Fair Park visitors on opening day of the State Fair of Texas discovered a new exhibit honoring Texas Woman’s University’s 125‑year legacy. Titled “Blazing New Trails: 125 Years of Texas Woman’s University,” the display opened Friday inside the Hall of State.
Showcasing a century of women’s contributions
The exhibit features artifacts, photographs, film clips and stories that trace the university’s evolution from its 1901 founding as the Girls Industrial College to today’s nation‑wide, woman‑focused public university system. Highlights include historic Texas First Ladies’ gowns, a World War II flight jacket worn by a Women Airforce Service Pilot, and the original Fritos Chili Pie recipe created by distinguished alumna Nell Morris.
TWU Chancellor and President Carine Feyten said the exhibition is a chance to celebrate “all kinds of women from different areas and across the ages” who have broken barriers, opened doors and driven social change. She noted the university’s student body is almost 90 % women, making it the nation’s first and only woman‑focused public university system.
Iconic items on display
Among the standout pieces is the white mohair coat worn by former Governor Ann Richards during her 1991 inaugural parade, crafted by TWU fashion students under noted designer Les Wilk. The exhibit also showcases the university’s world‑renowned Women Airforce Service Pilots archive, the largest collection of WASP materials globally, including a bomber jacket worn by Elizabeth “Betty” Gardner, whose cockpit photo became an iconic image of the program.
Visitors can view a first‑edition copy of Florence Nightingale’s 1859 book Notes on Nursing, a single high‑heel shoe once used by former Texas Senator Jane Nelson, and the lectern Eleanor Roosevelt used to dedicate TWU’s historic Little Chapel‑in‑the‑Woods.
Connecting past and future
Feyten emphasized that the exhibit links generations of leaders, noting, “You can almost feel an energy in the room – the accumulated energy of generations of leaders and pioneers building on what came before them.” The display runs through Oct. 18 and admission is included with State Fair tickets.
Original reporting: Dallas TX News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
