A prominent local banker walked into the cafe this morning for a cup of coffee. He is in his early nineties, but he's pretty spry for his age, and he still maintains an office in the downtown building where we do business. I noted that this was not his normal routine, coming into the BBC for morning repast, although he has stayed for lunch. He says the name of our cafe inspires him.
But this morning it was different. The newspaper in his hand revealed the news of Ann Richards's demise the day before.
"She was a very good friend of our family," he said gently. "We're going to miss her."
He recounted how his family would take vacations to the coast with Ann Richards and her family.
He also lamented how many friends he has lost over the years. "When you are ninety-three years old, you see a lot of people go before you."
I called my wife to greet this man who was feeling the loss of a great friend. She recounted to him that after she became a citizen of the United States, the first person she proudly voted for was Ann Richards in her bid for re-election as Governor of Texas. He seemed to appreciate that bit of information.
In hindsight, her 46 percent to 53 percent loss to George Bush in that year's race for governor was in fact a tragedy for the entire nation. Look at the mess we're in today.
Rest in Peace, Ann Richards, we love you here at the BBC.
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