Introduction of Frances Tarlton Farenthold

In an address honoring Coretta Scott King, Indira Ghandi said,

"While there is bondage anywhere, we ourselves cannot be fully free. While there is oppression anywhere, we ourselves cannot soar high."

These are words for Wells women to live by. They inspire hope as we imagine on this new morning the positive changes the members of the Wells Class of 2002 will bring to the world. Ghandi’s words also describe the lifelong commitment of our Commencement speaker: Frances "Sissy" Tarlton Farenthold.

Every Wells woman who comes proudly before us today has the opportunity to lead. Sissy Farenthold has defined women’s leadership for the nation. She has shown the world how much we gain when women lead. She has opened the door of infinite possibilities for you. We stand taller because she has fought for us, sacrificed for us, and worked as our tireless advocate. She is an extraordinary woman, as you are extraordinary women.

A native Texan, Sissy graduated from Vassar College and then attended the University of Texas Law School as one of three women in a student body of 800. She served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives, taking a bold pro-choice stand on abortion in the conservative climate of Texas politics. Her fearless stand on the issues allowed her to revolutionize Texas politics.

In 1972 Sissy became the first woman ever to have her name placed in nomination for vice president of the United States, receiving 400 votes at the Democratic National Convention. That achievement alone assures her place in history.

Speaking in the politically charged environment of Capetown, South Africa, Robert F. Kennedy once said, "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a person stands for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, that person sends forth a ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

Sissy’s life is devoted to these currents of history. And I know she must feel a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that commitment to service and social change is so much a part of the identity of the sisters of the Class of 2002.

Throughout her career - spanning numerous political and social shifts - Sissy has remained an unwavering champion of human rights and dignity. She has been a forceful advocate for the attainment of gender equity – even when her views did not necessarily guarantee votes and public popularity.

She has been involved in public affairs at the local, state, national, and international levels. Over three decades, she served as a human rights observer in Iraq, El Salvador, Honduras, South Korea, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Cuba, and the former Soviet Union. She met with the president of the U.N. Security Council and with Mikhail Gorbachev. She testified before four committees of the U.S. House of Representatives on topics including daycare, campaign finance reform, and the situation of migrant workers. She is a passionate advocate for the environment, not afraid to take on monolithic corporations. In recent years she has focused on the dangers of radioactive waste disposal and opposed over-expansion of the military and the death penalty.

The Wells’ story and Sissy’s story are forever entwined. She served as the college’s 13^th president - the first woman ever to be named Wells’ president. Her stance that women's colleges have a special responsibility to educate women for leadership shifted the paradigm and brought new vitality to Wells and other women’s colleges.

She founded the Public Leadership Education Network (PLEN) in Washington, D.C. Still thriving today, PLEN advocates for the increased representation of women in public office and provides exciting educational opportunities. I know some of you sitting in the audience have enriched your education through PLEN.

Please join me in welcoming a pioneer, a champion for compassion, an advocate for those who are denied a voice – a true woman of Wells – Sissy Farnethold.

- Delivered on Saturday, May 25, 2002, on the Wells College campus.