Dallas Morning News, The (TX) - February 18, 2005
Betty Jo Peacock Hay was a philanthropist, a fund-raiser, an ardent Democrat and a servant to higher education, but her passions were children and mental health causes.
Mrs. Hay, 73, died Wednesday of complications of lung cancer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
A memorial will be at 4 p.m. Monday at Highland Park United Methodist Church. She will be buried in a private ceremony at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
"She was the kind of person that when she decided something needed to be done, she would mobilize the resources ... to make sure it got done - and it got done," said Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern.
Mrs. Hay's decades of service in education included 13 consecutive years as a PTA room mother and six years on the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System.
Her advocacy for the mentally ill grew from a local fund-raising position to the national president of the National Mental Health Association in just 13 years.
"She was absolutely a tenacious, committed leader," Dr. Wildenthal said.
Mrs. Hay and her husband, Dallas business leader Jess Hay, combined their interests in education and medicine to fund the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health at UT Southwestern. Their gifts to the medical school were instrumental in founding a research center for mood disorders, the school said.
Privately, Mrs. Hay was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and a loyal friend to scores of people, her husband said.
"She also emerged as a very dedicated public citizen devoted primarily to the welfare of children and to the protection of those in our society who are least capable of helping themselves," Mr. Hay said. "That was the driving motivation of her public service."
Mrs. Hay had been interested and involved in politics for nearly 60 years.
She and her husband helped Henry Wade in his 1950 campaign that started his 36-year tenure as Dallas County district attorney.
Former President Bill Clinton called the Hay family Wednesday and issued a statement on her death.
"Betty Jo's tireless efforts on behalf of so many public servants in whom she believed made her an example of American democracy at its best, and her integrity and goodness made her a joy to have known," Mr. Clinton said.
Former Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said he remembers Mrs. Hay as a strong and relentless advocate for children and enlightened policies related to mental health.
"Her interests went far beyond lip service to particular causes or community efforts," he said in a prepared statement. "If she saw a problem that was nationwide in scope, then she believed in dealing with it for the benefit of all Americans."
Born in McAlester, Okla., Mrs. Hay moved to Dallas with her family when she was 12.
She began a lifelong interest in politics as a teenager when she attended the swearing-in ceremony for her uncle, Carl Albert, an Oklahoma congressman who later became speaker of the House.
She was a skilled debater at Sunset High School and Southern Methodist University, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1952.
At SMU, Mrs. Hay was on the debate team, student body secretary and a member and co-founder of the Youth Council for Better Government. She was also a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, Zeta Phi Eta, and Tau Kappa Alpha, the national honorary forensic society.
On Aug. 3, 1951, she married Mr. Hay, who went on to have a successful career in business and was active in local and national Democratic Party politics.
Mrs. Hay's civic work included serving on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Baylor College of Dentistry, and the advisory board for the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She was most proud of being on the 18-member National Commission of Children in 1989. She was appointed to the commission by the U.S. Senate.
In 1986, Mrs. Hay told how she became involved with mental health causes.
"Somebody called me back in 1972 and asked me to help raise money," she said. The invitation developed into a full-time volunteer career.
The 1972 phone call was a request for Mrs. Hay to serve as chair of the Galaxy Ball, the annual fund-raiser for the Texas Mental Health Association.
In the process of raising funds, she was "amazed at how little people know about mental illness,' she said at the time.
As Mrs. Hay learned about mental illness, she became deeply concerned about the lack of residential facilities for children. She was passionate about her cause.
In 1990, Mrs. Hay received the Sandy Brandt Volunteer Award, the National Mental Health Association's highest volunteer honor.
She also served as a trustee of the Menninger Foundation, a nonprofit center for treatment, prevention and research of mental illness, as well as the Menninger Clinic.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Hay is survived by two daughters, Debby Hay Spradley and Patricia Hay Daibert, both of Dallas; and three grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Betty Jo Hay Endowed Scholarship Fund at Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750402, Dallas, Texas 75275-0402.
Betty Jo Peacock Hay was a philanthropist, a fund-raiser, an ardent Democrat and a servant to higher education, but her passions were children and mental health causes.
Mrs. Hay, 73, died Wednesday of complications of lung cancer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
A memorial will be at 4 p.m. Monday at Highland Park United Methodist Church. She will be buried in a private ceremony at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
"She was the kind of person that when she decided something needed to be done, she would mobilize the resources ... to make sure it got done - and it got done," said Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern.
Mrs. Hay's decades of service in education included 13 consecutive years as a PTA room mother and six years on the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System.
Her advocacy for the mentally ill grew from a local fund-raising position to the national president of the National Mental Health Association in just 13 years.
"She was absolutely a tenacious, committed leader," Dr. Wildenthal said.
Mrs. Hay and her husband, Dallas business leader Jess Hay, combined their interests in education and medicine to fund the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health at UT Southwestern. Their gifts to the medical school were instrumental in founding a research center for mood disorders, the school said.
Privately, Mrs. Hay was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and a loyal friend to scores of people, her husband said.
"She also emerged as a very dedicated public citizen devoted primarily to the welfare of children and to the protection of those in our society who are least capable of helping themselves," Mr. Hay said. "That was the driving motivation of her public service."
Mrs. Hay had been interested and involved in politics for nearly 60 years.
She and her husband helped Henry Wade in his 1950 campaign that started his 36-year tenure as Dallas County district attorney.
Former President Bill Clinton called the Hay family Wednesday and issued a statement on her death.
"Betty Jo's tireless efforts on behalf of so many public servants in whom she believed made her an example of American democracy at its best, and her integrity and goodness made her a joy to have known," Mr. Clinton said.
Former Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said he remembers Mrs. Hay as a strong and relentless advocate for children and enlightened policies related to mental health.
"Her interests went far beyond lip service to particular causes or community efforts," he said in a prepared statement. "If she saw a problem that was nationwide in scope, then she believed in dealing with it for the benefit of all Americans."
Born in McAlester, Okla., Mrs. Hay moved to Dallas with her family when she was 12.
She began a lifelong interest in politics as a teenager when she attended the swearing-in ceremony for her uncle, Carl Albert, an Oklahoma congressman who later became speaker of the House.
She was a skilled debater at Sunset High School and Southern Methodist University, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1952.
At SMU, Mrs. Hay was on the debate team, student body secretary and a member and co-founder of the Youth Council for Better Government. She was also a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, Zeta Phi Eta, and Tau Kappa Alpha, the national honorary forensic society.
On Aug. 3, 1951, she married Mr. Hay, who went on to have a successful career in business and was active in local and national Democratic Party politics.
Mrs. Hay's civic work included serving on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Baylor College of Dentistry, and the advisory board for the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She was most proud of being on the 18-member National Commission of Children in 1989. She was appointed to the commission by the U.S. Senate.
In 1986, Mrs. Hay told how she became involved with mental health causes.
"Somebody called me back in 1972 and asked me to help raise money," she said. The invitation developed into a full-time volunteer career.
The 1972 phone call was a request for Mrs. Hay to serve as chair of the Galaxy Ball, the annual fund-raiser for the Texas Mental Health Association.
In the process of raising funds, she was "amazed at how little people know about mental illness,' she said at the time.
As Mrs. Hay learned about mental illness, she became deeply concerned about the lack of residential facilities for children. She was passionate about her cause.
In 1990, Mrs. Hay received the Sandy Brandt Volunteer Award, the National Mental Health Association's highest volunteer honor.
She also served as a trustee of the Menninger Foundation, a nonprofit center for treatment, prevention and research of mental illness, as well as the Menninger Clinic.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Hay is survived by two daughters, Debby Hay Spradley and Patricia Hay Daibert, both of Dallas; and three grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Betty Jo Hay Endowed Scholarship Fund at Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750402, Dallas, Texas 75275-0402.
Dallas Morning News, The (TX) - February 18, 2005
Betty Jo Peacock Hay was a philanthropist, a fund-raiser, an ardent Democrat and a servant to higher education, but her passions were children and mental health causes.
Mrs. Hay, 73, died Wednesday of complications of lung cancer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
A memorial will be at 4 p.m. Monday at Highland Park United Methodist Church. She will be buried in a private ceremony at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
"She was the kind of person that when she decided something needed to be done, she would mobilize the resources ... to make sure it got done - and it got done," said Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern.
Mrs. Hay's decades of service in education included 13 consecutive years as a PTA room mother and six years on the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System.
Her advocacy for the mentally ill grew from a local fund-raising position to the national president of the National Mental Health Association in just 13 years.
"She was absolutely a tenacious, committed leader," Dr. Wildenthal said.
Mrs. Hay and her husband, Dallas business leader Jess Hay, combined their interests in education and medicine to fund the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health at UT Southwestern. Their gifts to the medical school were instrumental in founding a research center for mood disorders, the school said.
Privately, Mrs. Hay was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and a loyal friend to scores of people, her husband said.
"She also emerged as a very dedicated public citizen devoted primarily to the welfare of children and to the protection of those in our society who are least capable of helping themselves," Mr. Hay said. "That was the driving motivation of her public service."
Mrs. Hay had been interested and involved in politics for nearly 60 years.
She and her husband helped Henry Wade in his 1950 campaign that started his 36-year tenure as Dallas County district attorney.
Former President Bill Clinton called the Hay family Wednesday and issued a statement on her death.
"Betty Jo's tireless efforts on behalf of so many public servants in whom she believed made her an example of American democracy at its best, and her integrity and goodness made her a joy to have known," Mr. Clinton said.
Former Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said he remembers Mrs. Hay as a strong and relentless advocate for children and enlightened policies related to mental health.
"Her interests went far beyond lip service to particular causes or community efforts," he said in a prepared statement. "If she saw a problem that was nationwide in scope, then she believed in dealing with it for the benefit of all Americans."
Born in McAlester, Okla., Mrs. Hay moved to Dallas with her family when she was 12.
She began a lifelong interest in politics as a teenager when she attended the swearing-in ceremony for her uncle, Carl Albert, an Oklahoma congressman who later became speaker of the House.
She was a skilled debater at Sunset High School and Southern Methodist University, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1952.
At SMU, Mrs. Hay was on the debate team, student body secretary and a member and co-founder of the Youth Council for Better Government. She was also a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, Zeta Phi Eta, and Tau Kappa Alpha, the national honorary forensic society.
On Aug. 3, 1951, she married Mr. Hay, who went on to have a successful career in business and was active in local and national Democratic Party politics.
Mrs. Hay's civic work included serving on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Baylor College of Dentistry, and the advisory board for the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She was most proud of being on the 18-member National Commission of Children in 1989. She was appointed to the commission by the U.S. Senate.
In 1986, Mrs. Hay told how she became involved with mental health causes.
"Somebody called me back in 1972 and asked me to help raise money," she said. The invitation developed into a full-time volunteer career.
The 1972 phone call was a request for Mrs. Hay to serve as chair of the Galaxy Ball, the annual fund-raiser for the Texas Mental Health Association.
In the process of raising funds, she was "amazed at how little people know about mental illness,' she said at the time.
As Mrs. Hay learned about mental illness, she became deeply concerned about the lack of residential facilities for children. She was passionate about her cause.
In 1990, Mrs. Hay received the Sandy Brandt Volunteer Award, the National Mental Health Association's highest volunteer honor.
She also served as a trustee of the Menninger Foundation, a nonprofit center for treatment, prevention and research of mental illness, as well as the Menninger Clinic.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Hay is survived by two daughters, Debby Hay Spradley and Patricia Hay Daibert, both of Dallas; and three grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Betty Jo Hay Endowed Scholarship Fund at Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750402, Dallas, Texas 75275-0402.
Betty Jo Peacock Hay was a philanthropist, a fund-raiser, an ardent Democrat and a servant to higher education, but her passions were children and mental health causes.
Mrs. Hay, 73, died Wednesday of complications of lung cancer at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
A memorial will be at 4 p.m. Monday at Highland Park United Methodist Church. She will be buried in a private ceremony at Hillcrest Memorial Park.
"She was the kind of person that when she decided something needed to be done, she would mobilize the resources ... to make sure it got done - and it got done," said Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern.
Mrs. Hay's decades of service in education included 13 consecutive years as a PTA room mother and six years on the Coordinating Board of the Texas College and University System.
Her advocacy for the mentally ill grew from a local fund-raising position to the national president of the National Mental Health Association in just 13 years.
"She was absolutely a tenacious, committed leader," Dr. Wildenthal said.
Mrs. Hay and her husband, Dallas business leader Jess Hay, combined their interests in education and medicine to fund the Betty Jo Hay Distinguished Chair in Mental Health at UT Southwestern. Their gifts to the medical school were instrumental in founding a research center for mood disorders, the school said.
Privately, Mrs. Hay was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother and a loyal friend to scores of people, her husband said.
"She also emerged as a very dedicated public citizen devoted primarily to the welfare of children and to the protection of those in our society who are least capable of helping themselves," Mr. Hay said. "That was the driving motivation of her public service."
Mrs. Hay had been interested and involved in politics for nearly 60 years.
She and her husband helped Henry Wade in his 1950 campaign that started his 36-year tenure as Dallas County district attorney.
Former President Bill Clinton called the Hay family Wednesday and issued a statement on her death.
"Betty Jo's tireless efforts on behalf of so many public servants in whom she believed made her an example of American democracy at its best, and her integrity and goodness made her a joy to have known," Mr. Clinton said.
Former Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said he remembers Mrs. Hay as a strong and relentless advocate for children and enlightened policies related to mental health.
"Her interests went far beyond lip service to particular causes or community efforts," he said in a prepared statement. "If she saw a problem that was nationwide in scope, then she believed in dealing with it for the benefit of all Americans."
Born in McAlester, Okla., Mrs. Hay moved to Dallas with her family when she was 12.
She began a lifelong interest in politics as a teenager when she attended the swearing-in ceremony for her uncle, Carl Albert, an Oklahoma congressman who later became speaker of the House.
She was a skilled debater at Sunset High School and Southern Methodist University, where she received a bachelor's degree in 1952.
At SMU, Mrs. Hay was on the debate team, student body secretary and a member and co-founder of the Youth Council for Better Government. She was also a member of Sigma Kappa sorority, Zeta Phi Eta, and Tau Kappa Alpha, the national honorary forensic society.
On Aug. 3, 1951, she married Mr. Hay, who went on to have a successful career in business and was active in local and national Democratic Party politics.
Mrs. Hay's civic work included serving on the boards of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Baylor College of Dentistry, and the advisory board for the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington.
She was most proud of being on the 18-member National Commission of Children in 1989. She was appointed to the commission by the U.S. Senate.
In 1986, Mrs. Hay told how she became involved with mental health causes.
"Somebody called me back in 1972 and asked me to help raise money," she said. The invitation developed into a full-time volunteer career.
The 1972 phone call was a request for Mrs. Hay to serve as chair of the Galaxy Ball, the annual fund-raiser for the Texas Mental Health Association.
In the process of raising funds, she was "amazed at how little people know about mental illness,' she said at the time.
As Mrs. Hay learned about mental illness, she became deeply concerned about the lack of residential facilities for children. She was passionate about her cause.
In 1990, Mrs. Hay received the Sandy Brandt Volunteer Award, the National Mental Health Association's highest volunteer honor.
She also served as a trustee of the Menninger Foundation, a nonprofit center for treatment, prevention and research of mental illness, as well as the Menninger Clinic.
In addition to her husband, Mrs. Hay is survived by two daughters, Debby Hay Spradley and Patricia Hay Daibert, both of Dallas; and three grandchildren.
Memorials may be made to the Betty Jo Hay Endowed Scholarship Fund at Southern Methodist University, P.O. Box 750402, Dallas, Texas 75275-0402.
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