Maura Catherine Anderson McNeil is a famous feminist of the 20th century who fought for equal rights. She also was the leader of the women’s movement organization in Dallas. Read more at dallaska.
Early years
Maura McNeil was born on April 11, 1921, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to the family of an insurance agent. From childhood, Maura and her other three siblings were taught to be tolerant of all people. During the summer, the family often spent time at a house near Pokegama Lake in northern Minnesota. There they got acquainted with local Indian women. They maintained friendly relations until the U.S. authorities did not deport the Indians to reservation areas. Although Maura’s grandfather tried to return them, all efforts were in vain.
During her school years, the girl demonstrated an aptitude for studying, kept a yearbook and participated in tennis tournaments. After school in 1939, she entered the University of Minnesota, majoring in English and psychology, and graduated with distinction. Then she studied painting at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Later, she got a temporary job in a department store as a window designer.
The first marriage was unsuccessful because of her abusive husband. After the divorce, Maura, with her son, moved to Dallas in 1951. There Thomas Humphreys McNeil of the Donovan Manufacturing Company offered her a job as chief designer. The couple got married on February 1, 1953. They raised three daughters, the youngest of whom was born with Down syndrome.
Public activities
After marriage and childbirth, McNeil became an active social activist. She worked at the first American camp for girls, Campfire Girls, taught at Sunday school at the Midway Hills Church, and was a member of the Domestic Violence Intervention Association and the Pan American Round Table. Later, she joined the Explore initiative in Dallas, where women were encouraged to try different roles other than mother and wife. Classes were held once a week, and after the course was finished, Maura decided to stay there as a teacher.
The foundation of a women’s organization
In 1966, Maura first visited the Women’s Educational Symposium for Social and Political Leadership (now the annual Women’s Symposium) at Southern Methodist University. However, McNeil decided that one day a year was not enough to discuss the equality of women’s rights. In 1971, she co-founded Women for Change with Sarah T. Hughes, the first woman to serve as a District Judge in Texas, where Maura was elected its president. The first official meeting was held on the campus of SMU in October 1971. Meanwhile, this organization created the Women’s Center of Dallas, which provided assistance to women who had experienced domestic violence.
By 1972, the number of members of Women for Change had increased significantly. The drafting of an amendment on equal rights for men and women in Texas was the primal task of the organization. Maura continued her activism and succeeded in adopting Title IX in 1972. This act provided free access to education for women, the creation of women’s sports teams and athletic scholarships.
In 1978, the organization established the Women Helping Women Awards to honor those who have contributed greatly to achieving equal rights for women. McNeil was the first to be awarded. Eight years later, the prize was officially renamed Maura Women Helping Women Award. The award became an annual event and was sponsored by the Dallas Women’s Foundation.
Last years of life
Maura’s second alliance also ended in divorce. In 1990, she moved to California. She spent the rest of her life extensively traveling and regularly visiting Dallas. In 2001, the Women’s Center of Dallas closed after thirty years of operation and entrusted its business to other women’s organizations.
Maura McNeil died on July 18, 2020, in Los Altos. Her remains were cremated.