U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) will receive the inaugural Annette Strauss Institute’s Texas Leadership Award in recognition of her nearly four decades of civic leadership at the state and national level.
The senator will be honored at the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation‘s 10th Anniversary dinner in Dallas on Feb. 22. Proceeds from the Hutchison tribute will be used to enhance the institute’s Civic Education Fund, which provides resources to develop and expand educational outreach programs for high school and college students.
“Senator Hutchison is a model citizen who embodies the ideals of civic responsibility and commitment to public service,” said Roderick P. Hart, director of the Annette Strauss Institute and dean of the College of Communication. “She is an inspiration to Texans who aspire to make a difference in their communities.”
Speakers at the tribute include: U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, former U.S. Congressman Henry Bonilla, University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa, former University of Texas System Regent Robert A. Estrada; State Senator Florence Shapiro; and Annette Strauss’s husband, Theodore H. Strauss, who is the honorary chairman of the event.
Over the past decade, the Annette Strauss Institute has used education, engagement and research to involve people in the political process, teach them about the nation’s democratic heritage and encourage them to take leadership roles — all in a non-partisan way.
The institute is named after Annette Greenfield Strauss, who was mayor of Dallas from 1987 to 1991 after spending more than 40 years as a city volunteer and community activist. As mayor, she was said to be one of the few people who had equal access to the city’s diverse communities. Strauss, who earned a bachelor of arts degree from the university in 1944, died in 1998.
Tickets for the event are still available. Those interested can contact Leslie Caron at the McIntosh Company, 214-520-2194.
Media interested in covering the event should contact Erin Geisler or Lisette Mondello.
