Pflugerville Women Champions of the Community

Pflugerville Women Champions of the Community

Written by Pamela Stephenson Wednesday, 07 March 2007

Early generations of women played important roles in settling and growing the Pflugerville community. This year’s theme for National Women’s History Month, “Generations of Women Moving History Forward” honors the spirit of these women.

Women kept their families fed during the hard times of the Great Depression and war. They grew vegetables, bartered butter and eggs for cloth and other items, worked in the fields or family businesses, while keeping up daily household chores. Like today, these women performed a multitude of tasks, but without modern conveniences such as microwaves, freezers, dishwashers, fast food and other time-saving inventions.

Myrtle Teer

The late Myrtle (Pfluger) Teer taught school after graduating from Texas Teachers’ College. During the ‘30s, she was a Home Demonstration agent, teaching women to use the extra cotton to make mattresses and comforters. In her assigned area of Bandera County, she taught eight or nine groups of women at a time who returned to their communities to teach the process to other women. She also taught women to can vegetables and fruit as well. It was the beginnings of Adult Education classes for women.

She was active in improving quality of life for the community. When the city of Pflugerville was incorportated in 1965, she worked on a small committee to set up a park system for the city. She was also instrumental in the formation of the Senior Activity Center in Pflugerville. She continued her love of gardening, quilting and crafts into her 98th year.

Fannie Mae Caldwell

Mrs. Fannie Mae (Tyson) Caldwell, the daughter of a former slave, taught her 13 children the importance of education. An educated woman in her own right, Caldwell was an activist before advocacy was popular, especially for women of color. She worked tirelessly to promote opportunities for all children to have access to quality education.

Until 1965, African American children were required to attend the Pflugerville Colored School through grade eight. After that, they had to find their own way to Austin or Round Rock to attend high school. Caldwell’s persistent requests resulted in a bus to transport the children from Pflugerville to Round Rock.

Her struggle to get an education herself and ensure her children and grandchildren had the opportunity for a quality education was recognized in 2001 when Pflugerville named a new elementary school in her honor. Living more than 101 years, she was present for the dedication.

Linda Tanguma

Demonstrating physical strength, women worked in the fields alongside the men with their families. A young woman, Linda (Ramos) Tanguma worked on the Theodor Timmerman farm with her father, a share-cropper.

“As the oldest child, I was out there [in the fields] like a boy,” Linda said.” I had to help [Dad] carry the bales to the gin.”

In the mid-1940s, at the age of 15, Linda acquired a hardship driver’s license to drive the truck and trailer to haul the cotton to the gin.

Verline Bohls

Working alongside her husband of more than 50 years, Verline (Henke) Bohls says she “chopped as little cotton as possible, but I did haul the trailers of cotton to the gin. I did drive a tractor, too.” Verline also learned to use the field cultivator. During the 1950s and 1960s, she cooked three meals a day, carrying many of them to the field wherever her husband, Herbert, was working, serving the entire family meals on the tailgate. Even when she was cooking or washing or cleaning, she was always on call to help in the fields. Though she didn’t have much time for quilting clubs or women’s social activities, she did participate in Bible study groups.