Ma Ferguson Topic of TWU's Thompson Lecture

10/16/03

DENTON — Writer and political historian Dr. May Paulissen will offer a glimpse into the governor’s mansion with her talk about Texas’ first woman governor, Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, at the Joyce Thompson Lectureship in American Literature and Culture, Nov. 11 at 2:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Classroom and Laboratory Building, located near the intersection of Bell Avenue and East College Street, at Texas Woman's University. Admission is free.

Dr. Paulissen began collecting stories about James and Miriam Ferguson from her grandfather, a former mayor of McKinney. A lifelong interest in Texas politics, extensive research in the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and interviews with scores of people associated with the Fergusons — their children, grandchildren, allies and enemies — resulted in her writing Miriam, a Biography of the First Woman to Serve as Governor of Texas.

Dr. Paulissen is a former dean and professor at Houston International University and now assists doctoral students with their dissertations at Capella University, a distance education institution of which she is a founding professor. She is currently working on a book about Lady Mary Wroth and other 17th Century writers.

The Joyce Thompson Lectureship in American Literature and Culture is an annual event honoring the memory of Dr. Joyce Thompson, professor of English, who served as a member of the TWU faculty from 1977 until her death in 1992 at the age of 48. She was the founder of the "Women and American Literature" course at TWU as well as the founder of the "Ethnic Literature" course.

Author of more than 30 published works, Dr. Thompson’s major writings included Marking A Trail: A History of the Texas Woman's University, Texas Women: The Myth/The Reality and Ladies' Firsts: A Miscellany.

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For Further Information Contact:

Roy Kron
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: rkron@twu.edu