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MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO
OPPORTUNITY
TWU to host ceremony
recognizing the 2006 inductees of the Texas Women’s
Hall of Fame March 5 at 1:30 p.m.
3/03/07
WHO:
The Governor’s Commission for Women and Texas Woman’s
University are hosting a recognition ceremony and reception
to recognize the 2006 inductees of the Texas Women’s
Hall of Fame on March 5. All four inductees — Amanda
Dunbar of Allen, artist; Kathy Foster of Houston, founder
and director of the Casa de Esperanza de los Niños,
a haven for children in crisis; Dr. Shirley Neeley of Austin,
Texas commissioner of education; and Dr. Ellen Vitetta of
Dallas, director of the Cancer Immunobiology Center at UT
Southwestern Medical Center — are scheduled to attend.
Other guests attending
include: from the Texas Governor’s Commission for Women
— Keely Appleton, Chair, Leslie Guthrie, executive director,
and Suzanne Azoulay, former commissioner; Dr. Perry McNeill,
Mayor of the City of Denton; TWU Chancellor and President
Dr. Ann Stuart; Dale Kimble, CEO for the Denton Area Teacher’s
Credit Union; Carol Yonack, director of philanthropic management
southwest for Bank of America; Dr. James Monaco, superintendent
of the Aubrey Independent School District; and Joan Self,
representing U.S. Congressman Michael Burgess.
WHAT:
This recognition ceremony will honor the 2006 Texas Women’s
Hall of Fame inductees as their plaques and biographies are
put on display at TWU’s Denton campus. The Governor’s
Commission created the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in
1984 as a biennial awards event to honor Texas women who have
made significant contributions in areas such as the arts,
athletics, business, education, health and leadership. In
2003, the Commission partnered with TWU to establish a permanent,
physical Hall of Fame. The exhibit is located on the TWU Denton
campus in Hubbard Hall, and contains a plaque for each of
the more than 100 individual inductees, featuring her biography
and photograph. An interactive kiosk also is available to
view video clips of inductees. For more information about
the Texas Women's Hall of Fame exhibit at TWU, visit www.twu.edu/twhf.
WHEN: Monday,
March 5, 2007 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE:
Hubbard Hall on TWU’s Denton campus. For directions
and a map, visit www.twu.edu/maps.asp
INFORMATION
ON INDUCTEES:
(Provided by the Governor’s Commission for Women)
Amanda Dunbar of
Allen is being honored for her work in the arts, a category
in which recipients must show significant contributions to
or the promotion of visual, literary, cultural or performing
arts, media or communications. Dunbar, who is 23 and already
a respected Dallas art gallery owner, will be the youngest
Hall of Fame recipient to date. She is considered by many
as one of the most collectible and dynamic young artists in
the country. She began painting at age 13. At the age of 17,
she began searching for ways to use her art to help others
in need. She created the painted image “Angel Alliance,”
which led to the formation of a charitable organization allowing
young people to express themselves through the arts. More
than $500,000 in donations has gone to schools, youth art
programs and children’s charities for supplies, curriculum,
healthcare and educational programs to assist youth providers.
Dunbar’s dedication to children is demonstrated through
her work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, Wednesday’s Child and the Texas Medical Association’s
“Be Wise – Immunize” campaign. She is also
involved with the Grammy’s Musicares Foundation and
various national celebrity fundraisers benefiting children’s
and artists’ causes.
Kathy Foster of
Houston is being honored for her excellence in leadership,
a category that identifies leadership in the public and private
sectors where a nominee's achievements must demonstrate an
enduring state impact. Foster is co-founder and director of
Casa de Esperanza de los Niños. After teaching at Nolan
High School in Fort Worth for five years, her concern for
the underprivileged led her to Houston, where she worked for
eight years with the mentally ill and homeless at Magnificat
House. With a dream and an initial donation of $500, Foster
rented a home in a low-income area of Houston and began taking
in young children in crisis; in 1982 Casa de Esperanza de
los Niños was created. In 1986, through Foster’s
concern for children with AIDS, Casa de Esperanza expanded
its mission to include HIV-positive children. This was the
second agency nationwide to recognize the need for specialized
residential care of children infected with and affected by
HIV/AIDS. Foster now directs an organization that has grown
to a full-time staff of 45, a budget of more than $2 million
and a volunteer force of more than 350 people.
Dr. Shirley Neeley,
the Texas commissioner of education, is being honored for
her work in education, a category that recognizes outstanding
contributions in the fields of math, science or technology
education. Neeley began a career in education 35 years ago
as an elementary school teacher. She went on to serve as an
assistant principal and principal, as well as superintendent
of Galena Park Independent School District for approximately
10 years. Under her leadership, Galena Park became Texas’
largest exemplary district from 2002-2004. In 2004, Neeley
was named as Texas Commissioner of Education by Gov. Perry.
As commissioner, she serves as the head of the Texas Education
Agency, which oversees 1,037 school districts and 200 charter
schools. In this position, she ensured that approximately
50,000 new students would find a school ready to provide shelter
and education after the disasters of Hurricane Katrina and
Hurricane Rita.
Dr. Ellen Vitetta
of Dallas is being honored for her contributions to health
and social sciences, a category that recognizes outstanding
achievement in the areas of medicine, health and wellness,
family and social issues, community health, and public health.
Vitetta is a professor of microbiology and director of the
Cancer Immunology Center at the University of Texas Southwestern
Medical School. A world-renowned immunologist, Vitetta has
pioneered the development of immunotoxins for treatment of
disease, particularly lymphoma, breast cancer and AIDS. She
was the first biomedical scientist from Texas ever elected
to the National Academy of Sciences. Vitetta has authored
more than 475 scientific articles and ranks as one of the
top 10 female scientists in any field of research in terms
of the frequency with which other scientists cite her publications.
###
For Further Information
Contact:
Amanda McKeen Simpson
Director of News and Information
Tel: (940) 898-3456
e-mail: asimpson1@twu.edu
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