Ann W. Richards Papers, 1933-2000, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Records are outgoing memoranda and weekly status reports. These are the files of Dale Craymer, Director of the Office of Budget and Planning. Records date from 1991-1994. Subjects include the state budget, government spending, operating costs for various state projects, teacher and state employee pay raises, school funding, emergency grants, budget reform, taxes, the lottery, tuition revenue bonds, state schools and prisons.
Records are original incoming correspondence and attachments, together with copies of Governor's Office replies. Attachments include clippings, photographs, and printed material. Records date from 1991-1994. Topics cover issues raised throughout Governor Richards' term in office, including state school closures, nursing home care, and gun control. Appointments, legislation, criminal justice, and specific needs of constituents are addressed in the correspondence. Congratulation letters to Governor Richards and greetings to her constituents in honor of various occasions are also included. Arrangement is chronological by date entered into the Governor's Office correspondence management system, and then numerical. Letters on the same topic are often grouped together within each day's entry. The name index to the constituent correspondence was destroyed at the end of Governor Richards' term. The database was determined to be proprietary software that could not be transferred from the office, and the information was deleted before an index could be printed or saved to a text file. Constituent correspondence files are not complete for each day. Some correspondence was filed in the office to which it was referred, i.e. General Counsel, Chief of Staff, Ombudsman, etc.
Records are general correspondence with attachments, including congratulations and thank-you reply letters, printed material, clippings, photographs, and articles, from the Governor's Office. Correspondence dates from 1991-1995. Much of the correspondence appears to have been routed to the General Counsel, Ombudsman, or Policy Council for reply. Subjects covered include prison inmates volunteering for military service in Operation Desert Storm, criminal justice issues such as pardons, paroles, and executions, problems with state agencies, legislation, nursing homes, education, appointments, the closing of military bases, insurance, and the environment. Correspondents include citizens, school children, inmates, legislators, and state agency heads and staff. Arrangement is by year, then by date entered in the Governor's Office correspondence management system (sometimes weeks after the reply was written).
(Correspondence dates 1991-1993; bulk 1992)
(Correspondence dates 1992-1994; bulk 1992)
(Correspondence dates May 1992; May 1993 - January 1995; bulk is from 1994)
(Correspondence dates October 1992; October 1994-January 1995)
Records are copies of proclamations signed by the governor with attachments, including correspondence requesting that the governor recognize special events, printed material, clippings, and photographs, dating from 1991-1994. Proclamations were signed by the governor in observance of special days, weeks, and months, such as Agriculture Day and Richardson YWCA Month. Proclamations are grouped by year, then are arranged alphabetically by keyword within each year. (Keywords chosen for filing are not always logical; Medical Laboratory Week is filed under Laboratory, not Medical.) Often all keyword files are not strictly alphabetical, but in general all files starting with the same letter have been grouped together. Printed material and general thank-you correspondence pertaining to specific proclamations are grouped together at the end.
Records are copies of certificates with attachments, including correspondence requesting certificates, clippings, and invitations. Files date from 1989-1995 (bulk 1991-1994) and are copies of Honorary Texan, Admiral in the Texas Navy, and Yellow Rose of Texas certificates, as well as awards for volunteer services and other certificates of recognition and appreciation. Included in the files is one folder of volunteer conference material dating from Governor William Clements' second term in office. Arrangement is chronological by year, then alphabetical by either the person who requested the certificate or the person whose name is on the certificate, then in reverse chronological order within each letter of the alphabet. Certificates issued in December are included with the certificates for the following year.
Records are requests for flags flown over the Texas State Capitol along with replies from the Governor's Office. Replies are either letters of greeting from Governor Richards accompanying the flags or letters to individuals stating that flags must be purchased. A few attachments and related materials were also included, such as clippings, a videotape, and some photographs. Materials date from 1991-1994. Flags were requested as gifts in honor of birthdays, anniversaries, retirement, and other special occasions. Arrangement is chronological by year, within each year arrangement is by date entered in the correspondence computer system (sometimes weeks after the reply from the Governor's Office).
Records are opinion ballots sent to Governor Ann Richards in 1993 and 1994 by members of National Write Your Congressman, Inc. (Texas Division). Issues on the 1993 ballots are the budget and state income tax, term limitations, sex education, open containers, early prisoner release, mandatory health care, concealed weapons, school funding and bond indebtedness. Write-in issues on the 1993 ballots include the sodomy law, the use of lottery funds for education, school vouchers, workers' compensation, the national debt, crime, prisons, insurance, abortion, tort reform, small businesses, NAFTA, welfare, environment, gun control, immigration, the Superconducting Supercollider, and sports in schools. The 1994 ballot issues include prayer in public schools, term limits, concealed weapons, worker's compensation, school funding, the budget and state income tax, bond indebtedness, crime prevention, sex education and health care. Write-in issues on the 1994 ballots include juvenile crime, OSHA, the use of lottery funds for education, welfare reform, taxes, school systems, prisons, abortion, illegal aliens, the colonias, school vouchers, tort reform, the penal code, and small businesses. Other information on the ballots consists of date and name, occupation and address of person filling out the ballot. Ballots are divided between 1993 and 1994 editions, but are in no particular order within each year. At least half of the envelopes containing ballots were never opened by the Governor's Office.
Records are cards and letters from constituents, friends, and acquaintances, congratulating Governor Ann Richards on her 60th birthday, wishing her a speedy recovery from a broken ankle, thanking her for doing a good job as Governor of Texas, and offering holiday greetings. Cards date from September to December 1993. Richards' 60th birthday was September 1, 1993 and she broke her ankle in October 1993. Birthday and get well cards are intermixed and are arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Christmas cards do not appear to be in any order.
Records are incoming and outgoing mail log reports and weekly correspondence reports for the Governor's Office, dating from 1991-1994. Weekly mail log reports detail the amount of mail arriving in and leaving the office by date and type (morning, afternoon, or express mail). Weekly correspondence reports break down by subject the number of letters received each week, provide summaries of major issues occurring in the week's mail, and provide some quotes of the week. Some of the correspondence reports contain attachments of proclamation reports by date. Arrangement is chronological.