"I am so happy to see this kind of event get started," said Councilwoman Gloria Hernandez amidst the strains of The Rag Dolls, an all-woman group of musicians who were invited to play at the Expo, "Pushing and encouraging women to become active to be entrepreneurs and to be part of a broader community. Women are historically less inclined to go out there. I hope this event encourages mor women to get out there and get involved."
With that we began discussing amazing women such as Hillary Clinton on a national scope and Patricia Alvarez and Irene Rios, the first who is a Justice on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the latter who is seeking to become our next Chief Justice who are making great strides for women in politics notwithstanding Leticia van De Putte who is seeking to become our Lieutenant Governor.
Alvarez the Key Note Speaker at the event gave a rousing account of her childhood growing up as well as her trials and tribulations as a woman.
Her story, which she encourages all of us to know and tell in order for people to acknowledge us as individuals, is a tough one to tell as she was in two marriages, one of which she was opening up to us for the first time saying that she was severely abused and beaten which caused her to seek shelter in a rehabilitation center in Florida before meeting the great Janet Reno and asking her advice.
What was it you might ask? Her advice was to leave Florid behind and her problems behind and to return to texas to begin a new life. Advice she said she never will forget as she proceeded to go on to bigger and better things educating herself and getting her and her small family ahead in the hustle and bustle world of high stakes business in a world dominated by males.
She even let us in on another secret, that the first passion in her young life was equestrianism and her coach, a man who she referred to as Mayor Marcos was probably one of her biggest influences to this day who almost got her to make the Mexican Olympic Team in 1972.
All in all it was a fitting tribute to our women and young ladies all over Maverick County who have risen to positions of leadership in all walks of life.