Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
I am writing this letter out of gratitude for the outstanding level of help and professionalism that I received from Keppler, namely LaWonne Tolson and Dustin Jones. Their commitment to quality programming far exceeded my expectations. Their help ensured that Morehead State University would be able to enjoy the lecture that Dr. Sarah Weddington gave on our campus an January 27, 2004.
Dr. Weddington was such a joy to work with and graciously stayed on an hour over that which was scheduled for her book signing. She gave each student and community member her undivided one on one attention and was very attentive to what they had to say. Her lecture, "Civil Rights and Our Future" weighed heavily on the minds of those that attended has spurred discussion that to this day is still going on. Our students enjoyed her insight and commentary as well as her lecture style that included both humor and an air of seriousness. I would recommend Dr. Weddington to any campus that is truly devoted to the mission of any institution of higher learning, a free exchange of ideas.
In closing, thank you Keppler for providing Morehead State University with the once in a lifetime opportunity to have a speaker of such dignity and acclaim. Dr. Weddington is proving to be the highlight of my college career.
- Josh Gruenke - President
The world was about to change for women that Monday morning, but only the nine U.S. Supreme Court Justices and a few court personnel knew it. The second case on the docket that day was Roe v. Wade, which challenged the Texas laws making virtually all abortions illegal. Justice Harry Blackmun read the decision he had written declaring the laws unconstitutional, which had passed by a vote of 7 to 2.
I was in Austin, Texas, a recently elected legislator, and unaware of what was going on in Washington, even though I had filed and argued Roe v. Wade. Roe began in 1969 when a group of University of Texas graduate students asked whether they could be prosecuted as accomplices to abortion if they shared information about where to get illegal abortions or out-of-state legal ones. I was 24, a woman lawyer and willing to do the case for free. We found a 1965 Supreme Court case overturning a Connecticut law making it a crime to use birth control, as well as cases in other states challenging antiabortion statutes. We decided to challenge the Texas laws. A pregnant woman called Jane Roe was the plaintiff in the class action we filed against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County.
As Blackmun's words faded in D.C. that Monday, phones began ringing in the law offices my husband Ron and I shared. We learned we had won from reporters. But we didn't know exactly what the court's decision said until a friend in Washington went to the court, got a copy and read the entire document to me over the phone. The opinion said women had a constitutional right to make private decisions about whether to continue or terminate a pregnancy, and that the state had not proven a compelling reason to regulate that. Abortion was legal.
A woman scheduled to leave Austin on a 3 p.m. plane for a California abortion was instead given one by her local doctor that afternoon. After Roe, the ability of women to make choices expanded. But the controversy did not end. Thirty years later, the debate over abortion law has only intensified.
- Time, Magazine
Thanks for calling. I have been out of town visiting law schools and
forgot to let you know about the event. Sarah packed our Lion's Pause (around 300 people) and got fantastic reviews. She was a delight to have for dinner and the enthusiasts who stuck around after the show enjoyed talking with her and she seemed to have a good time as well. All in all, I thought it was a very smooth event and was pleased with the feedback.
- St. Olaf College
Discography
Not applicable
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Sarah Weddington is a nationally known attorney and spokesperson on leadership and public issues. Her experience and charisma make her a highly sought-after speaker. She is particularly well known for her work on issues affecting women through her many roles as an attorney, legislator, presidential advisor, professor, and expert called upon by the national media. In 1973, at age 27, she argued the winning side of the landmark case Roe v. Wade before the United States Supreme Court. She is thought to be the youngest woman ever to win a case in the Supreme Court. She has recently been involved in promoting the development of leadership and self-renewal skills.
Weddington has been a longtime advocate for women. In 1972, she was the first woman from Austin elected to the Texas House of Representatives. She served three terms before becoming the U.S. Department of Agricultures general counsel in 1977, the first woman to ever hold that position.
From 1978 to 1981, Weddington served as assistant to the president of the United States. She was designated by President Carter to direct the administrations work on womens issues and leadership outreach. She also directed White House efforts to extend the time for ratification of the ERA, and to assist in the selection of women for federal judiciary appointments. She co-chaired the U.S. Delegation to the United Nations Mid-Decade Conference on Women in Copenhagen, and implemented other programs to ensure the equal treatment of women in the military in securing business loans and in social programs. As the first woman director of the Texas Office of State-Federal Relations from 1983 to 1985, she was the chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C., for the state.
Weddington is the author of the best-seller, A Question of Choice, which details the Roe v. Wade case. Her interview with former First Ladies Johnson, Ford, and Carter on "Women and the Constitution" appeared in Good Housekeeping. For a number of years, she wrote a regular column for Glamour magazine. She is a founding member of the Foundation for Women's Resources, and has been integral in all its activities, including the Leadership Texas and Leadership America programs, and the creation of The Womens Museum, which opened in September 2000 in Dallas. At the University of Texas at Austin, where she is an adjunct associate professor, she is shaping a new generation of leaders in her classes Gender-Based Discrimination and Leadership in America. She also writes and travels extensively, speaking on women's issues and the development of leadership skills. She is currently working on her next book on the topic of leadership and self-renewal.
Time magazine named her one of the Outstanding Young American Leaders. Ladies Home Journal presented her with its Woman of the Future award. She was selected as one of the ten Outstanding Women in America, and Esquire magazine recognized her in 1984 as an American Under 40 Making Things Happen. She has been featured in Working Woman, People Magazine, and the Washington Post, and has been a guest on the Today show, Good Morning America, CNN, and the CBS Morning News.
Weddington has received numerous honors and awards. In 1980, she received the Planned Parenthood Federation of America's Margaret Sanger Award, its highest honor. In 1992, the National Association for Campus Activities named her "Speaker of the Year." In 1993, the National Council of Jewish Women presented her with the prestigious "Woman Who Dares" award, and she was given the Woman of Distinction Award from the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders. In 1995, she was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Society, the National Leadership Honor Society. In 1996, she received the Colby Award for Public Service by Sigma Kappa Sorority.
In 2000, Texas Lawyer named her as "One of the Most Influential Lawyers of the 20th Century," and the Houston Chronicle named her as one of "The Tallest Texans--Those Who Left Their Mark on Texas and the Rest of the World in the Twentieth Century." In 1999, she was honored as a Texas Woman of the Century by the Womens Chamber of Commerce of Texas, named a Face of the Century by the San Antonio Express-News, and featured for her Courage to Challenge in Women of Courage: Inspiring Stories from the Women Who Lived Them by Katherine Martin. In 1998, she received the "Hummingbird Award" from Leadership America and McMurry University's "Trailblazer Award."
Weddington holds honorary doctorates from McMurry University, Hamilton College, Austin College, Southwestern University, and Nova Southeastern University. She received her JD degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1967, and is a distinguished alumna of McMurry University.
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