THE HISTORY OF GOLDEN CORRIDOR REPUBLICAN WOMEN

by Chris B. Davis

5/1/2005

The political climate of the 1980's was very instrumental to the formation of GCRW in 1990. The Nixon years were full of turmoil; President Ford was a fill-in that led to the election of Jimmy Carter in 1977. The Carter years were devastating for our country in so many ways.  Carter campaigned on the promise that he would create a Department of Education and the largest union in the US, the NEA, got him elected. He was not perceived as a man of strength with strong backbone and we suffered as a country because of this. Those very qualities that Carter exhibited were what made Ronald Reagan such a breath of fresh air! Most of us were busy starting our families and barely paying attention to the political landscape at this time, but as we had our children we began to become increasingly aware of what kind of world we would be raising them in.

In 1982, my husband, young son and I moved from Midland, TX to Dallas. That same year, an energetic young woman named Debbie Terry began to listen to Christian radio in Dallas and tuned in to a program called "Point of View" by Marlin Maddoux. Marlin, who just went to be with Jesus last year, was a pioneer in conservative talk radio. He opened the eyes and the minds of many who found his afternoon program totally enlightening in the areas of education and grassroots politics. During the early 80's, Debbie was inspired to volunteer to work at polls during various elections.

She also received an invitation to attend an educational conference that was sponsored by Eagle Fourm, Phyllis Schlafly's new organization, which featured Samuel Blumenfeld. Everybody sat at assigned tables and Deb ended up at a table with newly elected State Representative, Sam Johnson.

Debbie joined Eagle Forum, of which the lovely Sherry Bell was president. She immediately got "included" in the planning of a local educational conference that featured Phyllis Schlafly, Mel & Norma Gabler, Steve Bartlett (Dallas Mayor and future Congressman), Dick Armey (who was running for Congress), Marlin Maddox and Charlotte Iserbeet, who reported on the NEA's political activities. One of the big education topics was the sex education courses that were being introduced into the public school classroom.

Debbie, Sherry Bell and Wyatt Roberts, of Christian Coalition, visited different large churches in the area and got permission to make announcements about the educational conference in the various Sunday School classes. When they were making the announcement about the conference in Tim LaHay's class at Prestonwood Baptist, Darlene Hagen came forward and decided to get involved.  Darlene is one of our charter members.

This educational conference set up a "Sex Ed Curriculum" room that displayed various curriculums that were being used in different districts and that room resembled a "porn parlor".  It was situations such as this that drew so many young mothers into Golden Corridor to find out what they could do about the changing cultural climate and the affect it would have on their children’s world.

Debbie also met Cathie and Homer Adams at a training session for a crisis pregnancy center and Debbie invited Cathie to go to an Eagle Forum meeting with her....the rest is history.

As her involvement grew, Debbie realized that her ability to truly impact the system was limited. She and her friends knew that they needed to infiltrate the Republican Party, but frankly, nobody had the stomach for it. They were ideologues, not partisans.

In 1988 the Republican Party in Collin County asked Debbie to become the Precinct Chair and Election Judge for her precinct, as the current one had moved away. This was a pivotal year in Republican Grassroots Politics.  During the Presidential Primaries, Pat Robertson ran for President. As it turned out, Pat's job was not to become President, but to be the motivating factor behind many Christian ideologues becoming involved in the political process, many for the very first time in their lives.

In March of 1988, thousands of people learned about precinct conventions and attended their very first one after the primary. In Collin County, there was a takeover of the local party by these new political converts.

Looking back, the important lessons from this time are that while it was revolutionary that the new grassroots Christians turned out in the numbers they did and were able to take over many precincts and get themselves elected as State Delegates; many long-time party workers were very upset.  Politics is a numbers game and the new group had the numbers to carry their philosophy farther along.  As in politics, a successful life is one built around relationships.  It is significant that Debbie had already become involved a bit politically and that she had begun to develop a relationship with those long time activists, because she was the only grassroots Christian activist that appeared on both side’s slates of delegates for state convention.  While our message is very important, it is also very important to be able to develop and maintain relationships with all types of people in order to be successful in communicating our message.  How can we hope to influence others for Christ if our own actions or lack of wisdom cause division?  As women of faith, our highest goals are to reflect God’s love and principles in our lives as we work within the political realm.  But politics for the Christian is not an easy task.  Many of our principles are black and white and we do not compromise them, while politics is the art of compromise.  I have always admired the way Debbie Terry could lovingly work a crowd while graciously standing for her principles.

During the summer of 1988 State Republican Convention was in Ft. Worth and that is where Debbie became friends and kindred spirits with TFRW District Director Harriet Armstrong from Collin County. At this convention, Debbie would look around and see people she knew voting the wrong way on issues of grave importance to our culture. She decided that they must be horribly misinformed or else uninformed about all of the things she was learning from listening to Marlin Maddox.

As Debbie’s relationship with Harriet Armstrong continued to grow, Debbie was both inspired and encouraged to start a Republican Women's Club that could address the important issues of the day regarding families and education.

In April 1990 the inaugural meeting of Golden Corridor Republican Women was held in Debbie's house in the Collin County part of North Dallas with home school friends and friends from Eagle Forum. Twenty-seven ladies attended.

Golden Corridor's mission was to reach out to women between the ages of 25 and 35 in the N. Dallas area who lived between I-35 and Hwy. 75 north of LBJ known as the “Golden Corridor” and help them learn to effectively impact the Republican Party.

 According to TFRW's rules, a club needed 10 members to receive a charter. Golden Corridor chartered with 10 members of the 27 that showed up in April and the next month added 17 new members. By showing over 100% growth, they had already qualified for a TFRW requirement for an award.

That’s the other thing about Debbie Terry.  Not only is she gracious and loving, she is shrewd!  In order to truly impact the system, Golden Corridor had to make itself known and carry some clout.  Under Debbie’s leadership, the club set the habit of consistently winning all of the awards that a top-notch club could win….the NFRW Diamond Award and the John Tower Award.  During the 90’s, when Denise McNamara was President of Golden Corridor, we had nearly 600 members and were the fastest growing club in the National Federation.

Our size and growth helped strengthen the conservative voice within the Republican Party.  Our biggest competition was the Magic Circle Club in the Memorial area of Houston that was a very large club with a more moderate philosophy.  Our presence also helped keep candidates and office holders on the “Conservative Reservation”, because the involvement of so many socially conservative women was not something that they wanted working against them.

In 1991 they young Golden Corridor Club threw itself into Sam Johnson’s race for Congress.  What a race that was!  Collin County was not the big Republican powerhouse it is today, and Sam was running against Tom Pauken from Dallas County in the primary.  It was a sweet victory when Sam won.  We all knew it was Golden Corridor and the home schoolers who carried him to victory!  I can still remember Jessica Hulcy barking out orders and distributing signs and fliers on Sam’s behalf.  Sam’s race was a real bonding experience not only among the members of Golden Corridor, but with Sam Johnson himself.  A lot of the Golden Corridor members and home schoolers flew up to Washington, D.C. to attend Sam’s swearing in ceremony.  He has always been a dear, dear friend to GCRW.

Debbie Terry had tremendous energy and working with her we all believed that the world could be a better place for our families if we would strategically invest time in the political system and try to have fun doing it!

While Cathie Adams was never president of Golden Corridor, she always opened up her home for meetings and she and Homer supported the club financially for many years.  We are truly indebted to their generosity.

We have had our ebbs and flows over the years, but just look at what Golden Corridor has produced:

·         Penna Dexter – talk show host who worked with Marlin Maddoux on his “Point of View” show.

·         Denise McNamara – past president, former SREC from SD 16 and current National Committeewoman representing the state of Texas on the RNC.

·         Jodie Laubenberg – past SREC from SD 16, former Parker City Councilwoman and currently serving her second term as a State Representative from the eastern Collin County – Rockwall area.

·         Cathie Adams – President of Texas Eagle Forum

·         Hundreds of trained grassroots activists who have impacted our government on every level.  As Jessica Hulcy always says, “Many hands makes light work”.

Let me encourage you to continue to let your light shine in the political realm and to work to be salt and light in this world by helping godly men and women get elected to office.  Pray for them and their families continually.  Let your involvement in politics be a witness to all of your integrity and your desire to make a difference for good.  Let us work together to stand against the powers of darkness who seek to undermine every bit of good with which God has blessed this county.

Let me close with this exhortation from: 2 Timothy 4

1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. 5 As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. As with the Apostle Paul, let us be able to say, 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.