, starting a teaching career that would — well, let's just say the state of Texas had no idea what was walking through its schoolhouse doors.
She taught for a few years in Austin, where she also graduated from the University of Texas. So she wasn't just teaching — she was studying, growing, building. Then in 1901, she arrived at North Texas State Normal College — the institution that would become the University of North Texas — and she stayed for seventeen years as an associate professor.
Seventeen years. In that time, she promoted gender unity, she published grammar exercise books used clear across the country, and she threw herself into school activities too numerous to count. But here's where the story shifts gears.
In 1916, Annie Webb Blanton became the first woman president of the Texas State Teachers Association. First. Woman.
Ever. And apparently she decided that wasn't quite enough of a ceiling to break, because in 1918, she became the first woman elected to a state office in Texas — State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Let that settle in a moment.
The first woman elected to any state office in Texas. In 1921, Denton County honored her contributions to education by naming the county's consolidated Hawk and Chinn's Chapel Schools the Annie Blanton School District. A school district bearing her name while she was still out there working.
After serving a second term as State Superintendent, she ran in 1922 as a Democratic candidate for representative of the Thirteenth Congressional District. She came in third. Now, a lesser person might have called that the end of something.
Annie Blanton called it Tuesday. She earned a master's degree in 1923. A doctorate in 1927.
And she returned to the University of Texas as associate professor of school administration and chair of the Rural Education Department. In 1933, she was promoted to full professor. Along the way, she helped found the Delta Kappa Gamma Society in 1929, and she held membership in numerous professional organizations besides.
Annie Webb Blanton died October 2, 1945. And here's the thing about a life like that — she keeps on being recognized. For leadership, for commitment to education, and for achieving in offices that had never before been held by women.
Some folks leave a mark on a building. Annie Blanton left a mark on Texas itself.
What the marker says
ANNIE WEBB BLANTON, BORN AUG. 19, 1870 IN HOUSTON TO THOMAS LINDSEY AND EUGENIA WEBB BLANTON, BEGAN HER TEACHING CAREER AT PINE SPRINGS SCHOOL (FAYETTE CO.) AT AGE 17. SHE THEN TAUGHT FOR A FEW YEARS IN AUSTIN, WHERE SHE GRADUATED FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. IN 1901, BLANTON BEGAN HER 17-YEAR TEACHING CAREER AS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT NORTH TEXAS STATE NORMAL COLLEGE (NOW UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS) WHERE SHE PROMOTED GENDER UNITY, PUBLISHED GRAMMAR EXERCISE BOOKS WHICH WERE USED ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND ASSISTED IN NUMEROUS SCHOOL ACTIVITIES. BLANTON IS REMEMBERED FOR BECOMING THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE TEXAS STATE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION IN 1916 AND THE FIRST WOMAN ELECTED TO A STATE OFFICE AS THE STATE SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION IN 1918. IN 1921, DENTON COUNTY HONORED BLANTON FOR CONTRIBUTIONS IN EDUCATION WHEN IT NAMED THE COUNTY'S CONSOLIDATED HAWK AND CHINN'S CHAPEL SCHOOLS THE ANNIE BLANTON SCHOOL DISTRICT. IN 1922, AFTER SERVING A SECOND TERM AS STATE SUPERINTENDENT, SHE RAN AS A DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR REPRESENTATIVE OF THE THIRTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT BUT CAME IN THIRD. SHE EARNED A MASTER'S DEGREE IN 1923, FOLLOWED BY A DOCTORATE IN 1927, AND WAS MADE AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION AND CHAIR OF THE RURAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. IN 1933, BLANTON WAS PROMOTED TO A FULL PROFESSOR. IN ADDITION, SHE IS NOTED FOR BEING A MEMBER OF NUMEROUS PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND FOR HELPING FOUND THE DELTA KAPPA GAMMA SOCIETY IN 1929. BLANTON DIED OCT. 2, 1945 AND CONTINUES TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR HER LEADERSHIP, COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND NUMEROUS ACHIEVEMENTS IN OFFICES THAT HAD NEVER BEFORE BEEN HELD BY WOMEN.