Anita Thigpen Perry
Perry in July 2019
First Lady of Texas
In role
December 21, 2000 – January 20, 2015
GovernorRick Perry
Preceded byLaura Bush
Succeeded byCecilia Abbott
Second Lady of Texas
In role
January 19, 1999 – December 21, 2000
Lieutenant GovernorRick Perry
Preceded byGloria Bullock
Succeeded bySally Ratliff
Personal details
Born
Mary Anita Thigpen

(1952-05-05) May 5, 1952
Haskell, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
(m. 1982)​
Children2
EducationTexas Tech University
West Texas A&M University (BS)
UT Health San Antonio (MS)

Mary Anita Thigpen Perry (born May 5, 1952) is an American nurse who was the longest-serving First Lady of Texas, being in that role from 2000 to 2015. She is married to former Texas Governor Rick Perry. As First Lady of Texas, she had been an active advocate for nursing and other health care issues.[1]

The Anita Thigpen Perry Endowment at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio focuses on nutrition, cardiovascular disease, health education, and early childhood development.[2] In 2008, the Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center was renamed in her honor.[3]

Early life and education

Perry was born in Haskell, Texas. She is the youngest daughter of family physician Joseph Eltidge Thigpen (1920–2013), a native of Bay Springs, Mississippi, and homemaker Beunis Fay Ratliff Thigpen, originally from Haskell. Her parents met in Tyler, where Beunis was visiting relatives. Her father had a distinguished flight record in World War II and earned several medals, including the Bronze Star. He also flew his own plane and was known for making house calls long after the practice ceased to be the norm. Her paternal grandfather was also a doctor and also named Joseph Thigpen. She is named for a paternal aunt, Anita Thigpen Yelverton (1918–1999). She had three siblings: Joseph Emmitt Thigpen (1945–2013), an attorney in Austin who is a former county attorney and former district attorney), Peggy Hairgrove, and Emily Solis. Like Rick, she is a graduate of Haskell High School. She spent her first year of college at Texas Tech University, but because they did not have a nursing program at the time, she switched to West Texas State University in Canyon, where she received a bachelor's degree in nursing in 1974. She then obtained a Master of Science degree in nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.[4] She worked in the nursing profession for more than 17 years, including surgery, pediatrics, intensive care, administration, and teaching[3] and as a consultant.[5] Although the Perry tax returns indicate she worked as a nurse and took in less than $8,000 a year between 1987 and 1990, upon Rick's election as Texas Agriculture Commissioner, she left nursing.[6]

First Lady of Texas

Perry became First Lady of Texas in 2000 when Rick became governor after the resignation of President-elect George W. Bush. He previously served for two years as lieutenant governor.

In October 2000, she and Rick hosted the first Texas Conference for Women[5] which became an annual event.[7] The conference addresses such issues as professional development, health care, and personal growth.[8]

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center renamed its nursing school in Perry's honor on August 22, 2008, and two nursing endowments are also set up in her name: the Anita Thigpen Perry Nursing Excellence Scholarship at West Texas A&M University[9] and the Anita Thigpen Perry Endowment at the University of Texas at San Antonio.[2][10]

References

  1. ↑ McUsic, Teresa (June 30, 2008). "Texas' First Lady Advocates For Nurses". Nurse.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Endowment named for First Lady Anita Perry". University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. June 15, 2001. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Hartz, Marlena (August 22, 2008). "Texas Tech names nursing school after Lone Star State's first lady". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ McQueary, Carl R. (2003). Dining at the Governor's Mansion. ISBN 9781585442546. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Amy (December 15, 2000). "Lady in Waiting: Prospective First Lady Anita Perry Prepares for Life in the Spotlight". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Texas Gov. Perry became a millionaire while serving in office - Political Currents - MiamiHerald.com". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on 2012-06-18.
  7. ↑ Julian Pecquet, "Anita Perry: The nurse Gov. Perry wants to take with him to the White House", The Hill, September 17, 2011.
  8. ↑ Liz Halloran, "As Anita Perry Hits Campaign Trail, Five Things You Should Know", NPR, September 28, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Texas first lady builds her own legacy", Amarillo Globe-News, October 17, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Anita Perry, Dr. Robert Probe elected to hospital's board" Archived 2014-08-19 at the Wayback Machine, Lampasas Dispatch Record, March 27, 2009.
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