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C H I L D H O O D
Annette Greenfield was born in Houston, Texas, on January 26, 1924, the
only child of Edith and Jacob Greenfield. She credited her father for
instilling in her at an early age a strong sense of civic
responsibility and commitment to public service. A stern disciplinarian
and generous philanthropist, Jacob Greenfield inculcated in his only
child a tremendous sense of responsibility to serve the country that
had been so good to them. He was her biggest influence; she recalls
that her father liked to say, "What I have is what I've given away."
Annette Greenfield grew up during the Depression. By age six, she was
already raising money from her front porch by playing Ginger Rogers. In
high school and college, she concentrated on public speaking and was
the first female to win two consecutive state speech championships. The
benefits of this early introduction to a stage are readily apparent in
her powerful public presence and in what Strauss characterizes as an
ability "to think on my feet".
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E D U C A T I O N A N D F A M I L Y
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, a table tennis champion, and a Bluebonnet
Belle while a student at The University of Texas, Annette graduated in
1944 with a bachelor's degree from the College of Liberal Arts. It was
at this time that her student involvements increased dramatically, and
she met her future husband, Theodore "Ted" Strauss. After graduation,
she moved to New York where in only a half year's time she received
master's degrees in sociology and psychology with honors from Columbia
University. She then returned to Houston as a Red Cross social worker
where, after working for a year, she married Ted Strauss on September
8, 1946. They moved to Dallas in January 1947 where they raised their
two daughters, Nancy and Jane. |
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V O L U N T E E R W O R K
Strauss immersed herself in volunteer work in the Dallas community,
serving on the boards of countless educational, arts, healthcare, and
social services organizations. Her efforts at fundraising in the
mid-sixties made her known as the only alternative at that time for
what one article refers to as "driven Dallas women." At first she
worked on behalf of the Dallas Symphony, then for the Crystal Charity
Ball, Southern Methodist University, the United Way, United Jewish
Appeal, the Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Baylor University Medical
Center, and dozens of other groups. By the early seventies, Mrs.
Strauss' volunteer work was in full swing. She chaired almost every
major ball in Dallas, won almost every community service award, and
raised millions of dollars for the arts. She was the person to call if
any help was needed with or underwriting for an event or ball. She also
moved into more public ventures, including the Motion Picture
Classification Board, Planned Parenthood, Dallas Municipal Library
Board, and the Dallas Parks and Recreation Board. Her fundraising
included soliciting major gifts from corporations. Having become so
well recognized for her efforts eventually led her to accept a
three-day-a-week position with the public relations firm of Glenn,
Bozell & Jacobs, where she was soon named vice president of public
affairs. She used her power on behalf of her charity projects by
agreeing to handle the opening of a hotel or office tower if the money
raised went to her favorite causes. She estimated that she raised more
than $9 million for various groups.
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P O L I T I C A L L I F E
It was only natural that Mrs. Strauss should seek a seat
in the political arena after all her years of successful networking in
both business and fundraising. Phenomenal growth challenged the
leadership of the older downtown Dallas establishment. There were new
people in town, new money, and an emerging pro-neighborhood and special
interest coalition embodied by inner-city organizations such as the
Dallas Homeowners League, the Progressive Voters League, and the Gay
Political Caucus. In 1983, she ran for and won an at-large seat in a
more tolerant Dallas City Council. She became deputy mayor pro tern and
then mayor pro tern in 1984. In 1987, with a campaign promise to be
mayor for all the people, summed up by her 42 years work for the city,
Dallas' old guard awoke to a new mayor who was Jewish, a woman, and a
Democrat with 56 per cent of the vote. Strauss was known for her
ability to build consensus across economic and political strata. Dallas
Morning News columnist Henry Tatum noted that, Mrs. Strauss would
persuade some of the more recalcitrant business leaders during the
Î80s by putting a soft hand on their sleeve and gently imploring,
"Now, honey, do it for Dallas." |
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A C O N T I N U E D C I V I C C A L L I N G
Annette Strauss left her mayoral duties behind in 1991 and then worked
as a public relations consultant for Levenson, Levenson & Hill of
Irving. Subsequently, she was appointed Ambassador-at-Large for the
city of Dallas, a position she held until her death on December 14,
1998. She served as a trustee for a number of foundations including
Children's Medical Center Foundation, Dallas Methodist Hospitals
Foundation, St. Paul Hospital Foundation, Timberlawn Foundation, and
Texas Historical Foundation. After her mayoral term, Strauss continued
her high profile campaigns for the numerous national, state, and local
causes and community services that always held her attention in
addition to those she engaged while mayor. In 1996, Family Gateway, the
shelter for homeless families that she helped found in 1986, honored
Mrs. Strauss with the first Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award,
which will be presented annually in recognition of "super-volunteers."
Mrs. Strauss was honorary chairwoman of "A Way Back Home," a 1997
Dallas symposium to discuss ongoing issues of the homeless. And in
March 1997, the Annette Strauss Dallas International Series was
established at the Southern Methodist University Tower Center for
Political Studies. The recipient of numerous awards, Strauss also
co-chaired President George Bush's Commission on America's Urban
Families and received honorary doctorates from Northwood University,
the University of North Texas, and Southern Methodist University. She
was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame and was a recipient of
UT's distinguished Alumnus Award (1992). |
Founded in 2000, The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation
at
The University of Texas honors this remarkable public servant,
philanthropist, and humanitarian.
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