Marialice Shary Shivers

Marialice Shary Shivers (2 January 1910 – 29 September 1996) was an American civic leader and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Texas from 1949 to 1957 while her husband, Allan Shivers, was governor. She was known for directing a complete refurbishment of the Texas Governor's Mansion and later became an influential advocate for education, health care and the arts in the Rio Grande Valley and in Austin.

Early life and education Marialice Roettele was born in Omaha, Nebraska, to Charles and Anne O’Brien Roettele. She attended schools in Omaha and Mission before enrolling at Our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1932.

Philanthropy Shivers was also active as a philanthropist. She helped found the Seton Development Board in Austin in 1973 and was a driving force behind the Marialice Shary Shivers Regional Neonatal Center at Seton Medical Center, dedicated in 1995. She and her husband endowed the Marialice Shary Shivers Chair in Fine Arts at Pan American University in 1975, and later donated funds and land that allowed construction of the campus's Marialice Shary Shivers Administration Building, opened in 1990. In Austin she served on boards or auxiliaries of the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, the Austin Symphony League, Junior Helping Hand, the Settlement Club and other cultural and social-service organisations. The couple had four children: John Shary Shivers, Mary Alice “Cissy” Shivers, Robert Allan “Bud” Shivers Jr. and Brian McGee Shivers. Marialice Shary Shivers died in Austin on September 29, 1996, and was buried beside her husband in the Texas State Cemetery. In higher-education circles she was honoured by Pan American University with its first Presidential Medal in 1978 and by Our Lady of the Lake University as a distinguished alumna. Buildings, endowed chairs and scholarship programmes across the University of Texas System continue to carry her name.