Governor’s Commission for Women
Texas Governor Rick Perry:
An Inventory of Governor’s Commission for Women Records at the Texas State Archives, 1988-1990, 1993-2014, bulk 2001-2013
| Organization | History | Scope and Contents | Restrictions | Related Materials |
Overview
Creator: Texas. Governor (2000-2015 : Perry)
Title: Governor’s Commission for Women records
Dates: 1988-1990, 1993-2014
Dates: bulk 2001-2013
Abstract: The Governor’s Commission for Women (GCW) was created in 1967 to serve as a liaison between Texas women and government agencies, as well as private entities addressing women’s needs. A division of the Office of the Governor, the commission specializes in outreach, education, research and referral services. These records primarily document the activities of the GCW during the term of Governor Rick Perry. Dates include 1988-1990, 1993-2014, with the bulk dating 2001-2013. While the electronic records are entirely from Governor Perry’s term in office, a significant portion of the paper records are from the terms of governors Ann Richards and George W. Bush. The records document the focus areas and projects that the commission was involved with, including health and wellness, military family assistance, teen dating violence prevention, women in business, and local women’s commissions in Texas.
Quantity: 3 cubic ft. and 69 MB (529 files)
Language: These materials are written predominately in English, with one electronic file in Spanish.
Repository: Texas State Archives
Click here to enter the records
Other Finding Aids
A description of non-electronic records described in this finding aid is available at https://txarchives.org/tslac/finding_aids/10289.xml.
Organization of the Records
Records are typically organized in the order as received from the agency, chronologically and by subject for the most part. Some electronic records have been reorganized and/or renamed for the purpose of clarity and this action is noted in the series where applicable. The records are organized into eight series:
- Plans and planning records, 1988-1990, 1993-1999, 3 cubic ft. (paper)
- Commission intern files, 2001-2010, 745 KB (30 files) (digital)
- Commission newsletters, 2004-2010, 18.5 MB (13 files) (digital)
- Commission project records, 2001-2014, 10.6 MB (84 files) (digital)
- Local commissions for women records, 2004, 2007, 2010-2013, 207 KB (8 files) (digital)
- Speeches, 2008, 2011-2014, 194 KB (6 files) (digital)
- State agency council records, 2001-2014, 38.3 MB (379 files) (digital)
- Strategic planning process records, 2004-2008, 2011-2013, 256 KB (9 files) (digital)
Agency History
The Governor’s Commission for Women serves as a liaison between Texas women and government agencies, as well as private entities addressing women’s needs. The commission was created following President John F. Kennedy’s establishment of the United States Commission on the Status of Women in 1961. In 1967, Governor John Connally established the Texas Commission on the Status of Women, a group charged with exploring ways for women to continue participating in the domestic sphere while also contributing to the world around them. Its primary legacy was the preparation of a report on the status of women in Texas based on research in such areas as education, home and community, employment practices, and legal treatment. The commission operated without permanent staffing or funding and disbanded when Connally left office in early 1969. (Click here to read more of the agency history.)
Scope and Contents of the Records
The Governor’s Commission for Women (GCW) was created in 1967 to serve as a liaison between Texas women and government agencies, as well as private entities addressing women’s needs. A division of the Office of the Governor, the commission specializes in outreach, education, research, and referral services. These records primarily document GCW’s activities during the term of Governor Rick Perry but also include a small portion of records from when Ann Richards and George W. Bush were governors. Dates include 1988-1990, 1993-2014, with the bulk dating 2001-2013. The paper records are almost exclusively from the terms of Richards and Bush. The electronic records are entirely from Perry’s term.
During Ann Richards’ term as governor, the commission worked toward the mental, physical and emotional health of Texas women. When George W. Bush was governor, the commission focused on the support and promotion of volunteer efforts in Texas by housing an Office of Volunteerism. The commission created a permanent Texas Women’s Hall of Fame exhibit and launched a statewide education initiative promoting healthy teen dating when Rick Perry was governor.
Records include incoming and outgoing correspondence (letters and emails), informational fliers and handouts, programs, brochures, ephemera, copies of newspaper articles, training material, meeting agenda and minutes, budgets, strategic planning documents, executive orders, by-laws, reports and summaries, surveys, evaluation forms, administrative materials, electronic newsletters, reports, project ideas and proposals, and speech transcripts. A substantial portion of the paper records are related to the planning, execution and evaluation of the 10th and 11th annual Professional Development Conference (with a new theme each year).
Subjects include state agency volunteer training, effectively utilizing volunteers, GCW conferences, state agency council (SAC), legislation for GCW, Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Business Exchange, Women 50+, violence against women, healthy teen dating, women in American politics, and the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame.
The extent of the electronic records is provided by the file size and the number of files and folders. The inventory does not list single electronic file or folder. Folder dates are not always accurate and may contain additional years than what is stated.
Formats of the original electronic files include word processing files (.doc, .docx), spreadsheets (.xls, .xlsx), PDFs, and PowerPoint. Digital files presented for public use will generally be PDF for text documents or spreadsheets. Files in their original format are available on request; restrictions may apply.
Electronic records described in the finding aid that are part of the Texas Digital Archive are indicated as such in the inventory. Restrictions on access to the content of records are applicable to physical and electronic records.
Correspondence for this division of the Governor’s Office may exist that is not represented in this finding aid. Beginning in 2009, most correspondence generated or received by the Governor’s Office is in electronic form only. In addition, all correspondence not already in electronic form has been scanned without attachments by the Governor’s Office. The original correspondence in paper form may no longer be present. A searchable electronic database of this correspondence is available. To access this database, please contact Archives staff.
Restrictions and Requirements
Restrictions on Access
Records described in this finding aid may contain information that is confidential under the Texas Public Information Act (PIA) (Texas Government Code, Chapter 552) or other statutes. Restricted information, as outlined in the statutes, applies to both physical and electronic records. As laws change, statutory restrictions may be added to or removed from these records. See our Texas Public Information Act and Researching in the State Archives web page for the more common types of restrictions found in state government records.
Requests for materials held within the State Archives, whether a Research Request or Public Information Act Request, must be submitted via this form: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/sites/default/files/public/tslac/ref/Texas_State_Archive_Material_Request_Form.pdf. A Research Request is sufficient for requesting most State Archives materials. While a PIA Request is always an option, a PIA Request for State Archives materials is required only if a researcher does not agree to the redaction or removal of restricted government information (see: Texas Gov’t Code Chapter 552).
For further assistance with accessing materials within the State Archives, contact the Reference Desk: archinfo@tsl.texas.gov or 512-463-5455.
Restrictions on Use
Most records created by Texas state agencies are not copyrighted. State records also include materials received by, not created by, state agencies. Copyright remains with the creator. The researcher is responsible for complying with Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.).
Technical Requirements
Researchers are required to use gloves provided by the State Archives when reviewing photographic materials.
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
(Identify the item and cite the series), Governor’s Commission for Women records, Texas Governor Rick Perry records. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Accession Information
Accession numbers: 2015/067, E2015/117
These records were transferred to the Archives and Information Services Division of the Texas State Library and Archives Commissionby the Texas Office of the Governor in paper format between December 2014 and March 2015 and in electronic format on January 29, 2015.
Processing Information
Processed by Aditi Worcester, June 2015
