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First elected woman on Texas City board dies
By Bronwyn Turner
Correspondent
Published October 22, 2009
TEXAS CITY — Laura Jean “Lee” Lanigan, the first woman elected to the Texas City Independent School District board, died Monday in Texas City. She was 77.
She died at Mainland Medical Center after complications from a stroke. Her husband, daughter and son were at the bedside, singing her favorite hymns.
“She was tough, honest and, above all, had the utmost integrity — she spoke her mind,” her daughter, Vasser Lanigan, said. “She was first and foremost a leader and teacher; there was something that everyone could learn from her who knew her.”
Lanigan, a native of Bay City, was a veteran teacher, including 11 years at La Marque High School where she taught physical education and business education and was the cheerleader sponsor. Her students included U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
With the births of her children, Lanigan retired from full-time teaching but remained active in community service, working with Girl Scouts, Little League Baseball, Texas City Rebels football, the Art League of the Mainland and historical and heritage organizations.
“Mom was the E.F. Hutton among women,” Bill Lanigan Jr. said. “When she rose to speak publicly, everything about her commanded that you listen. What she had to say wasn’t just fluff; it was significant.”
Lanigan was on the Texas City school board for 13 years and was president of the board in 1984.
“She always gave her all as a board member,” Dr. John Ford Acree, a Texas City dentist who served on the board during Lanigan’s tenure, said. “The children were her first priority.”
Richard Ettredge was business manager for the school district during Lanigan’s tenure.
“She was very interested in doing her job, and there wasn’t any give or take as far as why she was there,” he said. “She was there to make sure that the taxpayers were getting as good a deal as they could and that the children were getting a quality education. She was truly a lady.”
Lanigan was known as an advocate for parents and employees. She also was known for her sense of service.
“She believed it was the little ladies in tennis shoes, not the politicians, who made a difference in preserving our country’s ethics and values,” Bill Lanigan Sr. said.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First United Methodist Church in Texas City. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today at Emken-Linton Funeral Home in Texas City.
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