b'S issy Farentholds abil- run for congress, which he lost, after which she tookthe title, Dame, to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, left to right : Sissy Farenthold on the campaign trail; on the cover of Ms. magazine with Rep. Shirley Chisholm; endorsed for governor byRep. Mickey Leland.ity to persevere in thethe job as head of Nueces County Legal Aid, in 1965.which was established to defend the Kingdom of Jeru-face of tragedy startedAt the apex of the Lyndon Baines Johnson presidency,salem by its first Catholic ruler, French Duke Godfrey to develop at age two,and the Great Society promise of a country that caredof Bouillon, in 1113, commander of the First Crusade. followingthedeathabout the poor, the elderly, minorities, and those dis- In modern times, appointment to the order is offered of her brother, Sonny,advantagededucationallyandeconomically,Sissyto laypersons who provide exceptional financial sup-which she at first didsaw first-hand the ravaging, generational effects ofport to its missions, above all, the protection of Chris-not understand. Thir- poverty for so many of her fellow South Texans. Nottians living in the Holy Land. Its members include ty-one years later, theunlike JFK, whom she admired and mourned, Sissyheads of state, monarchs, obscure European royaltypain of losing VincentFarenthold recognized how lucky she really was inand Sissys Aunt Genevieve.carried a depth unlikelife, and that the advantages she enjoyed came withAfter two years at Nueces County Legal Aid, Sis-anything she had evera responsibility to help better the lives of as many ofsy was encouraged to run for the legislature, and in experienced, and Sissyher fellow human beings as she could, starting with1968 she was elected to the Texas House, represent-was determined not tothe most vulnerable. This was the example set by hering Nueces and Kleberg Counties. Frances Farenthold let it debilitate her lifefather, Dudley, Jr., who gave large sums of money toof Corpus Christi joined 149 male colleagues in the as it had her mothers. help people living in places that stretched from Cor- lower house of 150 total members, and her one female As she had as a girl, Sissy immersed herself inpus Christi, to orphanages in Africa and Mexico. colleague in the Texas Legislature, Senator Barbara activities and responsibilities, especially the protec- The idea that generosity is a duty taught by JesusJordan from Houston, who would later be elected to tion of Vincents surviving twin, Jimmy, who sharedChrist himself, and that the path to Heaven is a life ofthe U.S. House of Representatives. Sissy shared the his late brothers bleeding disorder. Her first effortgiving to the poor, especially for those born into greatcover of Ms. magazine with Rep. Shirley Chisholm of at political organizing was gathering support amongblessings, are values that run through generations ofNew York, under the headline, The Ticket That Could fellowparentsforsaferplaygroundequipmentatSissy Tarltons ancestors, sustained by their RomanHave Been, referring to the Democratic presidential Jimmys school, which of course, she accomplished.Catholic heritage. Genevieve Tarlton Dougherty, herprimary race of 1972. When Farenthold entered the Politics had always been part of her life, sinceaunt on her fathers side, like her brother, married aState House in 1969, Democrats still dominated Texas the days when her father would lug her to Democrat- Doughtery, and also like her brother, lived the life ofpolitics, and conservatives still dominated the Texas ic campaign events as a girl. In the immediate wakea philanthropist. The Fine Arts Center at the Univer- Democratic Partyit remained the party of LBJ. While of unthinkable personal pain, Sissy dove into John F.sity of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio is named inher desire to fix the welfare system originally moti-Kennedys 1960 campaign for president, and soon af- her honor, and for her generosity, and Pope Pius XIIvated Sissy to run for the legislature, ending corrup-ter helped manage her cousin, Dudley Doughertys,bestowed knighthood upon Genevieve, earning hertion, regardless of party, became her mission.44 THE C AL BEND MAGAGAZINEZINEMarFEATch/URED: The StApril 2018 ories that Mattered TheC talBend.comom74 THE COOASASTTAL BEND MA TheCooasastalBend.c'