Category: Manuscripts

Almost as famous as Ebby Halliday was Ebby Halliday’s ukulele. Whether she was the recipient of an award or welcoming a new class of real estate agents to Ebby Halliday, Inc., Ebby channeled charm and humor through her ukulele. She had a penchant for changing lyrics to well known songs to suit her topic and audience. She assured the audience “You know I really can’t play the ukulele or sing, but it helps to have a  shtick, everybody needs a shtick.”

She rewrote the lyrics to well-known songs of the time and drew inspiration from songbooks such as the Community Sing Session songbooks which provided a collection of songs for group singing for all occasions. These community songs had a simple chord structure, a melody that was recognizable, simple rhythm and a memorable chorus. Ebby would take classics and make them her own by changing the lyrics to suit her audience.

She used the tune to “Happy Days Are Here Again” to celebrate the economic impact of low interest rates, Fannie Mae loans, and eager homebuyers. The songs weren’t always the same. They changed over the years and with the times. Listen to Ebby sing “Happy Days Here, Again” (timecode 1:26) to a group of real estate agents in training.

She even took the popular song “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” most famously known as a Coca-Cola commercial during the 1980s and used it to promote Ebby Halliday’s Relocation services, known as RELO.

Ebby used the Ragtime-era song “Five Foot Two and Eyes of Blue” to promote the town of Irving as the place to be.

Ebby’s collection of songbooks includes this one by Pinky Hull who was a Ragtime piano player and magician. It folds out to reveal the lyrics to over 50 popular songs such as “Light of the Silvery Moon” and “Won’t You Come Home Bill Bailey”. Ebby’s magic was knowing how effective a funny lyric, a familiar tune, and the occasional off-beat note could be in winning over admirers in business and in friendship.

Project archivist Krishna Shenoy will be working on processing the Ebby Halliday papers thanks to a generous gift of the Ebby Halliday foundation, to preserve and make accessible the work of the first lady of real estate.

Contact Samantha Dodd, curator of the Archives of Women of the Southwest for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.

Anita Nanez Martinez was born in Dallas, Texas on December 8, 1925, the fifth of six children born to Jose and Anita Nanez. She lived in the Dallas neighborhood known as “Little Mexico”. From her early childhood, Martinez demonstrated a passion for community advocacy and volunteerism. At the age of 14, she led her first campaign, collecting signatures for the pavement of Pearl Street in “Little Mexico.” She was the first member of her family to graduate from high school and attended courses at SMU’s Dallas College, a downtown extension program popular in the 1930-40s. She married Alfred Martinez, of the El Fenix restaurants, in 1946, and together the couple raised four children: Al Joseph, Steve, Priscilla, and Rene.

Her passion for her community and improving West Dallas led others to nominate her for a spot-on the city council.  In 1969, she was the first Mexican American elected to the Dallas City Council and the first Mexican American woman elected to a city council in a major city.  Anita served on the council from 1969-1973. During her time in office she fought to build a recreation center for West Dallas and pushed for numerous urban improvements, including new library branches and street repairs in low-income neighborhoods. In 1975, a recreation center was built in West side of Dallas. This center was the birthplace of the Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico (ANMBF), an organization which sought to display the customs of Mexican dance, and to give children the opportunity to learn and develop pride in themselves and their culture. In 1990, ANMBF produced its first season of professional dances employing dancers trained in Mexico. ANMBF is considered the largest professional Ballet Folklorico Company in the United States. In 2020, the company celebrated its 45^th year.

Also, in 1990, the Anita N. Martinez recreation center went through a $1.968 million-dollar expansion, tripling the center’s size. This expansion allowed for expanded educational, vocational, cultural, and recreational opportunities. Funding for the expansion came from a 1985 capital bond campaign. Martinez and the Ballet Folklorico danced and campaigned across the city, gathering 70,000 signatures in a petition drive.

This year, at its commencement ceremonies on May 14^th, Southern Methodist University presented the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to Anita N. Martinez, honoring her dedication to enriching the civic and cultural life of the city.

The Anita Martinez papers held in the Archives of Women of the Southwest are comprised primarily of manuscripts, newspaper clippings, letters, photographs, and ephemera concerning Anita Martinez’ efforts to build Ballet Folklorico. A substantial portion of the collection also concerns her activities as a Dallas civic leader, first U.S. Mexican American councilwoman, Republican party activist, and founder of the Anita N. Martinez Recreation Center. Correspondence to figures such as George H. W. Bush, Anne Richards, Henry Cisneros, Ross Perot, Stanley Marcus, and others are prevalent throughout the collection. A large and detailed scrapbook for the years 1965 to 1972 chronicles her term as a Dallas city council member and her appointment by President Nixon to The National Center for Voluntary Action.

Contact Samantha Dodd, curator of the Archives of Women of the Southwest for additional information or assistance with accessing the collections. For access to these collections or to learn more about the women of the southwest, be sure to visit the DeGolyer Library and check out our books, manuscripts, pamphlets, and photographs.

International Women’s Day

The National Women’s Conference, held in Houston from November 18 – 21, 1977, was the largest political conference of women in the United States since the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. Approximately 2,000 voting delegates from fifty states and six territories formulated and passed a National Plan of Action, which would detail recommendations to improve the lives of women.

The Conference proposed nonbinding recommendations to help remove sex barriers and better utilize women’s contributions. Participants discussed and debated twenty-six major topics including the ERA, abortion, lesbian rights, child care, minority women, homemakers, battered women, education, rape, health, and a cabinet-level women’s department. There are many collections in the Archives of Women of the Southwest that document the National Women’s Conference and female political activism during the 1970s and beyond.

The Sylvia Benenson National Women’s Conference collection is comprised of programs, delegate lists, brochures, articles, and printed materials related to the Women’s Convention held in Houston, Texas in November of 1977.

From a secretary at Texas Instruments to Senior Vice President and one of the seven co-founders of Scientific Communications, Kay Cole Walker enjoyed a successful career and created opportunities for many women and minorities. She was a dedicated volunteer who focused her energies on women’s issues. She served a past president of the Women’s Southwest Federal Credit Union, Women’s Issues Network, and served on the boards of the Women’s Center of Dallas, the Texas Abortion Rights Action League, the North Dallas National Organization for Women, and The Dallas Heritage Foundation.

The Kay Cole Walker papers consist of clippings, magazines, photographs, correspondence, and promotional material details Ms. Cole’s active involvement in feminist issues and the women’s rights movement. Included here are papers from the Women’s Southwest Federal Credit Union, Women’s Issue Network, Our Friend’s Place, NARAL, TARAL, NOW, and Dallas Women’s Foundation, as well as clippings detailing the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston. Ms. Cole also collected material on issues of abortion and the ERA. A portion of the collection contains correspondence with Ann Richards and other local elected officials.

Claire Cunningham was a resident of Dallas, Texas who was an advocate for the rights and education of women and children. Her papers include publications, reports, pamphlets, clippings, meeting and seminar notes, text of speeches and sermons, and other documents related to her involvement as a leader (including roles as chairman and president) and member in the following organizations: Dallas Alliance Education Task Force (1975-1978), which includes materials concerning the desegregation of Dallas schools; Dallas Commission on the Status of Women (1975-1985); Dallas Independent School District Task Force for Educational Excellence (1975); Goals for Dallas Elementary and Secondary Education Achievement Committee (1977-1983); National Women’s Conference/International Women’s Year (1975-1978); Parent Teacher Association (PTA) at the national, state, and local levels (1975-1979); and the United Methodist Church North Texas Conference Commission on the Status and Role of Women (1972-1991).

Phyllis Tucker, the 2010 honoree of the Veteran Feminists of America’s The Gender Agenda: Beyond Borders program, entered the Women’s Movement in 1976. She served as president of the Texas chapter of the National Organization for Women in 1980 and 1990. Ms. Tucker worked as the first female chemist in the Houston petroleum industry, and she quickly became an advocate for women in the Houston area. She was instrumental in the development of the Houston Area Women’s Center, a women’s shelter, and WIRES, a call center for abused women. She also served on Houston’s Women’s Rights Coordinating Council.

Contact Samantha Dodd, curator of the Archives of Women of the Southwest for additional information or assistance with accessing these materials. The DeGolyer Library awards the Ruth P. Morgan grants to encourage work in women’s history or political history.

The DeGolyer continues to expand our digitization efforts, adding new content weekly. We have thousands of items digitized and searchable in our digital collections. Be sure to browse our holdings to find more letters, photographs, manuscripts, imprints, art, and audio/video.

Remember the Ladies…

Adlene Harrison

1923-2022

On Saturday, February 19^th, 2022, Dallas lost a leading lady. Adlene Harrison, the first woman mayor of Dallas, Texas passed away at the age of 98. Harrison was a member of the Dallas City Council from 1973 to 1977. She was the city’s mayor pro tem when she was appointed acting mayor in 1976 to complete the term of Wes Wise, who resigned to run for Congress. The appointment made her the first Jewish woman to serve as mayor of a major U.S. city.

While on the city council, Harrison co-sponsored an ordinance to establish a city environmental committee and supported a strict air pollution ordinance. In addition, she was a member of the National League of Cities’ Steering Committee for Environmental Quality. As mayor, she continued her work for the environment, as well as encouraging legislation for historic preservation in the city.

Harrison’s passion laid in environmental issues, developing Dallas’ mass transit and in women’s reproductive-rights. Harrison was appointed an Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator in 1977, responsible for directing the EPA’s anti-pollution efforts in five states. She held this position until 1981, when she became chair of the Dallas Area Rapid Transit Authority Board.

Harrison’s other civic involvements have included work on the boards of the Women’s Museum, the Women’s Center of Dallas, the Dallas Jewish Coalition, the Metropolitan YWCA and the Dallas Arboretum.

The Adlene Harrison papers held in the Archives of Women of the Southwest comprise scrapbooks, correspondence, clippings, speeches and remarks, and ephemera. These materials document her career and contributions to the city of Dallas, as well as to larger environmental issues.

Contact Samantha Dodd, curator of the Archives of Women of the Southwest for additional information or assistance with accessing these materials. The DeGolyer Library awards the Ruth P. Morgan grants to encourage work in women’s history or political history.

The DeGolyer continues to expand our digitization efforts, adding new content weekly. We have thousands of items digitized and searchable in our digital collections. Be sure to browse our holdings to find more letters, photographs, manuscripts, imprints, art, and audio/video.