Councilwoman Eleanor Tinsley with her turtle collection at her office, July 21, 1995.
D. Fahleson/Houston Chronicle
Honor
Regarding “Houston mural will honor Barbara Jordan, Ima Hogg and four other influential women,” (Aug. 26): I think the project is a wonderful idea, and the women selected are deserving. But I was surprised by the omission of two women whose impact on modern Houston is hard to overstate: Kathy Whitmire and Eleanor Tinsley.
Whitmire was much more than Houston’s first woman mayor. During ten years in office, she helped modernize City Hall. Under Whitmire, Houston established its first formal five-year Capital Improvement Plan, creating a more systematic approach to long-range infrastructure planning. She pushed for mass transit, broadened opportunities for women and minorities in city government and led Houston through the devastating 1980s oil bust. Her judicial appointments included Sylvia Garcia and Sheila Jackson Lee, both future Houston leaders in their own right.
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Tinsley’s record is just as remarkable. As a member and later president of the HISD board, she played an important role during school desegregation and helped establish the Houston Community College System. She later served sixteen years on City Council, championing Houston’s 911 system, billboard regulation, gay rights, parks and the SPARK School Park Program.
No six-person mural can include everyone deserving recognition. But few women better fit the description of those who opened doors, built institutions and created opportunities for future generations than Whitmire and Tinsley.
Their stories are Houston’s story, too.
Terence A. O’Neill, Houston
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The smile comes easily to the face of a winner. That was Kathy Whitmire as she won city elections as Houston’s first woman mayor.
Steve Ueckert/Houston Chronicle
Higher ed
Regarding “See UH, UT, A&M curriculum changes to expect in fall 2026,” (Aug. 18): The fall semester is underway. Having served proudly on the faculty for 41 years, I’m appalled by the politically motivated transformation of the University of Texas at Austin. I don’t recognize my former employer.
The dramatic changes implemented unilaterally by UT’s president and provost are tantamount to a coup, resulting in faculty angst about what they can teach and whether their tenure is secure. There are reports that some have left, being stolen by private schools like Rice University and Stanford.
I applaud my colleagues for vigorously protesting. If I was still on the faculty, I would do the same. Some faculty, however, worry about their jobs and can’t take the risk of speaking out. I have received dozens of email messages from faculty explaining why they don’t protest.
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Moreover, faculty have no viable administrative structure to force change. Faculty ‘input’ is gone; the Faculty Council was abolished and replaced with a group hand-picked by the president. The president and provost are locked in — and short of being fired will not reverse course.
Thus far, legal challenges have not been successful. So, can change occur? For those outraged, my recommendation is to identify UT alumni and supporters, especially those Republicans likely to vote for Gov. Greg Abbott. Because of their loyalty to UT, these constituents must be persuaded to vote for Gina Hinojosa.
A Democratic governor can appoint regents and change the conservative political agenda fueling UT’s political transformation. A Democratic Legislature also could have sway.
Without new state leadership, immediate change at UT is not likely, perhaps not possible.
Richard Cherwitz, former UT professor
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Religion
Regarding “‘A sense of belonging’: Muslim travelers defend IAH washrooms amid Greg Abbott’s attacks,” (Aug. 25): In Abbott’s latest attack on Muslims, he has criticized foot-washing facilities in airports as promoting one religion over another. It is ironic that no one has mentioned the important role that foot washing took in the Bible. In John 13, Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and then said in verses 14 and 15: “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.” It seems that this administration promotes biblical teachings only when convenient for their political purposes.
Janet A. Nussbaum, Houston